Chad Witko

Chad Witko

Senior Coordinator, Avian Biology

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

The Way Phainopeplas Breed and Migrate May Help Them Adapt to A Changing Climate
January 11, 2024 — Using tracking devices, Dan Baldassarre revealed key aspects of the "goth cardinal's" fascinating behavior.
Migratory Bird Initiative
How the Breeding Season Teaches Us More About Migratory Birds
August 23, 2023 — During the brief windows when migratory birds are busy breeding and relatively stationary, migration researchers leap into action to unravel the mysteries of their journeys.
Migratory Bird Initiative
Meet the Stragglers of Spring Migration
June 12, 2023 — There are a few bird species that are still finishing their spring migration. Use the Bird Migration Explorer to learn more about these tardy travelers.
Migratory Bird Initiative
How Many Birds Can A Bunch of Audubon Staff See In a Year?
May 18, 2023 — We made a pact to do a Big Year collaboratively in 2022. Here's what we saw, and what we learned in those 12 months of birding and sharing.
Wood Stork.
The Weird and Wild Migration of the Wood Stork Raises Many Questions
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
A large brown hawk with a large pointed beak and a tracking device affixed to its back is held by two people.
To Protect Broad-winged Hawks, We First Need to Know Where They Migrate
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
August 22, 2022 — Scott Yanco’s research on the migration and ecology of this reclusive owl can give the bird a fighting chance.
Migratory Bird Initiative
Our Plan to Count Shorebirds in the Colorado River Delta
February 28, 2022 — A peek into Audubon’s scientific efforts to better understand a critical migration bottleneck.
News
Wandering Spoonbills Tell Us What We Need to Protect the Everglades
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
The Connecticut Warbler Connects Threatened Forest Habitat on Two Different Continents
October 07, 2021 — New migration research suggests that supporting Indigenous-led Boreal Forest stewardship in Canada as well as local conservation efforts in Latin America will be key to protecting one of our most elusive songbirds.
Migratory Bird Initiative

 

 

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