SCIENCE
Much of my published research to date has focused on seabird ecology and conservation but I certainly tend to get excited about all things ornithological! Some of my recent projects include investigating trends, distributions and habitat associations of Harlequin Ducks, Purple Sandpipers, and American Woodcock in Atlantic Canada, non-breeding movement ecology of two high Arctic-breeding gulls, use of anthropogenic resources by breeding gulls in the Gulf of Maine, high Arctic seabird demography and sea ice dynamics, and spatiotemporal changes in fall migration for Prairie-breeding ducks.
Presently, I am a Quantitative Wildlife Biologist on the Wildlife Monitoring and Assessment team with the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada working under the Oceans Protection Plan. My role is to coordinate efforts to monitor Canada's marine birds, and to provide expert advice toward developing effective national monitoring strategies, with the ultimate objective of assessing abundance and population status for our seabirds and sea ducks. My current scientific pursuits are also supported by both Acadia University and Dalhousie University, as an Adjunct Professor in both Biology Departments, allowing me to supervise graduate and undergraduate student research.
From 2021 - to early 2024, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow with Ducks Unlimited Canada in collaboration with Acadia University and Environment and Climate Change Canada through the Mitacs Accelerate Program. Our objectives were to assess drivers of long-term trends in sea duck populations in Atlantic Canada. I am extremely fortunate to have carries out this work under Dr. Mark Mallory at Acadia University.
From 2018 to 2020, I held a W. Garfield Weston Postdoctoral Fellowship award from the Canadian Northern Studies Trust under the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, and I proudly call myself a Weston Family Northern Scientist. My research investigated multi-scale climactic factors influencing breeding success of avifauna throughout the Canadian Arctic.
My PhD research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia examined various aspects of the movement ecology of two albatross species in the North Pacific. I'm grateful for the excellent mentorship of Dr. Marty Leonard and Dr. Scott Shaffer throughout my degree.
Much of my published research to date has focused on seabird ecology and conservation but I certainly tend to get excited about all things ornithological! Some of my recent projects include investigating trends, distributions and habitat associations of Harlequin Ducks, Purple Sandpipers, and American Woodcock in Atlantic Canada, non-breeding movement ecology of two high Arctic-breeding gulls, use of anthropogenic resources by breeding gulls in the Gulf of Maine, high Arctic seabird demography and sea ice dynamics, and spatiotemporal changes in fall migration for Prairie-breeding ducks.
Presently, I am a Quantitative Wildlife Biologist on the Wildlife Monitoring and Assessment team with the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada working under the Oceans Protection Plan. My role is to coordinate efforts to monitor Canada's marine birds, and to provide expert advice toward developing effective national monitoring strategies, with the ultimate objective of assessing abundance and population status for our seabirds and sea ducks. My current scientific pursuits are also supported by both Acadia University and Dalhousie University, as an Adjunct Professor in both Biology Departments, allowing me to supervise graduate and undergraduate student research.
From 2021 - to early 2024, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow with Ducks Unlimited Canada in collaboration with Acadia University and Environment and Climate Change Canada through the Mitacs Accelerate Program. Our objectives were to assess drivers of long-term trends in sea duck populations in Atlantic Canada. I am extremely fortunate to have carries out this work under Dr. Mark Mallory at Acadia University.
From 2018 to 2020, I held a W. Garfield Weston Postdoctoral Fellowship award from the Canadian Northern Studies Trust under the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, and I proudly call myself a Weston Family Northern Scientist. My research investigated multi-scale climactic factors influencing breeding success of avifauna throughout the Canadian Arctic.
My PhD research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia examined various aspects of the movement ecology of two albatross species in the North Pacific. I'm grateful for the excellent mentorship of Dr. Marty Leonard and Dr. Scott Shaffer throughout my degree.
PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC WRITING (link to ORCiD and ResearchGate)
25. Gaston, J.G., Provencher, J.F., Braune, B., Gilchrist, H.G., Gutowsky, S.E., and Mallory, M.L. 2024. Monitoring Canadian Arctic seabirds at the Prince Leopold Island Field Station, 1975-2023. Arctic Science. (in press)
24. Calvert, A.M., Gutowsky, S.E., Fifield, D.A., Burgess, N.M., Bryant, R., Fraser, G.S., Gjerdrum, C., Hedd, A., Jones, P.L., Mauck, R.A. and Tranquilla, L.M., 2024. Inter-colony variation in predation, mercury burden and adult survival in a declining seabird. Science of The Total Environment, 911, p.168549. (open access link here)
23. Gutowsky, S.E., Robertson, G.J., Mallory, M.L., McLellan, N.R. and Gilliland, S.G., 2023. Redistribution of wintering American Common Eiders (Somateria mollisima dresseri). Avian Conservation and Ecology. 18(2). (open access link here)
22. Gutowsky, S.E., Baak, J.E., Craik, S.R., Mallory, M.L., Knutson, N., d'Entremont, A.A. and Allard, K.A. 2023. Seasonal and circadian patterns of herring gull (Larus smithsoniansus) movements reveal temporal shifts in industry and coastal island interaction. Ecological Solutions and Evidence. 4(3), p.e12274. (open access link here)
21. Cox, A.R., Frei, B., Gutowsky, S.E., Baldwin, F.B., Bianchini, K. and Roy, C. 2023. Sixty-years of community-science data suggest earlier fall migration and short-stopping of waterfowl in North America. Ornithological Applications. p.duad041 (open access link here).
20. Spares, A.D., Robertson, G.J., Dadswell, M.J., Calvert, A.M., Gutowsky, S.E., Fifield, D.A., Vincent, R.M., McLellan, N.R., Stokesbury, M.J.W. 2023. River- and sex- specific annual survival rates of mature anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus A. Wilson, 1811). Journal of Applied Icthyology. 2023: Article ID 6376322. (open access link here)
19. Gutowsky, S.E., Robertson, G.J., Calvert, A.M., Fifield, D.A., Ronconi, R.A., Rock, J.C. 2023. Apparent survival among adult Leach’s storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous on a colony managed for predators in Nova Scotia, Canada. Marine Ornithology. 51: 61-68 (open access link here)
18. Petersen. A., Thorstensen, S., Petersen, I.K., Petrek, S.W., Brides, K., Calvert, A.M., Mallory, M.L., Robertson, G.J., Gutowsky. S.E. 2023. Adult survival and annual movement patterns of common snipe in Iceland. Polar Research. 42. https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v42.8616
17. Gutowsky, S.E., Robertson, G.J., Mallory, M.L., McLellan, N.R., Gilliland, S.G., Paquet, J., d’Etremont, A.A., Ronconi, R.A. 2022. Increased abundance and range expansion of harlequin ducks Histrionicus histrionicus wintering in Eastern Canada. Endangered Species Research (open access link here)
16. Gutowsky, S.E., Baak, J.E., Gaston, A.J., Mallory, M.L. 2022. Sea ice extent and phenology influence breeding of high-Arctic seabirds: 4 decades of monitoring in Nunavut, Canada. Oecologia (access here)
15. Craik, S.R., R.D. Titman, A.M. Calvert, G.J. Robertson, M.L. Mallory, S.E. Gutowsky. 2021. Host traits and lifetime fitness costs of being parasitized in Red-breasted Mergansers. FACETS. 6: 2155-2176 (open access link here)
14. Baak, J.E., M.L. Mallory, Anderson, C.M., Auger-Méthé, M., Macdonald, C.A., Janssen, M.H., Gilchrist, H.G., Provencher, J.F., Gutowsky, S.E. 2021. Inter-individual variation in the migratory behaviour of a generalist seabird, the herring gull (Larus smithsoniansus), from the Canadian Arctic. Animal Migration. 8: 144-155. (open access link here)
13. Gutowsky, S.E., Davis, S.E., Maftei, M., Mallory, M.L. 2021. Flexibility in migratory strategy contrasts with reliance on restricted staging and overwintering grounds for Sabine's gulls from the Canadian High Arctic. Animal Migration. 8: 84-97. (open access link here)
12. Gutowsky, S.E., Gutowsky, L.F.G., Milton, G.R, M.L. Mallory. 2021. Habitat associations at multiple scales identify areas of management priority for American woodcock in Nova Scotia. Journal of Wildlife Management. 86:e22153. (access here)
11. Gutowsky S.E., Studholme, K.R. Ronconi, R.A., Allard, K.A., Shlepr, K., Diamond, A.W., McIntyre, J., Craik, S.R., Mallory, M.L. 2021. The influence of multiple industries on the behaviour of breeding gulls from four colonies across the eastern Gulf of Maine, Canada. Wildlife Biology, 2021(2), wlb.00804 (open access link here)
10. Gutowsky, S.E., Gutowsky, L.F.G., Milton, G.R, M.L. Mallory. 2020. Insights from five decades of monitoring habitat and breeding populations of American woodcock. Ecological Solutions and Evidence. Online Issue July 2020. (open access link here)
9. Gutowsky, S.E., J.M Hipfner, M. Maftei, S. Boyd, M. Auger-Methe, D.J. Yurkowski, M.L. Mallory. 2020. First insights into Thayer’s Gull migratory and overwinter patterns along the Northeast Pacific coast. Marine Ornithology. 48: 9-16. (open access link here)
8. Gutowsky, S.E., Ronconi, R.A, Gutowsky, L.F.G., Elderkin, M., Paquet, J, Mills, P.M., Mallory, M.L. 2019. Winter habitat associations of Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritimus) and Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) in Atlantic Canada. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 222: 214-225. (access here).
7. Belonovich, O.A., Gutowsky, S.E. 2017. Opportunistic cetacean observations in Northwestern Pacific and Sea of Okhotsk in May-June 2017. Studies of aquatic biological resources of Kamchatka and north-west Pacific. 47: 91-102 (written in english, translated to Russian, published in Russian with english abstract, full english text available upon request)
6. Gutowsky, S.E. 2017. A Conceptual Framework For The Drivers Of Albatross Movement. Marine Ornithology. 45: 23-38. (open access link here)
5. Gutowsky, S.E., Leonard, M.L., Conners, M., Shaffer, S.A., and Jonsen, I.D. 2015. Individual-level variation and higher-level interpretations of space-use in wide-ranging species: An albatross case study of sampling effects. Frontiers in Marine Science. 2:93. (open access link here)
4. Gutowsky, S.E., Gutowsky, L.F.G., Jonsen, I.D., Leonard, M.L., Naughton, M.B., Romano, M.D., and Shaffer, S.A. 2014. Daily activity budgets reveal a quasi-flightless stage during non-breeding in Hawaiian Albatrosses. Movement Ecology. 2: 23. (open access link here)
3. Gutowsky, S.E., Y. Tremblay, M.A. Kappes, E.N. Flint, J. Klavitter, L. Laniawe, B. Christenson, D.P. Costa, S. Shaffer. 2014. Divergent post-breeding distribution and habitat associations of fledgling and adult Black-footed Albatrosses in the North Pacific. Ibis. 156: 60-72. (open access link here)
2. Gutowsky, S.E., M.H. Janssen, D.R. Norris. 2010. The preformative molt of Marbled Murrelets. Northwestern Naturalist. 91: 333-336. (pdf here)
1. Gutowsky, S.E., M.H. Janssen, P. Arcese, T.K. Kyser, D. Ethier, M.B. Wunder, D.F. Bertram, L. McFarlane-Tranquilla, C. Lougheed, and D.R. Norris. 2009. Concurrent declines in nestling diet quality and reproductive success of a threatened seabird over 150 years. Endangered Species Research. 9: 247-254. (open access link here)
SELECT FIELD RESEARCH EXPERIENCE (*all birds handled for research with appropriate permits)
Iceland Bird Research (Spring 2019, 2022)
· Population monitoring of bird communities on Flatey and surrounding islands and islets of Breiðafjörður
- Burrow occupancy checks and banding of Atlantic puffins
- Capture and banding of Northern fulmar, Arctic tern, Red-necked and Red phalarope, Common ringed plover, Black-tailed godwit, Common redshank, Common eider adults and ducklings, and passerines
- Deployed GLS devices on Common Snipe
Sub-Antarctic Seabird & Marine Mammal Field Research Team (Winter 2011/2012)
· Deployed various tracking devices on Black-browed and Wandering Albatrosses in the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Archipelago with the French Polar Institute
· Monitored nest success and chick growth, captured, banded, deployed/retrieved tracking devices, blood and feather sampled
· Assisted with capture and handling of King Penguins and Antarctic Skuas, night mist-net capture of various petrel species, capture and device deployment/retrieval on Antarctic Fur and Elephant Seals
East Coast Seabird Colony Island Supervisor (Summer 2011)
• Monitored large breeding colony of Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common and Arctic Terns, Black Guillemots and Common Eiders on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge, Maine, with Project Puffin, National Audubon Society
• Trained and supervised a crew of 10 interns and volunteers living and working on a small, isolated island for 3 months
• Captured and banded adult and hatchling terns, puffins and guillemots, conducted diet studies and band reading for all species from blinds
• Deployed/retrieved GLS devices on puffins
• Maintained live-streaming Internet “puffin cam” equipment
• Performed predator control including gull egg and adult culling
Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer (Winter 2010)
• Worked with US Fish & Wildlife Service on long-term biological monitoring
• Banding and monitoring survivorship and reproductive success of Laysan and Black-footed albatross and Red-tailed Tropicbirds, color-band resights for critically endangered translocated Laysan Duck, remote camera monitoring of nesting Short-tailed Albatross
• Habitat restoration (invasive plant removal and native species propagation and out-planting) and marine debris beach plot removal and monitoring
Northern Ontario Hilliardton Marsh Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Monitoring (Fall 2010)
• Captured c. 150 migrating Northern Saw-whet Owls using mist-nets and play-back in New Liskeard, Ontario over 8 days
· Measured, aged and banded adult and hatch-year owls
Arctic Common Eider and Herring Gull Field Research Technician (Summer 2010)
• Monitored breeding colony of 3000+ Common Eiders and 80+ Herring Gulls on East Bay Island, Nunavut, with Environment Canada
• Conducted long hours of observations from blinds in order to identify banded individuals and determine eider and gull breeding success
• Captured and banded adults and juveniles of both species with metal and coloured alphanumeric bands, took choanal/cloacal swabs for Avian Influenza and Cholera, deployed GLS on adult gulls, bled ducklings and nasal-tagged eider hens
• Worked under isolated conditions on small (400x800m) island without electricity or running water and limited fresh food for 3 months
Eastern Ontario Gray Jay Field Research Technician (Winter 2010)
• Monitored 22 territories of Gray Jay pairs across Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario with the Univ. of Guelph and Algonquin Wildlife Research Station
• Mist-netted, bled, and banded adults and nestlings
• Nest-finding in spruce bog habitat in winter/spring conditions, full days of snowshoeing, canoeing, snowmobiling, and ATVing
Southern Ontario Tree Swallow Field Research Technician (Spring 2009)
• Monitored breeding population of Tree Swallows in Long Point, Ontario, with the University of Guelph and Long Point Bird Observatory
• Captured, measured, and banded approx. 200 adults and 400 nestlings
Southern Ontario Long Point Bird Observatory Migration Monitoring (Spring 2009)
• Volunteered during spring migration at one of the most productive songbird banding stations in North America
• Mist-net extraction, species identification, ageing and sexing of a wide variety of species, from warblers and woodpeckers to shorebirds and gulls
Northeast Australia Herpetological Field Assistant (Winter 2008)
• Researched Chytridiomycosis pathogen in Waterfall frogs and Green-eyed tree frogs in the Wet Tropics region of Queensland, Australia
· Captured, PIT-tagged and swabbed frogs for pathogens
· Physically demanding night hikes to and from research locations and challenging waterfall terrain capture sites
West Coast Marbled Murrelet Field Research Technician (Summer 2007 & 2008)
• At-sea capture of threatened adult and juvenile Marbled Murrelets in Desolation Sound, British Columbia with the University of Guelph
• Drove zodiac, captured, bled, banded and measured approx. 300 murrelets at night under challenging conditions
• Sampled and identified forage fish/plankton with beach-seine/plankton-tows
• Conducted evening at-sea transect surveys of adult fish-holding behaviour in order to determine nestling diet
· Population monitoring of bird communities on Flatey and surrounding islands and islets of Breiðafjörður
- Burrow occupancy checks and banding of Atlantic puffins
- Capture and banding of Northern fulmar, Arctic tern, Red-necked and Red phalarope, Common ringed plover, Black-tailed godwit, Common redshank, Common eider adults and ducklings, and passerines
- Deployed GLS devices on Common Snipe
Sub-Antarctic Seabird & Marine Mammal Field Research Team (Winter 2011/2012)
· Deployed various tracking devices on Black-browed and Wandering Albatrosses in the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Archipelago with the French Polar Institute
· Monitored nest success and chick growth, captured, banded, deployed/retrieved tracking devices, blood and feather sampled
· Assisted with capture and handling of King Penguins and Antarctic Skuas, night mist-net capture of various petrel species, capture and device deployment/retrieval on Antarctic Fur and Elephant Seals
East Coast Seabird Colony Island Supervisor (Summer 2011)
• Monitored large breeding colony of Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common and Arctic Terns, Black Guillemots and Common Eiders on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge, Maine, with Project Puffin, National Audubon Society
• Trained and supervised a crew of 10 interns and volunteers living and working on a small, isolated island for 3 months
• Captured and banded adult and hatchling terns, puffins and guillemots, conducted diet studies and band reading for all species from blinds
• Deployed/retrieved GLS devices on puffins
• Maintained live-streaming Internet “puffin cam” equipment
• Performed predator control including gull egg and adult culling
Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer (Winter 2010)
• Worked with US Fish & Wildlife Service on long-term biological monitoring
• Banding and monitoring survivorship and reproductive success of Laysan and Black-footed albatross and Red-tailed Tropicbirds, color-band resights for critically endangered translocated Laysan Duck, remote camera monitoring of nesting Short-tailed Albatross
• Habitat restoration (invasive plant removal and native species propagation and out-planting) and marine debris beach plot removal and monitoring
Northern Ontario Hilliardton Marsh Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Monitoring (Fall 2010)
• Captured c. 150 migrating Northern Saw-whet Owls using mist-nets and play-back in New Liskeard, Ontario over 8 days
· Measured, aged and banded adult and hatch-year owls
Arctic Common Eider and Herring Gull Field Research Technician (Summer 2010)
• Monitored breeding colony of 3000+ Common Eiders and 80+ Herring Gulls on East Bay Island, Nunavut, with Environment Canada
• Conducted long hours of observations from blinds in order to identify banded individuals and determine eider and gull breeding success
• Captured and banded adults and juveniles of both species with metal and coloured alphanumeric bands, took choanal/cloacal swabs for Avian Influenza and Cholera, deployed GLS on adult gulls, bled ducklings and nasal-tagged eider hens
• Worked under isolated conditions on small (400x800m) island without electricity or running water and limited fresh food for 3 months
Eastern Ontario Gray Jay Field Research Technician (Winter 2010)
• Monitored 22 territories of Gray Jay pairs across Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario with the Univ. of Guelph and Algonquin Wildlife Research Station
• Mist-netted, bled, and banded adults and nestlings
• Nest-finding in spruce bog habitat in winter/spring conditions, full days of snowshoeing, canoeing, snowmobiling, and ATVing
Southern Ontario Tree Swallow Field Research Technician (Spring 2009)
• Monitored breeding population of Tree Swallows in Long Point, Ontario, with the University of Guelph and Long Point Bird Observatory
• Captured, measured, and banded approx. 200 adults and 400 nestlings
Southern Ontario Long Point Bird Observatory Migration Monitoring (Spring 2009)
• Volunteered during spring migration at one of the most productive songbird banding stations in North America
• Mist-net extraction, species identification, ageing and sexing of a wide variety of species, from warblers and woodpeckers to shorebirds and gulls
Northeast Australia Herpetological Field Assistant (Winter 2008)
• Researched Chytridiomycosis pathogen in Waterfall frogs and Green-eyed tree frogs in the Wet Tropics region of Queensland, Australia
· Captured, PIT-tagged and swabbed frogs for pathogens
· Physically demanding night hikes to and from research locations and challenging waterfall terrain capture sites
West Coast Marbled Murrelet Field Research Technician (Summer 2007 & 2008)
• At-sea capture of threatened adult and juvenile Marbled Murrelets in Desolation Sound, British Columbia with the University of Guelph
• Drove zodiac, captured, bled, banded and measured approx. 300 murrelets at night under challenging conditions
• Sampled and identified forage fish/plankton with beach-seine/plankton-tows
• Conducted evening at-sea transect surveys of adult fish-holding behaviour in order to determine nestling diet
