On the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch of the National Audubon Society (AWRR), we see all varieties of ecological research. Scientists come to this premier field research station to dive into botany, wildlife biology, entomology, soil sciences, hydrology, climate studies, and more, but we must admit, we have a soft spot for ornithology. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce this year’s cohort of Appleton-Whittell Research Fellows – our birdiest bunch yet!

Of the habitats on which birds and other wildlife depend, grasslands are faring among the worst. Millions of acres of grasslands are lost each year, and as a result grassland bird populations have declined by over forty percent since 1970. With nearly 8,000 acres of increasingly rare grasslands and oak savannahs protected within its borders, the Research Ranch represents one of the few remaining landscapes on which functioning southwestern grassland ecosystems can be studied, and this year, both of our Research Fellows will be able to use this as an opportunity to drive impact through science.

Before Audubon assumed management responsibilities on the AWRR, the Appleton family had a single, driving goal for the property – to leave it better than they found it, a mission that aligns well with Audubon’s goal of protecting birds and their habitats, both today and in the future. However, it’s not possible to achieve these goals without continually expanding our knowledge of the wildlife, habitat, and ecosystems we aim to protect. With birds of conservation concern at the heart of their studies, both of this year’s Research Fellows will be contributing directly to our work.

Thank you to The Research Ranch Foundation and the individual supporters whose contributions have allowed us to make 2025’s AWRR Research Fellowship awards bigger than ever and as always to our visiting researchers for giving us the opportunity to learn through their studies. Join us in celebrating this latest batch of AWRR Research Fellows, continue reading to learn more about them and their work, and stay tuned for updates as they embark on their summer projects!

Matt Jenkins (University of Arizona)

Having received an AWRR Research Fellowship in 2023 and having continued his research on the Research Ranch and elsewhere since, Matt Jenkins is excited to put this year’s award to work studying Arizona’s bluebirds as he pursues his PhD from The University of Arizona’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Following up on his previous efforts, Matt will be 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 will be expanding on his efforts to better understand the Azure Bluebird (Sialia sialis fulva), a subspecies of Eastern Bluebird local to southeastern Arizona and identified by the Arizona Game and Fish Department as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need, and to help bolster its populations by adding to his already successful southeastern Arizona bluebird nest box trails.

Across species, bluebirds are known to have high site fidelity, meaning that individual birds often return to where they hatched when attempting to breed themselves. In bluebirds, males in particular show high fidelity to their natal nesting sites. Complicating this system, however, are recent studies that show that high levels of stress in nesting females can result in offspring that are more aggressive, more likely to disperse further, and less likely to return to their natal nesting sites. As temperatures rise and precipitation becomes less predictable, it is likely that bluebirds will face increasingly stressful nesting seasons as they seek out diminishing nest site options and attempt to keep young fed on declining insect populations. As such, it’s critical that we understand how these stress-induced traits may influence the ecology, range, and behavior of these birds.

Through his research, Matt aims to better understand these stress-induced traits, to provide insights into the implications of these traits on species’ adaptability to global environmental change, and to increase science’s accessibility by engaging community scientists in his efforts. We’re excited to be able to support his work again this season, and (selfishly) we’re thrilled to enjoy the bluebirds that his efforts will bring to the AWRR!

Heaven Perez Sanchez (Arizona State University)

Like many of us, Heaven Perez Sanchez’s path to birds and conservation has been less than direct. The first in her family to receive a college degree, Heaven is expected to graduate 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 after finding that her coursework did not provide her with a sense of purpose, she 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 and ended up graduating with her Bachelor’s in Applied Biological Sciences with a Wildlife Management Certificate in May of last year. While she graduates with her master’s degree this May, she is excited to continue her research beyond the program and into the 2025 field season.

We first met Heaven last year when we kicked off the AWRR Grassland Motus Project, a collaboration between the AWRR, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Sonoran Joint Venture, and Arizona State University aimed at exploring the use of Motus technology in southwestern grassland habitats, better understanding the seasonal movement’s of priority grassland sparrows, and informing habitat stewardship efforts on the AWRR. Motus (Latin for “movement”), is a network of radio stations equipped to pick up signals sent from tiny, radio-emitting tags that can be affixed to insects, bats, and of course birds. In her first season with us, Heaven helped us take advantage of our on-site Motus station by working alongside us to capture and tag fifteen sparrows across three priority species – Botteri’s Sparrow (Peucaea botterii), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), and Cassin’s Sparrow (Peucaea cassinii). Additionally, she led the effort to deploy an analyze data from new technology known as Motus “nodes”, a tool that we hope will help us better understand local movements of these sparrows within and between patches of the AWRR.

Most range maps show these three sparrows as being year-round residents on the AWRR, but it seems that the birds, which almost entirely disappear during the non-breeding season, aren’t reading field guides. Additionally, while AWRR staff has worked diligently over the last twenty years to establish a control area that is mostly free of invasive Lehmann’s Lovegrass, it is unclear how or if these birds are responding to the treatment. Through her work, Heaven hopes to shed light on the full lifecycle of these priority birds and to provide the AWRR with information that will inform our habitat management efforts. We’re happy to be able to support her work this field season, and we’re excited to be able to keep her beyond her graduation date!

(Want to learn more about the AWRR Research Fellowship Program? Click here for more information and to explore the work of past fellows.)