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 DIRECTOR
Tyler Christensen is a founding member of the Wild Bird Research Group. He has held multiple leadership positions within the organization, including Executive Director, Research Coordinator, Treasurer, and Chair of the Research Committee. With nearly 20 years of experience as a field researcher and ecologist. Tyler specializes in studying bird behaviors such as habitat selection, migration, and foraging ecology, with a particular emphasis on nocturnal owls. Beyond his research, Tyler is a passionate environmental educator, leading programs on birding, owl ecology, and bird banding for audiences of all ages and expertise levels. Tyler resides in Highland Park, New Jersey.
Sean Graesser
EXECUTIVE 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
NORTH CAROLINA CHAPTER
Anthony Squitieri is an avian ecologist and environmental educator based in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. With twenty years of field research and bird banding experience, the past fourteen of them have been spent working with WBRG in the eastern U.S. and southern Central America. His roles with WBRG include being a “co-founding” member, serving as a former Board President, and currently serving as the Regional Coordinator of the Southern Appalachians.
Board Of Directors
Executive Committee
Mark Bean, Board President
Frank Russo, Board Treasurer
Adriana De Cervantes, Board Secretary
Board Members
Emmy Broeg
Gregory Flanagan
Frank Gargione
Ian Gray
Natalie Micale
James Muchmore
Jenn Rogers
