Josh Adams
Dr. Josh Adams is a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center.
He is the lead biologist in charge of the Seabird Studies program located at WERC's Santa Cruz Field Station. Dr. Adams' work focuses on understanding the distribution and abundance patterns of seabirds at sea, nesting biology, foraging ecology and conservation science. Dr. Adams' current studies are focused in the California Current and Hawaii.
Education and Certifications
PhD, Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 2011
MSc, Marine Sciences, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, California State University San Francisco 2004
BA, Biology (Thesis Honors), University of California Santa Cruz 1992
Affiliations and Memberships*
Member Pacific Seabird Group (since 1992)
Science and Products
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2018 breeding season
Diving behavior of Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus rearing chicks on Isla Mocha, Chile
Collision and displacement vulnerability to offshore wind energy infrastructure among marine birds of the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf
Carotenoid-based skin ornaments reflect foraging propensity in a seabird, Sula leucogaster
Selective occupancy of a persistent yet variable coastal river plume by two seabird species
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2017 breeding season
Population-level plasticity in foraging behavior of western gulls (Larus occidentalis)
Plastic ingestion by Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes from Kure Atoll, Hawai'i: Linking chick diet remains and parental at-sea foraging distributions
Collision and displacement vulnerability among marine birds of the California Current System associated with offshore wind energy infrastructure
Migratory routes and at-sea threats to Pink-footed Shearwaters
First steps for mitigating bycatch of Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus: Identifying overlap of foraging areas and fisheries in Chile
Identifying Kittlitz's Murrelet nesting habitat in North America at the landscape scale
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Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2018 breeding season
Executive SummaryMarbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluationAuthorsJonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh AdamsDiving behavior of Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus rearing chicks on Isla Mocha, Chile
Recent information reporting Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus mortality from fisheries bycatch throughout its range has encouraged fisheries managers in Chile to evaluate and consider shearwater foraging behaviors to better evaluate risk. In response, we tracked six chickrearing adult Pink-footed Shearwaters from Isla Mocha, off south-central Chile, from 19 to 28 March 2015 using global poAuthorsJosh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy, Ryan D. Carle, Peter J. HodumCollision and displacement vulnerability to offshore wind energy infrastructure among marine birds of the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf
Marine birds are vulnerable to collision with and displacement by offshore wind energy infrastructure (OWEI). Here we present the first assessment of marine bird vulnerability to potential OWEI in the California Current System portion of the U.S. Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (POCS). Using population size, demography, life history, flight heights, and avoidance behavior for 62 seabird and 19 marAuthorsEmily C. Kelsey, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy, David M. Peresksta, Josh AdamsCarotenoid-based skin ornaments reflect foraging propensity in a seabird, Sula leucogaster
Carotenoid-based ornaments are common signalling features in animals. It has long been proposed that such ornaments communicate information about foraging abilities to potential mates. However, evidence linking foraging with ornamentation is largely missing from unmanipulated, free-ranging populations. To investigate this relationship, we studied a coastal population of brown booby (Sula leucogastAuthorsNathan P. Michael, Roxana Torres, Andreanna J. Welch, Josh Adams, Mario Erandi Bonillas-Monge, Jonathan J. Felis, Laura Lopez-Marquez, Alejandro Martínez-Flores, Anne E. WileySelective occupancy of a persistent yet variable coastal river plume by two seabird species
Advances in telemetry and modeling of physical processes expand opportunities to assess relationships between marine predators and their dynamic habitat. The Columbia River plume (CRP) attracts sooty shearwaters Ardenna grisea and common murres Uria aalge, but how seabirds respond to variability in plume waters is unknown. We characterized seabird distributions in relation to hourly, daily, monthlAuthorsElizabeth M. Phillips, John K. Horne, Josh Adams, Jeannette E. ZamonAbundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2017 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “Endangered” by the State of California and “Threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management and evaluation of conservatiAuthorsJonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams, Emily C. KelseyPopulation-level plasticity in foraging behavior of western gulls (Larus occidentalis)
BackgroundPlasticity in foraging behavior among individuals, or across populations may reduce competition. As a generalist carnivore, western gulls (Larus occidentalis) consume a wide range of marine and terrestrial foods. However, the foraging patterns and habitat selection (ocean or land) of western gulls is not well understood, despite their ubiquity in coastal California. Here, we used GPS logAuthorsScott A. Shaffer, Sue Cockerham, Peter Warzybok, Russell W. Bradley, Jaime Jahncke, Corey A. Clatterbuck, Magali Lucia, Jennifer A. Jelincic, Anne L. Cassell, Emily Kelsey, Josh AdamsPlastic ingestion by Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes from Kure Atoll, Hawai'i: Linking chick diet remains and parental at-sea foraging distributions
We quantified the incidence (percentage of samples with plastic) and loads (mass, volume) of four plastic types (fragments, line, sheet, foam) ingested by Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes chicks raised on Kure Atoll, the westernmost Hawaiian colony. All 25 samples contained plastic, mostly in the form of foam and line. On average (± SD), boluses and stomachs contained 28.2 ± 14.3 g andAuthorsK. David Hyrenbach, Michelle M. Hester, Josh Adams, Andrew J. Titmus, Pam Michael, Travis Wahl, Chih-Wei Chang, Amarisa Marie, Cynthia VanderlipCollision and displacement vulnerability among marine birds of the California Current System associated with offshore wind energy infrastructure
With growing climate change concerns and energy constraints, there is an increasing need for renewable energy sources within the United States and globally. Looking forward, offshore wind-energy infrastructure (OWEI) has the potential to produce a significant proportion of the power needed to reach our Nation’s renewable energy goal. Offshore wind-energy sites can capitalize open areas within FedeAuthorsJosh Adams, Emily C. Kelsey, Jonathan J. Felis, David M. PerekstaMigratory routes and at-sea threats to Pink-footed Shearwaters
The Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus) is a seabird with a breeding range restricted to three islands in Chile and an estimated world population of approximately 56,000 breeding individuals (Muñoz 2011, Oikonos unpublished data). Due to multiple threats on breeding colonies and at-sea, Pink-footed Shearwaters are listed as Endangered by the government of Chile (Reglamento de ClasificaciónAuthorsJosh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis, Peter Hodum, Valentina Colodro, Ryan Carle, Verónica LópezFirst steps for mitigating bycatch of Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus: Identifying overlap of foraging areas and fisheries in Chile
The Pink-footed Shearwater, Ardenna creatopus, is listed as in danger of extinction by Chile and under Annex 1 of ACAP, with an estimated global population of approximately 56,000 individuals. Incidental bycatch of this species in fisheries is thought to be an important cause in population decline (i.e. annual estimated mortality of >1000 adults). This species is an endemic breeder in Chile, nestAuthorsRyan Carle, Jonathan J. Felis, Verónica López, Josh Adams, Peter Hodum, Jessie Beck, Valentina Colodro, Rodrigo Vega, Andrés GonzálezIdentifying Kittlitz's Murrelet nesting habitat in North America at the landscape scale
The Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a small, non-colonial seabird endemic to marine waters of Alaska and eastern Russia that may have experienced significant population decline in recent decades, in part because of low reproductive success and terrestrial threats. Although recent studies have shed new light on Kittlitz's Murrelet nesting habitat in a few discrete areas, the locAuthorsJonathan J. Felis, Michelle L. Kissling, Robb S.A. Kaler, Leah A. Kenney, Matthew J. Lawonn - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government