Project PROTHO Intern

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson for their generous donation to Audubon South Carolina in memory Lloyd and Margaret Cone, we were able to fund a seasonal internship aimed at increasing our monitor efforts of the Prothonotary Warbler at three locations across Four Holes Swamp – two areas in old growth and one area that was logged once. Heather VanTassel, our intern, received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Carlow University. She went on to obtain her PhD in Ecology from the University of California Riverside focusing on understanding wildlife responses to anthropogenic disturbances in the southwest.

Old-growth Swamp - Heather VanTassel

With Heather's assistance, we have learned that while Prothonotary Warbler densities may not seem to be as high in the logged areas as they are in the old-growth swamp, the once-logged areas still maintain healthy densities of Prothonotary Warblers. These results reinforce our efforts to conserve Four Holes Swamp and allow once-disturbed sites to return to their natural state in order to support healthy bird communities. We also plan to put out 50 Prothonotary Warbler nest boxes in the logged locations, which will provide additional nesting cavities and help maintain Prothonotary Warbler densities in the future.

Project PROTHO Nest Box - Heather VanTassel

You can follow what we are doing with Project PROTHO on our webpage.

Prothonotary Warbler Nestlings - Heather VanTassel