GOW LAB: ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION
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    • Counting cats in Canada
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Our research team is fully committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment where all members have equal opportunities to
​grow, develop, and succeed. 
​

Our research team addresses Federal priorities to conserving landbirds and their ecosystems. Our research is designed to provide insights into the underlying processes of landbird ecology in forests and urban areas mainly in Western Canada. We study population dynamics, movement ecology, habitat use, reproduction, foraging ecology, migration, over-wintering population dynamics, behaviour, and other ecological patterns and processes.

Click Here for Field Technician Job Ad

Lab's Research Subjects

Animal Migration

​Movement Ecology

​Forest Ecology

​Urban Ecology

Ornithology

Habitat use

Parental care

​Full annual cycle ecology

Conservation

Life History Trade-offs

​Forest Ecology


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About:

Our research team celebrates our diversity, interests, and personal experiences and backgrounds by focusing on not only growing as scientists  but also as people by  broadening our cultural competencies and deliberately working to enrich our work through support for each other. 

We study why and how many animal populations are declining, and how we can stop their declines. We conduct interdisciplinary research that uses the field, laboratory, quantitative modelling, and innovative tracking technologies to get a better understanding of how we can help animals survive in the face of global change.  

We firmly believe that for conservation to succeed scientists need to listen to stakeholder goals and engage them in research of mutual benefit. We use these approach to help solve complex problems using transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary frameworks. Our work is thus highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary: linking academia, various departments and levels of government, industry, non-profit organizations, and Indigenous organizations.
​
Past and current research spans three broad research areas: 

1. Birds Movement and Migration

2. Effects of domestic cats on Canada's environment 

​3. What is lurking in your yard: Urban animals

Please check out the projects section to learn more.


I am always open for potential collaborations, please contact me if you are interested.

In the News

PhD Candidate, Elora Grahame's, side project on Sea Turtles was featured in the Boston Globe

Check out our work on domestic cats featured in the documentary, "Running Wild: The Cats of Cornwall" premiering on TVO at 9pm on Nov 24, 2020. 
​
Trailer: 
m.facebook.com/watch/?v=820577685413384&_rdr

Online version of documentary

As part of promotion for this documentary Dr. Gow also took part in a panel discussion on The Agenda with Steve Paikin. 

Check out recent media coverage of our Vancouver Cat Count, in partnership with the Stewardship Centre for British Columbia and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

CBC British Columbia 

CBC Vancouver News

Global News Radio

CTV news



 Announcements:

​We are hiring technicians for the upcoming field season:
1–4 Technicians for research on birds in the interior of BC 
​Recently published papers:
Clyde, EH^, DR Norris, E Lupton^, EA Gow. 2022. Estimating habitat characteristics associated with the abundance of free-roaming domestic cats across the annual cycle. Wildlife Research. 49:583-595. 

Janus D^, EA Gow. 2021. Parental care by a European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) at the nest of a Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus). Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 133:348–354
 
Gow EA, JB Burant, AO Sutton, NE Freeman, ERM Grahame, M Fuirst, M Sorensen, SM Knight, HE Clyde, NJ Quarrell, AAE Wilcox, R Chicalo, SG Van Drunen, DS Shiffman. 2021. Popular press portrayal of issues surrounding free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus). People and Nature. 00:1-12
 
Grahame ERM^, Martin K^, EA Gow, DR Norris. 2021. Diurnal and nocturnal habitat selection of Eastern Whip-poor-wills (Antrostomus vociferous) in the northern portion of their breeding range. Avian Conservation Ecology. 16:14
 
Saunders SP, JX Wu, EA Gow, E Adams, B Bateman, T Bayard, S Beilke, A Dayer, AMV Fournier, K Fox, P Heglund, SB Lerman, NL Michel, E Paxton, CH Şekercioğlu, MA Smith, W Thogmartin, MS Woodrey, C van Riper III. 2021. Bridging the research-implementation gap in avian conservation with translational ecology. Ornithological Applications 123:1–13

Shiffman D, SJ Bittick, MS Cashion, SR Colla, LE Coristine, DII Derrick, EA Gow, CC MacDonald, M More O’Ferrall, M Oroboko, RA Pollom, J Provencher, NK Dulvy. 2020. Inaccurate and biased global media coverage underlies public misunderstanding of shark conservation threats and solutions. iScience 23: 101205 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101205

Gow EA, P Arcese, D Dagenais, RJ Sardell, S Wilson, JM Reid. 2019. Testing predictions of inclusive fitness theory in inbreeding relatives with biparental care. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286:20191933 PDF

Gow EA, SM Knight, DW Bradley, RG Clark, DW Winkler, M Bélisle, L Berzins, T Blake, ES Bridge, L Burke, RD Dawson, PO Dunn, D Garant, G Holroyd, AG Horn, DJT Hussell, O Lansdorp, AJ Laughlin, ML Leonard, F Pelletier, D Shutler, L Siefferman, C Taylor, H Trefry, CM Vleck, D Vleck, LA Whittingham, DR Norris. 2019. Effects of spring migration distance on tree swallow reproductive success within and among flyways. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7:380 PDF  

DeZwaan, D^. S Wilson, EA Gow, K Martin. Sex-specific spatiotemporal variation and carry-over effects in a migratory alpine songbird Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7:285 PDF

Knight SM^, DW Bradley, RG Clark, EA Gow, M Bélisle, L Berzins, T Blake, ES Bridge, RD Dawson, PO Dunn, D Garant, G Holroyd, AG Horn, DJT Hussell, O Lansdorp, AJ Laughlin, ML Leonard, F Pelletier, D Shutler, L Siefferman, C Taylor, H Trefry, CM Vleck, D Vleck, DW Winkler, LA Whittingham, DR Norris. Non-breeding season movements of a migratory songbird are related to declines in resource availability. The Auk: Ornithological Advances ukz028 PDF  

Gow EA, L Burke, DW Winkler, SM Knight, DW Bradley, RG Clark, M Bélisle, L Berzins, T Blake, ES Bridge,  RD Dawson, PO Dunn, D Garant, G Holroyd, AG Horn, DJT Hussell, O Lansdorp, AJ Laughlin, ML Leonard, F Pelletier, D Shutler, L Siefferman, C Taylor, H Trefry, CM Vleck, D Vleck, LA Whittingham, DR Norris. 2019. A range-wide domino effect and resetting of the annual cycle in a migratory songbird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286: 20181916  PDF

Knight SM^, DW Bradley, RG Clark, EA Gow, M Bélisle, L Berzins, T Blake, ES Bridge, RD Dawson, PO Dunn, D Garant, G Holroyd, AG Horn, DJT Hussell, O Lansdorp, AJ Laughlin, ML Leonard, F Pelletier, D Shutler, L Siefferman, C Taylor, H Trefry, CM Vleck, D Vleck, DW Winkler, LA Whittingham, DR Norris. 2018. Constructing and evaluating a continent-wide migratory songbird network across the annual cycle. Ecological Monographs 88:445–460 PDF  
​Click Here for an infographic describing this paper 

​^ Student papers
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  • Home
  • Research team
    • Policies/research environment
  • Research
    • Current Research Projects
    • Publications
  • Effects of Cats on the Environment
    • Counting cats in Canada
  • Past Projects
  • Collaborators and Links
  • Photos
  • Opportunities