ABOUT US
MAPS
The MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) program, which is conducted through the IBP (Institute for Bird Populations), is a continent-wide effort to conserve avian populations and their habitats through bird banding.
MoSI
MoSI is a collaborative, international network of bird monitoring stations across the northern Neotropics that bolsters conservation efforts through population monitoring. Since 2002, the program has operated more than 250 stations in 22 countries.
Banding Locations
Nicoya Peninsula
WBRG’s Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station is a research and monitoring program in northwestern Costa Rica. NPARS studies site fidelity, survivorship, population demographics and habitat partitioning of nearctic-neotropical migrants, and age- and sex-deterministic characteristics in neotropical residential birds.
Saw-whet Migration
WBRG studies the migration and winter ecology of eastern North America’s smallest owl, the Northern Saw-whet Owl. WBRG staff capture and band Saw-whet Owls at multiple sites during the fall migration, and participate in a continent-wide network of owl researchers studying large-scale Saw-whet biology. During the winter, WBRG fits Saw-whets with temporary radio transmitters to track their movements and identify critical roosting habitat characteristics.
The NC Arboretum
The North Carolina Arboretum is located in Asheville, North Carolina within the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. The Arboretum serves as a land steward and environmental educator for 434 acres of Pisgah National Forest, which spans over 500,000 acres across western North Carolina.
This research station is tailored to bridge the geographic research gap of Wild Bird Research Group, while aligning with both the mission of the MAPS banding program and The North Carolina Arboretum.
Nicoya Peninsula
WBRG’s Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station is a research and monitoring program in northwestern Costa Rica. NPARS studies site fidelity, survivorship, population demographics and habitat partitioning of nearctic-neotropical migrants, and age- and sex-deterministic characteristics in neotropical residential birds.
Saw-whet Migration
WBRG studies the migration and winter ecology of eastern North America’s smallest owl, the Northern Saw-whet Owl. WBRG staff capture and band Saw-whet Owls at multiple sites during the fall migration, and participate in a continent-wide network of owl researchers studying large-scale Saw-whet biology. During the winter, WBRG fits Saw-whets with temporary radio transmitters to track their movements and identify critical roosting habitat characteristics.
The NC Arboretum
The North Carolina Arboretum is located in Asheville, North Carolina within the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. The Arboretum serves as a land steward and environmental educator for 434 acres of Pisgah National Forest, which spans over 500,000 acres across western North Carolina.
This research station is tailored to bridge the geographic research gap of Wild Bird Research Group, while aligning with both the mission of the MAPS banding program and The North Carolina Arboretum.
Our Team
Tyler Christensen
Research Coordinator
Tyler is an ornithologist, ecologist, and environmental educator from New Jersey, and is a co-founder of Wild Bird Research Group. As WBRG’s Research Coordinator Tyler is responsible for overseeing its bird research projects.
Tyler has had a strong passion for birds since he was a young teenager. His professional career focuses on ecological research, monitoring, and habitat restoration, with a particular concentration on birds and their habitats. His favorite bird guilds to study include tropical hummingbirds, neartic-neotropical migrants, and North American owls. He brings to WBRG more than 15 years of ornithological research experience and 9 years of service on conservation nonprofit boards.
Sean Graesser
Director
Sean is a founding member and the Director of Wild Bird Research Group. Sean is a biologist, conservation photographer, and storyteller from New Jersey. In his scientific research, he specializes in birds, particularly hummingbirds, studying their habitats and migration patterns. Sean has had the opportunity to work on projects with the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Alliance, National Geographic, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research program. He has spent the past fifteen years in Costa Rica and Panama collecting research data and teaching tropical rainforest field techniques courses.
Anthony Squitieri
Regional Coordinator
Anthony Squitieri is an ornithologist and ecologist based out of Asheville, North Carolina. Anthony serves as WBRG’s Regional Coordinator of the Southern Appalachians, and station manager for The North Carolina Arboretum banding station. He works closely with the Arboretum and UNCA, his alma mater, to provide educational and research opportunities for students and the local community. Anthony has spent the past ten years working in Costa Rica, Panama, and North Carolina operating bird banding stations and serving as a station manager, and is passionate about international avian conservation. In NC he has become particularly interested in migratory birds that breed in the unique mountain habitats, as well as relic populations of birds that are disjunct from the rest of their U.S. range.
Tyler Christensen
Research Coordinator
Tyler is an ornithologist, ecologist, and environmental educator from New Jersey, and is a co-founder of Wild Bird Research Group. As WBRG’s Director, Tyler is responsible for overseeing its bird research projects, staff, programs, and operations budget.
Tyler has had a strong passion for birds since he was a young teenager. His professional career focuses on ecological research, monitoring, and habitat restoration, with a particular concentration on birds and their habitats. His favorite bird guilds to study include tropical hummingbirds, neartic-neotropical migrants, and North American owls. He brings to WBRG more than 15 years of ornithological research experience and 9 years of service on conservation nonprofit boards.
Sean Graesser
Director
Sean is a founding member and the Director of Wild Bird Research Group. Sean is a biologist, conservation photographer, and storyteller from New Jersey. In his scientific research, he specializes in birds, particularly hummingbirds, studying their habitats and migration patterns. Sean has had the opportunity to work on projects with the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Alliance, National Geographic, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research program. He has spent the past fifteen years in Costa Rica and Panama collecting research data and teaching tropical rainforest field techniques courses.
Anthony Squitieri
Regional Coordinator
Anthony Squitieri is an ornithologist and ecologist based out of Asheville, North Carolina. Anthony serves as WBRG’s Regional Coordinator of the Southern Appalachians, and station manager for The North Carolina Arboretum banding station. He works closely with the Arboretum and UNCA, his alma mater, to provide educational and research opportunities for students and the local community. Anthony has spent the past ten years working in Costa Rica, Panama, and North Carolina operating bird banding stations and serving as a station manager, and is passionate about international avian conservation. In NC he has become particularly interested in migratory birds that breed in the unique mountain habitats, as well as relic populations of birds that are disjunct from the rest of their U.S. range.
