Written by Carla Schneider
July 6, 2010
Rex Springston (center) takes notes as he talks with retired biology professor, Dr. Mitchell A. Byrd (left), on a crisp November day. Photo by Bryan Watts.
Recently, Dr. Mitchell A. Byrd, co-founder of the Center for Conservation Biology and Emeritus Professor at the College of William & Mary, was interviewed by Rex Springston, reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. They took a journey out on the James River to look for eagles and to talk about Byrd’s his long history of involvement with bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and other birds in the state of Virginia.
A brood of osprey in Mobjack Bay showing a well-fed chick (left) and an emaciated chick (right). The chick on the right would die the following week due to starvation. Work in Mobjack Bay over a 40+ year period has shown that both reproductive rates and food delivery rates have declined dramatically. The decline in provisioning has led to an increase in brood reduction or chick loss due to starvation. Photo by Bryan Watts.