Register for these webinars here.

This year’s Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch fellows are focusing on migratory birds, their response to a changing climate, and identifying key habitat features and environmental factors that affect these species on their breeding and wintering grounds.  

There are as many as 20 concurrent studies taking place on the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch at any given time, but focusing on only the questions we can ask within the Research Ranch isn’t enough, especially when studying birds that only spend a portion of their lives on the ranch.  That’s why we’re so excited that this year’s Appleton-Whittell Research Fellows are investigating questions that require researching the full range and lifecycle of their focal species.  

This summer, the work of these early career scientists is supported in part by the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch Fellowship Program. Each year, this program provides a new cohort of students with free lodging on the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch and financial assistance to support their studies, and each year our fellows help us further Frank and Ariel Appleton’s founding mission of the Research Ranch – to leave the land better than we found it. By supporting our Appleton-Whittell Research Fellows, we’re helping to answer the questions and recruit the leaders that will help to conserve birds and other wildlife well into the future. 

To celebrate our fellows’ successful research seasons and to learn from their time in the field, we hope you’ll join on September 9 and 10 from noon to 1 p.m. for this year’s round of Appleton-Whittell Research Fellow Webinars. During each of these three one-hour sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to learn a bit about our fellows’ time on the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, their research, and the conservation implications of their studies. 

Read on to learn more about and sign up for each presentation! 

September 9, 2025; noon-1 p.m. (AZ time) 

Matt Jenkins: Bluebirds (Sialia sp.): Model species for evolution, development, and environmental resilience 

(Register for this presentation here)

This presentation will focus on the three Sialia species found in Arizona: the Eastern, Western, and Mountain Bluebird. Building on data from a long-term, monitored population of Western Bluebirds in Montana, we explore what inferences can be drawn about newly established populations in Arizona and how they respond to environmental stress in a rapidly changing climate. Particular attention is given to changes in behavior observed in offspring caused by stress the mother may have endured during the breeding season. These behaviors appear to be a key driver in how bluebirds expand their range and interact with others of their same species. This talk will present preliminary observations on these stress-mediated developmental and behavioral traits in Arizona nestbox populations, offering insight into how early-life conditions may shape adaptability and social dynamics across different environments. 
 
About the Speaker: Pursuing a PhD from the University of Arizona’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Matt is following up on his previous efforts working across Arizona, New Mexico, and Montana using Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) as a model to study the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape adaptive behaviors. Additionally, Matt is bettering our understanding of the Azure Bluebird (Sialia sialis fulva), a subspecies of Eastern Bluebird local to southeastern Arizona identified by the Arizona Game and Fish Department as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Through his research, Matt aims to better understand how these birds respond to environmental stress, to reveal how this stress may influence species’ adaptability to global environmental change, and to increase science’s accessibility by engaging community scientists in his efforts. 

September 10, 2025; noon-1 p.m. (AZ time) 

Heaven Perez Sanchez: Using Motus technology to understand local and seasonal movements of Botteri’s Sparrow (Peucaea botterii) 

(Register for this presentation here)

Of the ecosystems on which birds depend, grassland ecosystems are faring among the worst. Among those most affected by this decline are grassland bird populations, which have declined by more than 40% since 1970. Many of these species, including the Botteri’s Sparrow, are seasonal migrants that rely on multiple geographic regions throughout the year. This presentation will explore the use of Motus technology, an international network of radio telemetry equipment that tracks the movement of migratory animals, to better understand the migratory movements of southeastern Arizona’s Botteri’s Sparrow (Peucaea botterii) and to learn more about how these birds make use of habitat on their breeding grounds on the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch of the National Audubon Society. Beginning with birds tagged on the Research Ranch in 2024 and continuing with a second tagging effort in 2025, this study aims to expand our understanding of the migratory movements of this priority grassland species and to identify key habitat features that motivate these birds to return to the Research Ranch year after year.  

About the Speaker: Like many of us, Heaven Perez Sanchez’s path to studying birds and conservation was not direct.  The first in her family to receive a college degree, Heaven graduated this May from Arizona State University’s 4+1 Program, an accelerated and challenging track that allows undergraduate students to complete their master’s program in five years. She entered the program as a mechanical engineering student but quickly pivoted to veterinary sciences. She was content with her decision – that is until her ornithology class. Immersed in research-driven and project-based assignments, Heaven found her purpose in conservation. Despite having already celebrated her graduation, Heaven is excited to be continuing her research this field season.