Raptor student receives Association of Field Ornithologists grant

M.S. Raptor Biology student Emma Regnier's research on how Golden Eagles shape cliff biodiversity caught the attention of the Association of Field Ornithologists, who awarded Regnier with their Bergstrom Grant in March 2026.

Regnier's proposed project title is "How Golden Eagles shape cliff biodiversity: using eDNA to measure the effects of nest building and ectoparasite treatment on arthropods."

Golden eagles build enormous nests on cliffs, creating unique microhabitats and introducing nutrients in the form of prey provisioning and excrement to an otherwise nutrient-poor ecosystem. Sampling the trace eDNA, or environmental DNA, left behind in a nest by insects will allow Regnier to describe the arthropod community present in eagle nests and determine how eagle nest use and ectoparasite treatments might impact other cliff-dwelling organisms.

According to the Association of Field Ornithologists, "Bergstrom Grants promote question-driven research and other projects that add to our knowledge of the natural history, ecology, and/or conservation of birds living under natural conditions."

The Raptor Research Center celebrates Regnier's success as she heads into another field season in Southern Idaho this month. Regnier is a member of RRC Director and Professor Julie Heath's (M.S. Raptor Biology, 1996) Lab - Global Change Ecology of Birds.

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