New Avian Ecology Director

Dr. Reed Bowman’s last official day with Archbold was February 3rd. After 32 years at Archbold, Bowman retired as the John W. Fitzpatrick Director of the Avian Ecology Program. Dr. Sahas Barve is the new John W. Fitzpatrick Director of Avian Ecology. Sahas began transitioning into his new job in January leading our world-renowned 50+ year study of Florida Scrub-Jays. He said, "As a field biologist through and through, I can’t wait to spend quality time with scrub-jays and other native Florida wildlife. Right now is an exciting time to be at Archbold. We are launching new projects using cutting-edge animal tracking and bio-logging technology to understand the effect of climate change on scrub-jays. I am enjoying the opportunity to mentor my first batch of scrub-jay interns who are taking their first steps towards becoming curious scientists and thoughtful ecologists." His background as an evolutionary ecologist is stellar. Sahas earned his Master of Science at the Wildlife Institute of India and a Ph.D. from Cornell University, where he studied the drivers of bird distribution in the Himalayan mountains. From 2019-2022, he was the Peter Buck Fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. His past research into the evolutionary drivers of breeding strategies of Acorn Woodpeckers in California aligns with Archbold’s research studying the evolution of cooperative breeding in scrub-jays. He said, "The long-term data on scrub-jays and excellent research infrastructure at Archbold present many exciting opportunities for applied research. I also look forward to working with the Archbold Education program to engage a wider, more diverse international audience." Welcome, Dr. Barve. The Archbold community and Florida Scrub-Jays are curious about you too.