Phenology is the study of the seasons – when plants leaf out and bloom, birds migrate, and insects emerge. These life cycles are a critical part of nearly every ecological relationship. As temperatures warm and precipitation patterns change, phenology of many species is advancing and not always at the same rate. Migratory birds in particular face mismatches in timing between breeding periods and food resources, with cascading impacts on their ecosystems. In this presentation we will look at what we know about the challenges birds are facing, how they are coping, and what you can do to help document the changes in phenology happening around us.

Erin Posthumus is the Outreach Coordinator and Liaison to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the USA National Phenology Network, a science initiative that aims to collect, store, and share information on plant and animal seasonal activity. Trained as a wildlife biologist, Erin received a BA in Environmental Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder and an MS in Wildlife Conservation and Management from the University of Arizona. She has worked on a variety of bird ecology projects throughout her career including banding ʻIʻiwis on the Big Island of Hawai’i, counting wading bird nestlings in the Florida Everglades and surveying bird diversity on top of a 10,000 foot mountain in Southern Arizona. Raised in Seattle, she currently lives in Tucson, AZ where she enjoys hiking the Sky Islands, rescuing cacti, and watching her desert tortoise eat.