Joseph Fleskes
Joseph P. Fleskes is a research wildlife biologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station in Dixon, California.
He received his B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology (1980) and M.S. in Wildlife Biology (1986) at Iowa State University and his Ph.D. in Wildlife Science (1999) at Oregon State University. His research interests include ecology of migratory waterbirds (especially waterfowl) and their habitats with the goal of improving population and habitat management for these species. His recent research has focused primarily on northern pintails and other waterfowl, especially in the Central Valley and other Pacific Flyway regions.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Dec 1994-present. Research Wildlife Biologist, U. S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA. Principal investigator and multi-agency team leader of research program on a variety of issues related primarily to migratory bird ecology and wetland landscapes throughout North America and especially in the Pacific Flyway.
- Jan 1994-Dec 1994. Graduate Research Assistant, Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Corvallis, OR. Led research project on northern pintail ecology in the San Joaquin Valley.
- Jun 1993-Jan 1994. Wildlife Biologist, National Biological Service, California Science Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA. Led research project on northern pintail ecology in the San Joaquin Valley.
- Apr1993-Jun 1993. Graduate Research Assistant, Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Corvallis, OR. Led research project on northern pintail ecology in the San Joaquin Valley.
- Jun 1992-Apr 1993. Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Pacific States Ecology Field Station, Dixon, CA. Led research project on northern pintail ecology in the San Joaquin Valley.
- July 1986-Jun 1992. General Biologist (Wildlife), U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Pacific States Ecology Field Station, Dixon, CA. Project co-investigator on a variety of projects. Helped design, develop, accomplish, and coordinate three studies to determine survival, habitat use and movements of pintails and white-fronted geese during fall-spring in northern California and surrounding states. Served as the radio-telemetry coordinator, trapping and banding coordinator, aircraft operations coordinator, and field-crew member. Procured, inventoried and maintained equipment and trained field technicians. Enlisted and maintained cooperation of federal, state and private groups and individuals. Compiled and helped analyze data, and prepared reports. Also provided technical assistance on a variety of issues as requested, and analy
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 39
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements of female mallards molting in Klamath Basin
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements were studied during August-May, 2001-2002, 2002- 2003 and 2006-2007 for 181 adult female Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Birds were radiotagged just before or early in their flightless period on four wetlands that differed in size on Klamath Basin (KB) National Wildlife Refuge complex. Flightless survival varied among years but was higher on two large
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, David M. Mauser, Julie L. Yee, David S. Blehert, Gregory S. Yarris
Population structure and relatedness among female Northern Pintails in three California wintering regions
Female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) were sampled in California's three main Central Valley wintering regions (Sacramento Valley, Suisun Marsh, San Joaquin Valley) during September–October before most regional movements occur and microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA were analyzed to examine population structure and relatedness. Despite reportedly high rates of early-fall pairing and regional fide
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, Ada C. Fowler, Michael L. Casazza, John M. Eadie
Emergent insect production in post-harvest flooded agricultural fields used by waterbirds
California’s Tulare Lake Basin (TLB) is one of the most important waterbird areas in North America even though most wetlands there have been converted to cropland. To guide management programs promoting waterbird beneficial agriculture, which includes flooding fields between growing periods, we measured emergence rates of insects, an important waterbird food, in three crop types (tomato, wheat, al
Authors
Richard C. Moss, Steven C. Blumenshine, Julie Yee, Joseph P. Fleskes
Ecology of Greater Sage-Grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area Final Report, September 2007
Conservation efforts for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), hereafter sage-grouse, are underway across the range of this species. Over 70 local working groups have been established and are implementing on-the-ground sage-grouse oriented conservation projects. Early on in this process, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) recognized the need to join in these efforts and r
Authors
Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, Melissa A. Farinha, Alicia Torregrosa, Joseph P. Fleskes, Michael R. Miller, James S. Sedinger, Eric J. Kolada
Avian influenza at both ends of a migratory flyway: characterizing viral genomic diversity to optimize surveillance plans for North America
Although continental populations of avian influenza viruses are genetically distinct, transcontinental reassortment in low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses has been detected in migratory birds. Thus, genomic analyses of LPAI viruses could serve as an approach to prioritize species and regions targeted by North American surveillance activities for foreign origin highly pathogenic avian inf
Authors
John M. Pearce, Andrew M. Ramey, Paul L. Flint, Anson V. Koehler, Joseph P. Fleskes, J. Christian Franson, Jeffrey S. Hall, Dirk V. Derksen, Hon S. Ip
Breeding-season sympatry facilitates genetic exchange among allopatric wintering populations of Northern Pintails in Japan and California
The global redistribution of pathogens, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, has renewed interest in the connectivity of continental populations of birds. Populations of the Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) wintering in Japan and California are considered separate from a management perspective. We used data from band recoveries and population genetics to assess the degree of biological independ
Authors
Paul L. Flint, Kiyoaki Ozaki, John M. Pearce, Brian Guzzetti, Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Joseph P. Fleskes, Tetsuo Shimada, Dirk V. Derksen
Flight speeds of northern pintails during migration determined by satellite telemetry
Speed (km/hr) during flight is one of several factors determining the rate of migration (km/ day) and flight range of birds. We attached 26-g, back-mounted satellite-received radio tags (platform transmitting terminals; PTTs) to adult female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) during (1) midwinter 2000–2003 in the northern Central Valley of California, (2) fall and winter 2002–2003 in the Playa Lakes R
Authors
Michael R. Miller, John Y. Takekawa, Joseph P. Fleskes, Dennis L. Orthmeyer, Michael L. Casazza, David A. Haukos, William M. Perry
Habitat selection by female northern pintails wintering in the Grassland Ecological Area, California
To determine relative importance of habitats available in the Grassland Ecological Area (GEA) to wintering female northern pintails, Anas acuta, we studied habitat use relative to availability (i.e., habitat selection) in the GEA during September through March, 1991-94 for 196 Hatch-Year (HY) and 221 After-Hatch-Year (AHY) female pintails that were radio tagged during August-early October in the G
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, David S. Gilmer, Robert L. Jarvis
Effects of backpack radiotags on female northern pintails wintering in California
To test whether backpack radiotags impacted the wintering biology of northern pintails (Anas acuta), I attached spear-suture (SSU, n=82 in 1993) or harness (HAR, n=337 in 1991-1993) backpack radiotags to female Hatch-Year (HY) and After-Hatch-Year (AHY) pintails after their autumn arrival in California. I evaluated impacts of radiotags on 1) wintering population distribution; 2) flock status, flo
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes
Selection of flooded agricultural fields and other landscapes by female northern pintails wintering in Tulare Basin, California
Habitat selection and use are measures of relative importance of habitats to wildlife and necessary information for effective wildlife conservation. To measure the relative importance of flooded agricultural fields and other landscapes to northern pintails (Anas acuta) wintering in Tulare Basin (TB), California, we radiotagged female pintails during late August-early October, 1991-1993 in TB and o
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, Robert L. Jarvis, David S. Gilmer
Pintail habitat use and abundance during spring migration in the Klamath Basin and other southern Oregon - northeastern California locations. Progress Report 2002
No abstract available at this time
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, Daniel S. Battaglia
September-March survival of female northern pintails radiotagged in San Joaquin Valley, California
To improve understanding of pintail ecology, we radiotagged 191 hatch-year (HY) and 228 after-hatch-year (AHY) female northern pintails (Anas acuta) in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), and studied their survival throughout central California, USA, during September-March, 1991-1994. We used adjusted Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) values to contrast known-fate models and examine variation in survi
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, D.M. Jarzen, David S. Gilmer
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Filter Total Items: 39
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements of female mallards molting in Klamath Basin
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements were studied during August-May, 2001-2002, 2002- 2003 and 2006-2007 for 181 adult female Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Birds were radiotagged just before or early in their flightless period on four wetlands that differed in size on Klamath Basin (KB) National Wildlife Refuge complex. Flightless survival varied among years but was higher on two largeAuthorsJoseph P. Fleskes, David M. Mauser, Julie L. Yee, David S. Blehert, Gregory S. YarrisPopulation structure and relatedness among female Northern Pintails in three California wintering regions
Female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) were sampled in California's three main Central Valley wintering regions (Sacramento Valley, Suisun Marsh, San Joaquin Valley) during September–October before most regional movements occur and microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA were analyzed to examine population structure and relatedness. Despite reportedly high rates of early-fall pairing and regional fideAuthorsJoseph P. Fleskes, Ada C. Fowler, Michael L. Casazza, John M. EadieEmergent insect production in post-harvest flooded agricultural fields used by waterbirds
California’s Tulare Lake Basin (TLB) is one of the most important waterbird areas in North America even though most wetlands there have been converted to cropland. To guide management programs promoting waterbird beneficial agriculture, which includes flooding fields between growing periods, we measured emergence rates of insects, an important waterbird food, in three crop types (tomato, wheat, alAuthorsRichard C. Moss, Steven C. Blumenshine, Julie Yee, Joseph P. FleskesEcology of Greater Sage-Grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area Final Report, September 2007
Conservation efforts for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), hereafter sage-grouse, are underway across the range of this species. Over 70 local working groups have been established and are implementing on-the-ground sage-grouse oriented conservation projects. Early on in this process, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) recognized the need to join in these efforts and rAuthorsMichael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, Melissa A. Farinha, Alicia Torregrosa, Joseph P. Fleskes, Michael R. Miller, James S. Sedinger, Eric J. KoladaAvian influenza at both ends of a migratory flyway: characterizing viral genomic diversity to optimize surveillance plans for North America
Although continental populations of avian influenza viruses are genetically distinct, transcontinental reassortment in low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses has been detected in migratory birds. Thus, genomic analyses of LPAI viruses could serve as an approach to prioritize species and regions targeted by North American surveillance activities for foreign origin highly pathogenic avian infAuthorsJohn M. Pearce, Andrew M. Ramey, Paul L. Flint, Anson V. Koehler, Joseph P. Fleskes, J. Christian Franson, Jeffrey S. Hall, Dirk V. Derksen, Hon S. IpBreeding-season sympatry facilitates genetic exchange among allopatric wintering populations of Northern Pintails in Japan and California
The global redistribution of pathogens, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, has renewed interest in the connectivity of continental populations of birds. Populations of the Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) wintering in Japan and California are considered separate from a management perspective. We used data from band recoveries and population genetics to assess the degree of biological independAuthorsPaul L. Flint, Kiyoaki Ozaki, John M. Pearce, Brian Guzzetti, Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Joseph P. Fleskes, Tetsuo Shimada, Dirk V. DerksenFlight speeds of northern pintails during migration determined by satellite telemetry
Speed (km/hr) during flight is one of several factors determining the rate of migration (km/ day) and flight range of birds. We attached 26-g, back-mounted satellite-received radio tags (platform transmitting terminals; PTTs) to adult female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) during (1) midwinter 2000–2003 in the northern Central Valley of California, (2) fall and winter 2002–2003 in the Playa Lakes RAuthorsMichael R. Miller, John Y. Takekawa, Joseph P. Fleskes, Dennis L. Orthmeyer, Michael L. Casazza, David A. Haukos, William M. PerryHabitat selection by female northern pintails wintering in the Grassland Ecological Area, California
To determine relative importance of habitats available in the Grassland Ecological Area (GEA) to wintering female northern pintails, Anas acuta, we studied habitat use relative to availability (i.e., habitat selection) in the GEA during September through March, 1991-94 for 196 Hatch-Year (HY) and 221 After-Hatch-Year (AHY) female pintails that were radio tagged during August-early October in the GAuthorsJoseph P. Fleskes, David S. Gilmer, Robert L. JarvisEffects of backpack radiotags on female northern pintails wintering in California
To test whether backpack radiotags impacted the wintering biology of northern pintails (Anas acuta), I attached spear-suture (SSU, n=82 in 1993) or harness (HAR, n=337 in 1991-1993) backpack radiotags to female Hatch-Year (HY) and After-Hatch-Year (AHY) pintails after their autumn arrival in California. I evaluated impacts of radiotags on 1) wintering population distribution; 2) flock status, floAuthorsJoseph P. FleskesSelection of flooded agricultural fields and other landscapes by female northern pintails wintering in Tulare Basin, California
Habitat selection and use are measures of relative importance of habitats to wildlife and necessary information for effective wildlife conservation. To measure the relative importance of flooded agricultural fields and other landscapes to northern pintails (Anas acuta) wintering in Tulare Basin (TB), California, we radiotagged female pintails during late August-early October, 1991-1993 in TB and oAuthorsJoseph P. Fleskes, Robert L. Jarvis, David S. GilmerPintail habitat use and abundance during spring migration in the Klamath Basin and other southern Oregon - northeastern California locations. Progress Report 2002
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsJoseph P. Fleskes, Daniel S. BattagliaSeptember-March survival of female northern pintails radiotagged in San Joaquin Valley, California
To improve understanding of pintail ecology, we radiotagged 191 hatch-year (HY) and 228 after-hatch-year (AHY) female northern pintails (Anas acuta) in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), and studied their survival throughout central California, USA, during September-March, 1991-1994. We used adjusted Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) values to contrast known-fate models and examine variation in surviAuthorsJoseph P. Fleskes, D.M. Jarzen, David S. Gilmer