Wildlife Biologist, Marco Restani, visits SWFL for special talk

ABOUT MARCO AND THE PROJECT

In 2009 a few members of the Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society in Billings, Montana initiated a field study of Ospreys. They were interested in monitoring the distribution and abundance of the local population, and in helping management agencies and electric utilities reduce human-Osprey conflicts. That first year 3 members found 22 nests. Today over 40 volunteers monitor nearly 100 nests along the Yellowstone River in collaboration with power companies, landowners, and government agencies. This presentation will describe how nest monitors are trained to become proficient in Osprey observation and data collection. From the efforts of these dedicated volunteers, you will learn where Ospreys produced along the Yellowstone River migrate and spend the winter, how long they live, where they settle to breed, and their lifetime reproductive success. You will also learn how many electrocutions and twine entanglements occur each year, and the management to reduce these mortality factors.

Marco Restani began birding with the Seacoast Chapter of New Hampshire Audubon in the late 1970s and the mentorship he received launched him on a lifelong journey with birds. Originally an ‘Army Brat’, he attended high school in Durham before heading west to the University of Montana (BS), Montana State (MS), and Utah State (PhD). Following post-doctoral research at the University of Washington, Marco was Professor of Wildlife Ecology for 15 years. Currently, he is a Biologist at NorthWestern Energy in Montana responsible for developing and implementing the company’s avian protection program. He has studied raptors for over 35 years and each summer since 2012 conducts research for the Yellowstone River Osprey Project.

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