February 22, 7:00pm NCAS Membership Meeting (Zoom Meeting Registration)

In Washington, the White-headed Woodpecker is listed as a species of concern due to its association with old-growth ponderosa pine forests. Although White-headed Woodpeckers have recently been documented inhabiting early to mid-seral managed forests, information is limited regarding their reproductive success and general ecology in these forests. For the last 18 years, Jeff Kozma, wildlife biologist for the Yakama Nation, has been studying the ecology of White-headed Woodpeckers in managed ponderosa pine forests of the eastern Cascades. Jeff will present highlights from his research including nest-site characteristics, reproductive success, nestling provisioning (i.e., who feeds the kids and what are they feeding them) and adult longevity.

About Jeff Kozma

Jeff received his B.S. Degree in Environmental Forest Biology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse, and a M.S. Degree in Wildlife Science at Texas Tech University where he studied Neotropical migrant usage of arroyos in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. He has worked as a Wildlife Biologist at the Yakima Training Center where he monitored Sage Grouse, did raptor and non-game bird surveys, and was involved with restoration of seeps, springs, and riparian areas. He is currently working as a Wildlife Biologist for the Yakama Nation where he has been studying the reproductive biology of White-headed Woodpeckers and other cavity-nesting birds in managed forests for the last 18 years.