Conservation & Biodiversity

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We provide quantitative tools and new science-based information to guide managers and policy makers on conservation decisions involving waterbirds and coastal ecosystems.

Waterbirds are iconic species for the Gulf. They connect freshwater wetlands, coastal marshes, and marine ecosystems, the very places that people enjoy for recreation and depend on for jobs. Research in the Conservation and Biodiversity Lab supports managers and policy-makers charged with sustaining the coastal interface of the Gulf of Mexico and its iconic bird species. Our expertise is strong in waterbird ecology and conservation, ecosystem restoration, and in developing bird monitoring programs for aquatic ecosystem management. Our research questions focus on predicting the response of birds to different elements of their nesting and feeding habitat. Our recent work has focused on coastal habitat modeling, the management and rehabilitation of waterbird colony islands, and the use of drones as a new tool to effectively monitor waterbird colonies. .

The use of drone footage allow researchers to gain valuable images of waterbird colonies for analysis with very minimal disturbance

Master’s student Rostam Mirzadi sets up a game camera in front of a nest of Snowy Egrets. Cameras are used to monitor parental attendance and feeding frequency with minimal disturbance to the nesting birds.

Dr. Gawlik and student researchers doing field work by airboat in the Upper Laguna Madre

Conservation & Biodiversity researcher Dr. David Essian presented at the 2022 Waterbird Society Conference held in Corpus Christi.

Forage fish that are sampled from the marsh are brought back to the lab for sorting and analysis

Nesting bird surveys performed in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy and Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program. MS student Ro Mirzadi pilots a drone to obtain footage of colonies for counting.

The Conservation and Biodiversity Lab conducts routine bird surveys to track the presence, quantity, and variety of avian species within Pita Island and the broader Laguna Madre region.

Participants of the 2022 Waterbird Society Conference on a birdwatching field trip to the King Ranch.

Aerial image of nesting Great Blue Herons and constructed nest platforms.

Dr. Dale Gawlik holds a wild Great Egret for banding and sampling

Drone footage assists with nesting waterbird colony surveys on Shamrock Island. Drone surveys have shown minimal disturbance to the colonies while providing very accurate counts of nests.

Dr. Gawlik and doctoral student Antonio Cantu analyze spoil island vegetation

Colonial nesting waterbirds on a spoil island in the Upper Laguna Madre

Forster's Tern

Dale Gawlik, Ph.D.

James A. “Buddy” Davidson Endowed Chair for Conservation and Biodiversity

Our People

Chair for Conservation & Biodiversity Dr. Dale Gawlik leads a team of students and researchers in developing new tools and data to help understand the coastal habitats that sustain important bird populations. Meet his team:

Conservation & Biodiversity

Some Unlucky Ducks: Ducks and Other Waterbird Populations are on the Decline

James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation awards $1.5 million endowment to HRI, continuing legacy of conservation and research

Sooty Terns Establish Small Nesting Colony in Corpus Christi Bay, Marking a Rare Texas Find

Colony Island Network Design and Implementation (CINDI): A Prioritization Tool to Rehabilitate Colony Islands Along the Texas Coast

Rookery Island Productivity for Priority Waterbird Species

Colony Island Network Design and Implementation (CINDI) to Recover Waterbirds in the Gulf of Mexico: Pilot Study