Center for Conservation Biology

July 8, 2023
Osprey brood on the upper James River near Hopewell, Virginia.

A tale of two bays: Osprey fortunes diverge

By: Bryan Watts7/5/2023 Over the past few years, I have received questions from homeowners, watermen and keen observers around the lower Chesapeake Bay about osprey.  Waterfront […]
July 8, 2023
Menhaden added to an osprey nest on Mobjack Bay.

Recent literature published by CCB

By: Bryan Watts6/28/2023 In recent months CCB biologists have published several papers in academic journals.  These articles report on recent findings and are intended to spread […]
June 1, 2023
CCB field technician, Riley Strasbaugh, trudges through a black needlerush marsh

CCB and Saltmarsh Bird Surveys

By: Chance Hines5/30/2023 Center for Conservation Biology researchers have a long history of trudging through coastal marshes studying a variety of bird taxa including shorebirds, wading […]
March 29, 2023
A frozen marsh on the eastern shore of Virginia.

Saltmarsh Sparrows Surviving Virginia’s Winter Weather

By: Chance Hines3/29/23 For the sparrows of the marsh, the worst of winter has passed. In Virginia, the 2022-2023 winter was relatively warm, but temperatures did […]
March 29, 2023
Female peregrine falcon turns eggs on bridge.

Divergence in Virginia Peregrines

By: Bryan Watts3/27/23 Following the complete extirpation of peregrine falcons in eastern North America during the DDT era, the eastern peregrine recovery team made the bold […]
March 29, 2023
Cover art for Eastern Black Rail Management Guidance

Management Guidance for Eastern Black Rail

By: Bryan Watts3/27/23 The eastern black rail has experienced a dramatic decline including both a 450-kilometer contraction of the northern range limit and a hollowing out […]
March 29, 2023
Mitchell Byrd conducting surveys in 1948 as an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech.

The Gathering

By: Bryan Watts3/27/23 As Covid-19 began to wane during the summer of 2022 and as Dr. Byrd (Chancellor Professor Emeritus) celebrated his 94th birthday we felt […]
March 21, 2023
A tray of salt marsh Henslow’s sparrow specimens.

Henslow’s Lament

By: Bryan Watts3/20/23 A Carolina wren sings from the edge of myrtle with a heart as big as a day moon.  The wind has dropped out […]
January 11, 2023
CCB staff inspecting an RCW cavity with a telescoping pole

RCW Cavity Creation Benefits the Surrounding Piney Grove Animal Community

By: Chance Hines1/9/23 During late autumn, a biologist from The Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) approaches a cavity created by a red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) at Piney […]
January 11, 2023
A bald eagle nest just off the Poropotank River in Virginia in 2003.

Chesapeake Eagles Shift Behavior

By: Bryan Watts1/11/23 We often think of animal behaviors as static species traits.  While some behaviors such as courtship rituals may be stylized and relatively robust […]
January 11, 2023
Breeding female on the Eltham Bridge.

Virginia peregrine population continues to climb

By: Bryan Watts1/10/23 The Virginia breeding population of peregrine falcons continued its climb in 2022 with a modern record of 34 known breeding pairs.  The record […]
January 10, 2023
The song sparrow is one of the most polytypic bird species in North America

Atlantic song sparrow declines

By: Bryan Watts1/10/23 The song sparrow is likely the most polytypic species in North America if not the world.  More than 50 subspecies have been proposed […]
January 9, 2023
Argentina mixed crew

Working Together

By: Bryan Watts1/6/2023 Our nation stands as a house divided against itself.  Somewhere along the way we have lost our sense of common purpose.  We increasingly […]
October 6, 2022
Banded male osprey fishing on the upper James River. This bird was banded by CCB in 2012 as a nestling and is now nesting on the same nests where it was hatched. Photo by Bryan Watts.

CCB eNewsletter Photo Gallery

October 6, 2022
Whimbrel fitted with transmitter.

Tracking Whimbrel

By: Bryan Watts10/5/22 CCB has formed a collaborative with Dominion Energy and The Nature Conservancy to better understand the risks posed by offshore wind facilities to […]
October 6, 2022
A trail camera photograph of a female American black duck with three ducklings

Trail Cameras Capture Bayside Birdlife

By: Chance Hines10/4/2022 The bayside of Virginia’s Eastern Shore supports some of the most extensive saltmarsh habitat in the state and has been designated as an […]
October 6, 2022
A gray catbird gleans a ripe fruit from a viburnum bush

Ripening Fruits Fuel Migrating Songbirds

By: Chance Hines10/4/2022 Autumn approaches and, sensing this seasonal shift, migratory songbirds throughout our region begin making their way towards wintering destinations as far away as […]
October 6, 2022
Eastern black rail in marsh.

Chasing Black Rails

By: Bryan Watts10/4/22 It is 2:30 on an April night in 1993 and I am standing on the edge of the Guinea marshes along the western […]