Jeff is a Biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD. Jeff works under Diann Prosser on projects focused on understanding avian influenza infection dynamics and waterbird ecology within the Chesapeake Bay
Jeff began working for USGS in 2016, where he studies breeding ecology of colonial nesting waterbirds in the Chesapeake Bay as well as the persistence, spread, and amplification of avian influenza viruses in wild waterfowl. His graduate work focused on understanding the movement ecology of female white-tailed deer relative to estrous and hunting pressure.
Professional Experience
2016-present - U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science center
Education and Certifications
M.S., Auburn University, Forestry and Wildlife Management (2016
B.S., Washington College, Environmental Studies (2010)
Science and Products
Assessing nest attentiveness of Common Terns via video cameras and temperature loggers
Using thermal infrared cameras to detect avian chicks at various distances and vegetative coverages
Eviction notice: Observation of a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) usurping an active Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) Nest
Promoting change in common tern (Sterna hirundo) nest site selection to minimize construction related disturbance
Seasonal occurrence and abundance of dabbling ducks across the continental United States: Joint spatio-temporal modelling for the Genus Anas
Waterfowl spring migratory behavior and avian influenza transmission risk in the changing landscape of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
A video surveillance system to monitor breeding colonies of common terns (Sterna Hirundo)
Investigating home range, movement pattern, and habitat selection of Bar-headed Geese during breeding season at Qinghai Lake, China
Preliminary evaluation of behavioral response of nesting waterbirds to small unmanned aircraft flight
Use of Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) burrows as shelter by Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) chicks
Species distribution modeling in regions of high need and limited data: waterfowl of China
Deriving Spatial Waterfowl Inputs for Disease Risk Modeling
Preliminary evaluation of behavioral response of nesting waterbirds to small unmanned aircraft flight
Science and Products
- Publications
Assessing nest attentiveness of Common Terns via video cameras and temperature loggers
While nest attentiveness plays a critical role in the reproductive success of avian species, little nest attentiveness data with high temporal resolution is available for many species. However, improvements in both video monitoring and temperature logging devices present an opportunity to improve our understanding of this aspect of avian behavior. To investigate nest attentiveness behaviors and evAuthorsJeffery D. Sullivan, Paul R. Marban, Jennifer M. Mullinax, David F. Brinker, Petter C. McGowan, Carl C. Callahan, Diann ProsserUsing thermal infrared cameras to detect avian chicks at various distances and vegetative coverages
Population monitoring of nesting waterbirds often involves frequent entries into the colony, but alternative methods such as local remotely sensed thermal imaging may help reduce disturbance while providing a cost-effective way to survey breeding populations. Such an approach can have high initial costs, however, which may have reduced the number of studies investigating functionality of paired thAuthorsDiann Prosser, Tom Collier, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Katherine Emily Dale, Carl R. Callahan, Peter C. McGowan, Edward Gaylord, Julia M. Geschke, Lucas Howell, Paul R. Marban, Saba RamanEviction notice: Observation of a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) usurping an active Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) Nest
Although nest usurpation is common in some species and orders of birds, usurpation has rarely been reported for Sterninae. We observed a Sterna hirundo (Common Tern) egg in an active Sternula antillarum(Least Tern) nest with a complete clutch in a mixed-species Sterninae colony in Chesapeake Bay, MD, in May 2018. Based on observations from a game camera following usurpation, Common Terns incubatedAuthorsGeorgia J. Riggs, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Kayla M. Harvey, Dimitri A. Pappas, Jennifer L. Wall, Peter C. McGowan, Carl R. Callahan, Craig A. Koppie, Diann ProsserPromoting change in common tern (Sterna hirundo) nest site selection to minimize construction related disturbance
With dramatic declines in waterbird populations around the globe, wildlife managers have taken great care to minimize disturbance to breeding waterbird colonies. However, sometimes disturbance cannot be avoided and other actions must be considered. During the 2017 breeding season, a colony of Sterna hirundo (Common terns) were deterred from a historic nesting site due to concerns that nearby restoAuthorsPeter C. McGowan, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Carl C. Callahan, William Schultz, Jennifer L. Wall, Diann ProsserSeasonal occurrence and abundance of dabbling ducks across the continental United States: Joint spatio-temporal modelling for the Genus Anas
Estimating the distribution and abundance of wildlife is an essential task in species conservation, wildlife management and habitat prioritization. Although a host of methods and tools have been proposed to accomplish this undertaking, several challenges remain in accurately forecasting occurrence and abundance for highly mobile species. Exhibiting extensive geographic ranges with seasonally varyiAuthorsJohn M. Humphreys, Jennifer L. Murrow, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Diann ProsserWaterfowl spring migratory behavior and avian influenza transmission risk in the changing landscape of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
Avian influenza has advanced from a regional concern to a global health issue with significant economic, trade, and public health implications. Wild birds, particularly waterfowl (Anseriformes), are known reservoirs for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIV) and recent studies have shown their potential in the spread of highly pathogenic forms of virus. East Asia remains an epicenter for theAuthorsJeffery D. Sullivan, John Y. Takekawa, Kyle A. Spragens, Scott H. Newman, Xiangming Xiao, Paul J. Leader, Bena Smith, Diann J. ProsserA video surveillance system to monitor breeding colonies of common terns (Sterna Hirundo)
Many waterbird populations have faced declines over the last century, including the common tern (Sterna hirundo), a waterbird species with a widespread breeding distribution, that has been recently listed as endangered in some habitats of its range. Waterbird monitoring programs exist to track populations through time; however, some of the more intensive approaches require entering colonies and caAuthorsJ.L. Wall, Paul Marban, D.F. Brinker, J.D. Sullivan, M. Zimnik, J.L. Murrow, P. C. McGowan, Carl R. Callahan, Diann J. ProsserInvestigating home range, movement pattern, and habitat selection of Bar-headed Geese during breeding season at Qinghai Lake, China
The Bar-headed Goose is an important species in Asia, both culturally and ecologically. While prior studies have shown Qinghai Lake supports one of the largest breeding areas for Bar-headed Geese, little is known regarding the species movement ecology during the breeding season. In this study, we examined Bar-headed Goose home range size within the breeding grounds at Qinghai Lake and documented tAuthorsRuobing Zheng, Lacy M. Smith, Diann J. Prosser, John Y. Takekawa, Scott H. Newman, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Ze Luo, Baoping YanPreliminary evaluation of behavioral response of nesting waterbirds to small unmanned aircraft flight
Small unmanned aircraft systems present an emerging technology with the potential to survey colonial waterbird populations while reducing disturbance in comparison to traditional ground counts. Recent research with these systems has been performed on some colonially nesting avian species; however, none have focused on wading bird species. During 2015–2016, this study tested the behavioral responseAuthorsKaitlyn Reintsma, Peter C. McGowan, Carl R. Callahan, Tom Collier, David Gray, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Diann J. ProsserUse of Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) burrows as shelter by Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) chicks
The availability of shelter to avoid predation and ameliorate physiologically stressful conditions is often important to the survival of avian hatchlings. However, as changes in habitat availability force birds to nest in nontraditional locations, young must quickly adapt to using novel sources of shelter. Two Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) colonies (one vegetated and one barren) were observed durinAuthorsPeter C. McGowan, Kaitlyn Reintsma, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Katie P. DeVoss, Jennifer L. Wall, Mia D. Zimnik, Carl R. Callahan, Bill Schultz, Diann J. ProsserSpecies distribution modeling in regions of high need and limited data: waterfowl of China
BackgroundA number of conservation and societal issues require understanding how species are distributed on the landscape, yet ecologists are often faced with a lack of data to develop models at the resolution and extent desired, resulting in inefficient use of conservation resources. Such a situation presented itself in our attempt to develop waterfowl distribution models as part of a multi-disciAuthorsDiann J. Prosser, Changqing Ding, R. Michael Erwin, Taej Mundkur, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Erle C. Ellis - Science
Deriving Spatial Waterfowl Inputs for Disease Risk Modeling
This project is an effort to create spatially and temporally explicit models for waterfowl distribution across the United States for use in avian influenza transmission risk modeling. - Data
Preliminary evaluation of behavioral response of nesting waterbirds to small unmanned aircraft flight
This dataset is comprised of 3 .csv files related to the use of unmanned aerial systems over waterbird colonies. Specifically, data detail the disturbance observed in birds during flights, the time required for traditional ground surveys to be conducted, and the distance at which birds flush during traditional ground surveys. - Multimedia
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