Mark Cook, PhD

NOTE: Location for this month only, the Main Branch of the Palm Beach County Library System at 3650 Summit Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL 33406.

Monthly Meeting and Lecture

“Guano, Bones, and Hurricanes: Recent Surges in Wading Bird Nesting and Wildlife Effects in the STAs” by Dr. Mark Cook, Lead Scientist, Everglades Systems Assessment Section of the South Florida Water Management District

Date and Time

Tuesday, June 5, 7:00 p.m. meeting & lecture.

NOTE: Location for this month only, the Main Branch of the Palm Beach County Library System at 3650 Summit Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL 33406.

Program Overview

Dr. Mark Cook is currently a Lead Scientist for the Everglades Systems Assessment Section of The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). His research is on wading birds, with a focus on how wetland processes such as water levels and nutrient run-off affect wading bird foraging and reproductive success. The goal for this research is to help restore and manage wading bird populations in the Everglades.

Mark has over 23 years of experience studying the ecology of wild birds. Prior to working at the District, he spent four years as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied nesting strategies of a Neotropical passerine, the Pearly-eyed Thrasher, in the rainforests of Puerto Rico.

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Mark has a PhD in Avian Ecology from Glasgow University, Scotland and a master’s degree in Ecology from the University of Durham, England, where he studied, respectively, the nesting behavior of Black Guillemots and Atlantic Puffins on remote Scottish islands. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Zoology from the University of Bangor, Wales.

Mark has spent the past 14 years studying wading birds in South Florida. During his time here, he has authored and co-authored 25 peer-reviewed scientific publications and more than 30 professional reports on birds, fish, crayfish and exotic animal species. He is the chief editor of the annual South Florida Wading Bird Report, on which he collaborates closely with other wading bird scientists in South Florida, including those from Audubon Florida. This report is frequently reported in the local media.

In his spare time, he’s a pretty good jungle gym and all-round plaything for his two daughters aged 6 and 8. However, whenever he can escape into the wilds, he likes to go birding and taking photos of wildlife in the more remote areas of Florida and Panama.

More Meeting Information

Also at the meeting, our expert, Clive Pinnock, will speak about the May Bird of the Month, Great Blue Heron, and June Bird of the Month, Double-crested Cormorant.

Meeting and program are free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Main Branch of the Palm Beach County Library System, 3650 Summit Boulevard in West Palm Beach. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you missed previous programs, you can view many of them online.