Spatial and reproductive ecology of Brown Pelicans

Background

My PhD research, funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, aimed to obtain baseline data on Brown Pelican movements in relation to offshore development in the Gulf of Mexico.  During the summers of 2013 - 2015, we deployed over 90 remote-downloading GPS units on adult pelicans at colonies in Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, which we combined with data on diet and reproductive ecology to develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between spatial ecology, reproductive output, risk exposure, and individual variability. In addition to the publications listed below, work with these data is ongoing, including a recent tagging effort on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, an ongoing network analysis of subspecies-scale migratory connectivity, and a current project examining attraction of pelicans to offshore oil and gas infrastructure. 

BOEM Project Information

Landing page (contains all study details, reports, and publications)

Final project report 

Technical summary

Associated Publications:

Annual-cycle movement patterns of Eastern Brown Pelicans from the northern end of their breeding range.

Lamb, J.S. and P.G.R. Jodice (in press). Waterbirds.

Spatial and individual factors mediate exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in adult and chick brown pelicans in the northern Gulf of Mexico. 

Jodice, P.G.R., J.S. Lamb, Y.G. Satgé, and C. Perkins. 2023. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

Blood biochemistry and hematology of adult and chick brown pelicans in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Reference intervals and ecological relationships. 

Jodice, P.G.R., J.S. Lamb, Y.G. Satgé, and C. Fiorello. 2022. Conservation Physiology.

Fine-scale weather patterns drive reproductive success in the Brown Pelican

Streker, R., J.S. Lamb, J. Dindo, and P.G.R. Jodice. 2021. Waterbirds.

Post-release survival of California Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) following oiling and rehabilitation after the Refugio oil spill. 

Fiorello, C., P.G.R. Jodice, J.S. Lamb, Y. Satgé, K. Mills, and M. Ziccardi. 2021. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

Mercury, Cadmium, Copper, Arsenic, and Selenium Measurements in the Feathers of Adult Eastern Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) and Chicks in Multiple Breeding Grounds in the Northern Gulf of Mexico 

Ndu, U., J.S. Lamb, S. Janssen, R. Rossi, Y.G. Satgé, and P.G.R. Jodice, 2020. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.

Seasonal variation in environmental and behavioural drivers of annual‐cycle habitat selection in a nearshore seabird

Lamb, J.S., Y.G.Satgé, and P.G.R.Jodice, 2019. Diversity and Distributions.

Movement patterns of California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) following oiling and rehabilitation

Lamb, J.S., C.V. Fiorello, Y.G.Satgé, K.Mills, M.Ziccardi, and P.G.R.Jodice, 2018. Marine Pollution Bulletin.

A bridge between oceans: overland migration of marine birds in a wind energy corridor

Lamb, J.S., D.J. Newstead, L.M. Koczur, B.M. Ballard, M.C. Green, and P.G.R. Jodice, 2017. Journal of Avian Biology.

Diet composition and provisioning rates of nestlings determine reproductive success in a subtropical seabird

Lamb, J.S., Y.G. Satgé, and P.G.R. Jodice, 2017. Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Influence of density-dependent competition on foraging and migratory behavior of a subtropical colonial seabird

Lamb, J.S., Y.G. Satgé, and P.G.R. Jodice, 2017. Ecology and Evolution.

Physical condition and stress levels during early development reflect nutrition and predict nestling survival in a nearshore seabird

Lamb, J.S., K.M. O’Reilly, and P.G.R. Jodice. 2016. Conservation Physiology 4.

Behavioral and reproductive effects of GPS transmitter attachment on Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) on three temporal scales

Lamb, J.S., Y.G. Satgé, C.V. Fiorello, and P.G.R. Jodice. 2016. Journal of Ornithology.