Matt Stephenson, PhD
@mattdstep.bsky.social
Data manager and landscape ecologist at Iowa State University's Bioeconomy Institute. Interested in agroecology, grassland birds, prairie restoration, regenerative agriculture, statistics, data viz, and spaceflight. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TIL that Sora will parasitize Red-winged blackbird nests 🤯🦉
doi.org/10.22621/cfn...
doi.org/10.22621/cfn...
June 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
TIL that Sora will parasitize Red-winged blackbird nests 🤯🦉
doi.org/10.22621/cfn...
doi.org/10.22621/cfn...
A pair of coyotes and a Red-tailed hawk at another camera at this site.
January 31, 2025 at 6:55 PM
A pair of coyotes and a Red-tailed hawk at another camera at this site.
We found Upland Sandpiper nests in cover crop and mowed grassland at this site, but catching them on camera is fun! They seem to be undergoing a decade-long transition from a grassland-nesting species to a cropland-nesting species in our region, due to a lack of the one and abundance of the other.
January 31, 2025 at 4:45 PM
We found Upland Sandpiper nests in cover crop and mowed grassland at this site, but catching them on camera is fun! They seem to be undergoing a decade-long transition from a grassland-nesting species to a cropland-nesting species in our region, due to a lack of the one and abundance of the other.
Lots of nice photos in this deployment.
January 31, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Lots of nice photos in this deployment.
And as a bonus, some photos of her unmarked neighbor taking her chicks for a stroll (strut?).
January 31, 2025 at 4:09 PM
And as a bonus, some photos of her unmarked neighbor taking her chicks for a stroll (strut?).
Going through some old trail camera photos and found one of @birdnbiologist.bsky.social's study birds. This gal was hanging out in a corner of low-diversity CRP grassland on one of our collaborator's farms that also had prairie strips.
January 31, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Going through some old trail camera photos and found one of @birdnbiologist.bsky.social's study birds. This gal was hanging out in a corner of low-diversity CRP grassland on one of our collaborator's farms that also had prairie strips.
Twelve days after hatching, the crew is ready to fledge!
December 10, 2024 at 4:29 PM
Twelve days after hatching, the crew is ready to fledge!
When estimating nest survival, determining the incubation stage (and thus predicting hatch date) is very important. This is what it looks like to "candle" a Red-winged blackbird egg at zero- and ten days incubation.
December 10, 2024 at 4:29 PM
When estimating nest survival, determining the incubation stage (and thus predicting hatch date) is very important. This is what it looks like to "candle" a Red-winged blackbird egg at zero- and ten days incubation.
Camera trapping wasn't a main focus of my research, but it is extremely sharable. Here is a good shot of an American Badger we got on a farm in a very habitat-poor part of Iowa. Badgers are extremely shy of people, but they can still be found almost anywhere in Iowa if you look.
December 4, 2024 at 8:37 PM
Camera trapping wasn't a main focus of my research, but it is extremely sharable. Here is a good shot of an American Badger we got on a farm in a very habitat-poor part of Iowa. Badgers are extremely shy of people, but they can still be found almost anywhere in Iowa if you look.
While researching grassland bird habitat in ag landscapes, we had an opportunity for some bonus research. We analyzed veg surveys at nests and 5 m away with repeated-measures ANOVA to identify plant species that were found next to nests more- and less-often than expected.
December 2, 2024 at 5:25 PM
While researching grassland bird habitat in ag landscapes, we had an opportunity for some bonus research. We analyzed veg surveys at nests and 5 m away with repeated-measures ANOVA to identify plant species that were found next to nests more- and less-often than expected.
To get started on a new platform, I am resharing some of my favorite posts from X. Here is a sequence of shots from #prairiestrips on one Iowa farm in October. Many species call #agroecosystems home, even in landscapes as extensively farmed as the US Midwest.
November 26, 2024 at 1:58 PM
To get started on a new platform, I am resharing some of my favorite posts from X. Here is a sequence of shots from #prairiestrips on one Iowa farm in October. Many species call #agroecosystems home, even in landscapes as extensively farmed as the US Midwest.
Here's a cool sequence of shots from one of our partner's full prairie restoration sites. Without wolves, cougars, and bears across much of the Midwest, coyotes stand as the apex predator. How coyotes use #prairiestrips may affect their #habitat value for other species. #cameratrap
November 25, 2024 at 2:22 PM
Here's a cool sequence of shots from one of our partner's full prairie restoration sites. Without wolves, cougars, and bears across much of the Midwest, coyotes stand as the apex predator. How coyotes use #prairiestrips may affect their #habitat value for other species. #cameratrap