As Senior Coordinator, Chad Witko communicates about the Migratory Bird Initiative and other science programs within Audubon, working with data and knowledge holders across the Western Hemisphere to build relationships and acquire migratory bird datasets. Through this work, he is a principal contributor to the development of the Bird Migration Explorer.

As an expert birder and ornithologist, Chad provides a lifetime of birding knowledge and nearly twenty years of field experience to the National Science Division at Audubon.

Before joining Audubon in 2019, Chad worked on various bird research, conservation, and education projects across the United States. These include developing avian conservation strategies linked to forestry efforts in New Hampshire, serving as an eBird state reviewer, mist-netting and banding migratory passerines in California, and educating visitors to Eastern Egg Rock about seabird restoration efforts for Project Puffin.

Chad holds a BS in Environmental and Forest Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and an MS in Conservation Biology and a Certificate in Applied Spatial Analysis for GIS from Antioch University New England. He currently resides in Vermont with his partner and daughter.

Articles by Chad Witko

Wood Stork.
Migratory Bird Initiative

The Weird and Wild Migration of the Wood Stork Raises Many Questions

By Chad Witko
September 15, 2022 — This unmistakable emblem of the Everglades and other Southern wetlands may be changing its migratory behavior in response to human impacts on the ecosystem.
Migratory Bird Initiative

To Protect Broad-winged Hawks, We First Need to Know Where They Migrate

By Chad Witko
September 07, 2022 — Researchers Laurie Goodrich and Rebecca McCabe are demystifying the long journeys of these migratory raptors to better inform conservation efforts.
Migratory Bird Initiative

The Flammulated Owl Is a Small Raptor Facing Big Threats

By Chad Witko
August 22, 2022 — Scott Yanco’s research on the migration and ecology of this reclusive owl can give the bird a fighting chance.
Western Water News

Our Plan to Count Shorebirds in the Colorado River Delta

By Chad Witko
February 28, 2022 — A peek into Audubon’s scientific efforts to better understand a critical migration bottleneck.
Migratory Bird Initiative

Wandering Spoonbills Tell Us What We Need to Protect the Everglades

By Chad Witko
February 17, 2022 — Jerry Lorenz of Audubon Florida tracked this species to shed light on how the iconic "River of Grass" is changing, for better or worse.
Migratory Bird Initiative

As American Kestrels Mysteriously Decline, Researchers Look to Their Migration for Clues

By Chad Witko
November 20, 2020 — We still don't know a lot about the migration of North America's smallest falcon, but these scientists are using tracking technology that will help inform their conservation.
Migratory Bird Initiative

It's Summer, and That Means Fall Migration is Already Underway

By Chad Witko
July 10, 2020 — For some migratory birds, "fall" is more of a guideline than a rule.
Climate

Vermont Teens Draw Climate Solace from Drawing Birds

By Chad Witko
May 21, 2020 — Students at Brattleboro Union High School use art to channel both their climate grief and love for birds.

Chad Witko's Favorite Birds