Avian Field Science Manager
Freshwater
william.abbott@tnc.org
At TNC, Billy's primary responsibility is overseeing the field work that takes place on BirdReturns agricultural habitats. This includes running field crews, managing relationships with farmers, and designing and conducting field experiments. One example is the sandhill crane social attraction experiment where we attempted to attract cranes to new viable habitats using visual and audio lures. In addition to this I also participate in many projects across the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership including a migratory shorebird drought response study and pacific flyway surveys.
Before his current stint at The Nature Conservancy Billy worked in the field of avian ecology for many organizations including Point Blue, Audubon CA, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, CDFW and previous stints at TNC. I have a B.S. in Biology from UW-Platteville and a M.S. in Environmental Conservation from Florida Atlantic University.
What Billy is working on now:
Currently, I am overseeing the implementation of the BirdReturns – Late Summer Farmlands Program in the Sacramento Valley and the Delta. Additionally, I am working on a paper examining waste grain depletion by foraging birds with the purpose of better informing our habitat practices in the agricultural landscape.