The Life of a Raptor Researcher
By Sydney Meng, Golden Eagle Guest Blogger
It is 8:30 am, and Zoe Bonerbo, a researcher currently earning her Master of Raptor Biology at Boise State University (BSU), is picking up a work truck at her school’s campus and driving an hour and a half to the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). Her assignment is to document the interesting behaviors of the 200 pairs of Prairie Falcons inhabiting the sagebrush-peppered canyon. This assignment is one of the most unique opportunities in world of ornithology as the NCA contains the highest concentration of Prairie Falcons in the world. You can learn about the Prairie Falcon and Zoe’s research on July 2 in a free Golden Eagle Audubon program.
Prairie Falcons at Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA
Life-long Love of the Wild
Growing up on the East Coast, Zoe always had a remarkable love of animals and had aspirations to become a zookeeper when she was younger. It was not until later in her life that her passion truly bloomed. “When I got to college, I realized how much I enjoyed working outdoors, which inspired me to go down the path of studying animals in their natural environment,” Zoe recalls. After receiving a bachelor’s in Environmental and Wildlife Biology in 2019, working at various bird banding stations, and occupying numerous field technician positions, Zoe became a lab manager and researcher. She began assisting the study of Prairie Falcons under the supervision of Dr. Jen Cruz, the Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife Biology at BSU in 2022. It was only a matter of luck that Zoe could study the fascinating species. “I didn't actually know until a few weeks before I started the master's program that they would be my study species. I actually thought I would be doing a completely different project. At the last minute, there was some funding available and an opportunity to continue work related to movement, diet, and productivity [of the falcons] which were related to research questions I was interested in exploring for my master’s,” she explains.
Zoe Bonerbo and a Prairie Falcon
The Falcons Don’t Make It Easy
Zoe’s typical day of research is no easy task. Much of her duty involves driving from place to place on rugged terrain to observe and record the falcons’ behavior and placing cameras around nesting sites. “We use scopes and binoculars to visually survey the sites and collect data about the number of eggs, number of nestlings, adult behavior, and prey deliveries,” Zoe says, “Information is recorded on paper data sheets in an app called Survey123. We then head to our next site (usually about a 30-45 min. drive) and repeat with as many sites as we can in one day before driving back and entering data.”
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to obtain data due to the Prairie Falcons’ elusive nature. “Prairie Falcons can be very sneaky and it can take hours or even several survey days to decipher what is happening at one territory. This makes it difficult to have a large sample size for the specific questions I am trying to answer for my research. In the past there have been larger crews that have conducted full canyon surveys, however, they had more people and were focused on different questions,” she adds.
Though research can be tough, Zoe believes it is both rewarding and beneficial to the ecosystem. She says, “Prairie Falcons are important to monitor as they are apex predators. Their behavior can tell us a lot about how the ecosystem around them is changing… They may hunt different prey depending on prey densities which gives us an idea about how small mammals … and song bird populations are doing.” Zoe also enjoys getting to know Prairie Falcons and experiencing nature close up. “Getting up close to magnificent species in their environment and on a personal level is a very special humbling experience… Prairie Falcons have their own unique quirks and characteristics and it's so cool learning about each one.”
Nesting Prairie Falcons at Birds of Prey NCA
Persistence and Flexibility
Her best advice for anyone who would like to pursue raptor biology is to get hands-on experience with birds of prey. While a bachelor’s degree in biology is required, employers prefer people who have worked with raptors outside of schooling. Zoe also assures, “It is common after undergraduate to work seasonal field technician positions before getting a master’s or full time job, so don't get discouraged if you can't get your foot in the door right away. It takes some persistence and flexibility!”
For now, Zoe is not completely sure what job she will take on after graduation, but she is positive that she will continue working on bird conservation and ornithology, hopefully for a nonprofit organization or the government. She will also continue doing charity work at Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization and her hobby of woodworking.
Discover the Prairie Falcon with Zoe Bonerbo
July 2, 7:00-8:15 on Zoom
Zoe is a dedicated and hard working researcher, and her job is incredibly unique and important to the local ecosystem. Handling Prairie Falcons is no easy task, and if you would like to learn more about her occupation and research, you please attend the the free Golden Eagle Audubon program on July 2nd from 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm.
