Colonial waterbirds

I study colonial waterbirds (birds that nest in colonies and consume aquatic resources).  As top predators, colonial waterbirds are sensitive to conditions throughout aquatic food webs. They are threatened by environmental contamination, coastal habitat destruction, and climate change. My research aims to better understand how these birds interact with their environment in order to address conservation and management issues.

​​​Study systems:

Isles of Shoals Terns
New York Harbor colonial waterbirds
Double-crested Cormorants
Oneida Lake Common Terns

Isles of Shoals Tern Conservation Program

Run by Shoals Marine Laboratory and supported by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the Isles of Shoals Tern Conservation Program implements research, restoration, and management of threatened and endangered terns on White and Seavey Islands in the Isles of Shoals. These islands are New Hampshire’s only successful breeding colony for Common (Sterna hirundo), Roseate (S. dougallii) and Arctic (S. paradisaea) terns, and are therefore a key conservation focus for the state. Current and historic conservation efforts include predator control, habitat management, and the study of diet and foraging behavior to improve conservation outcomes for these seabird populations. In addition to innovation in research and conservation, this program offers students the opportunity to experience the world of seabird conservation firsthand through programming in many Shoals Marine Laboratory courses. My work as the Tern Conservation Program Manager began in 2016.

Publications and conservation reports

  • Craig, E.  2016. Isles of Shoals Tern Conservation Program – 2016 Annual Report. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Concord, NH.

New York Harbor colonial waterbirds

A diverse group of colonial waterbirds nests on abandoned islands throughout the New York Harbor waterways. As an undergraduate at Columbia University in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, I conducted research with Dr. Susan Elbin on the effects of breeding wading birds and cormorants on their terrestrial nesting habitats. Later, as a graduate student at Cornell University, I explored the foraging resource use of waterbirds nesting in New York Harbor in order to inform conservation action for the preservation of important foraging sites. While conducting this research, I also served as the leader of the New York City Audubon Society's Harbor Herons nest surveys.  I am currently collaborating on the conservation management of Common Terns nesting on Governors Island.

Publications and conservation reports

  • Craig, E., S. Elbin, J. Sparks, and P. Curtis. 2015. Identifying important foraging habitat for colonial waterbirds in an urban estuary: a stable isotope approach. Waterbirds 38: 330-338. doi: 10.1675/063.038.0410
  • ​Craig, E., S. Elbin, J. Danoff-Burg, and M. Palmer. 2012. Impacts of Double-crested Cormorants and other colonial waterbirds on plant and arthropod communities on islands in an urban estuary. Waterbirds 35:4-12. doi:10.1675/063.035.sp102
  • Craig, E. 2008 through 2013. Harbor Herons Project annual report. NYC Audubon, NY, NY. 

Double-crested Cormorants

Much of my graduate research focused on cormorants and the conflicts that arise with humans over depredation of farmed fish. I conducted research across the eastern United States, including work at breeding colonies from Minnesota to the Atlantic coast, and wintering locations in Mississippi and Alabama. I used stable isotope analysis to identify aquaculture resource use in cormorants in order to inform management action to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. I conducted this research in partnership with USDA NWRC scientists.

Publications

  • Craig, E., T. King, J. Sparks, and P. Curtis. In review. Seasonal interactions play a limited role in Double-crested Cormorant life history.
  • Craig, E., T. King, J. Sparks, and P. Curtis. 2016. Aquaculture depredation by Double-crested Cormorants breeding in eastern North America. Journal of Wildlife Management 80:57-62 .  doi: 10.1002/jwmg.989
  • Craig, E., B. Dorr, K. Hanson-Dorr, J. Sparks, and P. Curtis. 2015. Isotopic discrimination in the Double-crested Cormorant. PLoS ONE 10: e0140946. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140946

Oneida Lake Common Terns

Since the 1970's, the Cornell Biological Field Station has partnered with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation in protecting, monitoring, and researching a colony of the state threatened Common Tern on Oneida Lake. From 2009 to 2015 I continued this effort with Dr. Paul Curtis , while additionally exploring the efficacy of population expansion through artificial habitat, and launching a study of migratory behavior through geolocation. As a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell, I studied the migration, demography, and factors influencing nesting success in this population.

Publications and conservation reports

  • Craig, E.,  P. Curtis, and D. Moore. In prep. A continental divide in migratory routes of Common Terns in the Americas. 
  • Craig, E., and P. Curtis. 2009 through 2015. Common Terns of Oneida Lake, NY. Annual report of breeding populations and management activity. NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
Photo credits: E. Craig & L. Mortelliti

Other research

  • Xu, C. Y., K. Griffin, J. Blazier, E. Craig, et al. 2009. The growth response of Alternanthera philoxeroides in a simulated post-combustion emission with ultrahigh CO2 and acidic pollutants. Environmental Pollution 157:2118-2125. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.02.013

Thank you to my wonderful research collaborators, colleagues, field assistants, and volunteers!