The Kirtland's warbler -- one of the rarest nesting migratory songbirds in the United States and Canada -- now has additional support, thanks to the establishment of an avian ecologist position geared to executing conservation activities on the bird's wintering grounds in The Bahamas. Scientist Bradley Watson has been hired by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) as part of the plan to keep the Kirtland's warbler population growing after its expected removal from the U.S. endangered species list this spring.
Watson, who is Bahamian, holds a Master of Science Degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, along with a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston. Prior to accepting the new position, Watson worked with the Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation. He has contributed to multiple studies on terrestrial ecology, while his graduate research focused on carbon sequestration in prairie systems.