Jonathan Felis
Jonathan Felis is a geographer at the Western Ecological Research Center.
The research Jonathan Felis is involved in seeks to understand seabird foraging ecology and identify the processes responsible for habitat selection, particularly through the use of tracking technologies and at-sea surveys. As a geographer, Jonathan's goal is to apply these data spatially in order to better inform conservation and management decisions in the context of marine spatial planning.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Seabird Ecology
- Wildlife Telemetry
- Geographic Information Systems
EDUCATION
- BS, Environmental Geology, The College of William and Mary, 2003
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Geographer, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Santa Cruz Field Station, 2014-Present
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluation of...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams, Cheryl Horton, Laura (Laney) White
Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): Characterization of Seasonal Water Masses within the Northern California Current System Using Airborne Remote Sensing off Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011–2012
Here, we use ocean color measurements (Figure 1) and sea surface temperature (SST) data collected using sensors mounted on low-flying aircraft to characterize NCCS water masses and identify patterns among seasons and between years. To accomplish this, we applied k-means clustering to measured and derived ecologically-relevant physical and bio-optical variables (SST, Chla, absorbance by...
Authors
Jennifer A Schulien, Josh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis
Habitat affinities and at-sea ranging behaviors among main Hawaiian Island seabirds: Breeding seabird telemetry, 2013–2016
Recent Hawaiʻi state clean energy policy mandates and federal interest in developing offshore renewable energy resources have prompted unsolicited lease requests for offshore wind energy infrastructure (OWEI) to be located in ocean waters off Hawaiʻi. This study describing at-sea ranging behaviors for five seabirds was intended to provide new information on Hawaiian breeding seabird...
Authors
Josh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy
Trends in mammalian predator control trapping events intended to protect ground-nesting, endangered birds at Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi: 2000–14
Predation and habitat degradation by non-native species are principal terrestrial threats to the federally endangered Hawaiian Petrel (ʻuaʻu, Pterodroma sandwichensis) and Hawaiian Goose (nēnē, Branta sandvicensis) within Haleakalā National Park (HALE), Maui, Hawaiʻi. Since 1981, HALE has maintained a network of live traps to control invasive mammalian predators and protect these...
Authors
Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams, Max Czapanskiy, Jonathan J. Felis, Julie L. Yee, Raina L. Kaholoaa, Cathleen Natividad Bailey
Eastern Pacific migration strategies of pink-footed shearwaters Ardenna creatopus: Implications for fisheries interactions and international conservation
The pink-footed shearwater Ardenna creatopus has a breeding range restricted to 3 central-Chilean islands and travels north in the eastern Pacific Ocean during the non-breeding period. Despite its Vulnerable IUCN status, the locations and relative importance of core non-breeding areas and migratory pathways of the species are not well understood. During 5 years between 2006 and 2015, we...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams, Peter Hodum, Ryan Carle, Valentina Colodro
Overlap of Pink-footed Shearwaters and central Chilean purse-seine fisheries: Implications for bycatch risk
Understanding susceptibility of seabirds to fisheries bycatch requires quantifying overlap of seabird at-sea habitat with fisheries’ distribution and effort. Pink-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna creatopus) are vulnerable seabirds that breed only in Chile. Recently, high rates of Pink-footed Shearwater bycatch (i.e. >1,500 observed mortalities 2015–2017) were documented by observers in...
Authors
Ryan Carle, Jonathan J. Felis, Rodrigo Vega, Jessie Beck, Josh Adams, Veronica Lopez, Peter Hodum, Andrés González, Valentina Colodro, Tiare Varela
Does perspective matter? A case study comparing Eulerian and Lagrangian estimates of common murre (Uria aalge) distributions
Studies estimating species' distributions require information about animal locations in space and time. Location data can be collected using surveys within a predetermined frame of reference (i.e., Eulerian sampling) or from animal‐borne tracking devices (i.e., Lagrangian sampling). Integration of observations obtained from Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives can provide insights into...
Authors
Elizabeth M. Phillips, John Horne, Jeannette E. Zamon, Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2018 breeding season
Executive SummaryMarbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams
Diving behavior of Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus rearing chicks on Isla Mocha, Chile
Recent information reporting Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus mortality from fisheries bycatch throughout its range has encouraged fisheries managers in Chile to evaluate and consider shearwater foraging behaviors to better evaluate risk. In response, we tracked six chickrearing adult Pink-footed Shearwaters from Isla Mocha, off south-central Chile, from 19 to 28 March 2015 using...
Authors
Josh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy, Ryan Carle, Peter Hodum
Collision and displacement vulnerability to offshore wind energy infrastructure among marine birds of the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf
Marine birds are vulnerable to collision with and displacement by offshore wind energy infrastructure (OWEI). Here we present the first assessment of marine bird vulnerability to potential OWEI in the California Current System portion of the U.S. Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (POCS). Using population size, demography, life history, flight heights, and avoidance behavior for 62 seabird...
Authors
Emily C. Kelsey, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy, David M. Peresksta, Josh Adams
Carotenoid-based skin ornaments reflect foraging propensity in a seabird, Sula leucogaster
Carotenoid-based ornaments are common signalling features in animals. It has long been proposed that such ornaments communicate information about foraging abilities to potential mates. However, evidence linking foraging with ornamentation is largely missing from unmanipulated, free-ranging populations. To investigate this relationship, we studied a coastal population of brown booby (Sula...
Authors
Nathan P. Michael, Roxana Torres, Andreanna J. Welch, Josh Adams, Mario Erandi Bonillas-Monge, Jonathan J. Felis, Laura Lopez-Marquez, Alejandro Martínez-Flores, Anne E. Wiley
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2017 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “Endangered” by the State of California and “Threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management and evaluation of...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams, Emily C. Kelsey
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluation of...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams, Cheryl Horton, Laura (Laney) White
Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): Characterization of Seasonal Water Masses within the Northern California Current System Using Airborne Remote Sensing off Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011–2012
Here, we use ocean color measurements (Figure 1) and sea surface temperature (SST) data collected using sensors mounted on low-flying aircraft to characterize NCCS water masses and identify patterns among seasons and between years. To accomplish this, we applied k-means clustering to measured and derived ecologically-relevant physical and bio-optical variables (SST, Chla, absorbance by...
Authors
Jennifer A Schulien, Josh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis
Habitat affinities and at-sea ranging behaviors among main Hawaiian Island seabirds: Breeding seabird telemetry, 2013–2016
Recent Hawaiʻi state clean energy policy mandates and federal interest in developing offshore renewable energy resources have prompted unsolicited lease requests for offshore wind energy infrastructure (OWEI) to be located in ocean waters off Hawaiʻi. This study describing at-sea ranging behaviors for five seabirds was intended to provide new information on Hawaiian breeding seabird...
Authors
Josh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy
Trends in mammalian predator control trapping events intended to protect ground-nesting, endangered birds at Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi: 2000–14
Predation and habitat degradation by non-native species are principal terrestrial threats to the federally endangered Hawaiian Petrel (ʻuaʻu, Pterodroma sandwichensis) and Hawaiian Goose (nēnē, Branta sandvicensis) within Haleakalā National Park (HALE), Maui, Hawaiʻi. Since 1981, HALE has maintained a network of live traps to control invasive mammalian predators and protect these...
Authors
Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams, Max Czapanskiy, Jonathan J. Felis, Julie L. Yee, Raina L. Kaholoaa, Cathleen Natividad Bailey
Eastern Pacific migration strategies of pink-footed shearwaters Ardenna creatopus: Implications for fisheries interactions and international conservation
The pink-footed shearwater Ardenna creatopus has a breeding range restricted to 3 central-Chilean islands and travels north in the eastern Pacific Ocean during the non-breeding period. Despite its Vulnerable IUCN status, the locations and relative importance of core non-breeding areas and migratory pathways of the species are not well understood. During 5 years between 2006 and 2015, we...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams, Peter Hodum, Ryan Carle, Valentina Colodro
Overlap of Pink-footed Shearwaters and central Chilean purse-seine fisheries: Implications for bycatch risk
Understanding susceptibility of seabirds to fisheries bycatch requires quantifying overlap of seabird at-sea habitat with fisheries’ distribution and effort. Pink-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna creatopus) are vulnerable seabirds that breed only in Chile. Recently, high rates of Pink-footed Shearwater bycatch (i.e. >1,500 observed mortalities 2015–2017) were documented by observers in...
Authors
Ryan Carle, Jonathan J. Felis, Rodrigo Vega, Jessie Beck, Josh Adams, Veronica Lopez, Peter Hodum, Andrés González, Valentina Colodro, Tiare Varela
Does perspective matter? A case study comparing Eulerian and Lagrangian estimates of common murre (Uria aalge) distributions
Studies estimating species' distributions require information about animal locations in space and time. Location data can be collected using surveys within a predetermined frame of reference (i.e., Eulerian sampling) or from animal‐borne tracking devices (i.e., Lagrangian sampling). Integration of observations obtained from Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives can provide insights into...
Authors
Elizabeth M. Phillips, John Horne, Jeannette E. Zamon, Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2018 breeding season
Executive SummaryMarbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams
Diving behavior of Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus rearing chicks on Isla Mocha, Chile
Recent information reporting Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus mortality from fisheries bycatch throughout its range has encouraged fisheries managers in Chile to evaluate and consider shearwater foraging behaviors to better evaluate risk. In response, we tracked six chickrearing adult Pink-footed Shearwaters from Isla Mocha, off south-central Chile, from 19 to 28 March 2015 using...
Authors
Josh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy, Ryan Carle, Peter Hodum
Collision and displacement vulnerability to offshore wind energy infrastructure among marine birds of the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf
Marine birds are vulnerable to collision with and displacement by offshore wind energy infrastructure (OWEI). Here we present the first assessment of marine bird vulnerability to potential OWEI in the California Current System portion of the U.S. Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (POCS). Using population size, demography, life history, flight heights, and avoidance behavior for 62 seabird...
Authors
Emily C. Kelsey, Jonathan J. Felis, Max Czapanskiy, David M. Peresksta, Josh Adams
Carotenoid-based skin ornaments reflect foraging propensity in a seabird, Sula leucogaster
Carotenoid-based ornaments are common signalling features in animals. It has long been proposed that such ornaments communicate information about foraging abilities to potential mates. However, evidence linking foraging with ornamentation is largely missing from unmanipulated, free-ranging populations. To investigate this relationship, we studied a coastal population of brown booby (Sula...
Authors
Nathan P. Michael, Roxana Torres, Andreanna J. Welch, Josh Adams, Mario Erandi Bonillas-Monge, Jonathan J. Felis, Laura Lopez-Marquez, Alejandro Martínez-Flores, Anne E. Wiley
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2017 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “Endangered” by the State of California and “Threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management and evaluation of...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams, Emily C. Kelsey