Jeffrey Buler

Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology

Jeffrey Buler

Professor of Wildlife Ecology
 302-831-1306

Office location:
531 South College Avenue
246 Townsend Hall
Newark, DE 19716

Education

  • Ph.D. Biology, The University of Southern Mississippi, 2006
  • M.S. Wildlife, Louisiana State University , 1999
  • B.A. Biology , St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 1995

Regular courses taught

  • ENWC 416/616, Wildlife Habitat Management, Fall
  • ENWC 820 Landscape Ecology, Alternate Springs
  • ENWC 842 Ecological Modeling, Alternate Springs

Research

  • Radar Aeroecology
  • Avian Ecology and Migration
  • Landscape Ecology
  • Conservation Biology

Professional affiliations

  • American Ornithological Society – Elected Member (2015), Elected Fellow (2021), Associate Editor for The Condor: Ornithological Applications (2013-2020)
  • Association of Field Ornithologists – Elected Assistant Treasurer (2011-2014), Elected Council Member (2010-2014)
  • Wilson Ornithological Society
  • The Wildlife Society
  • Midwest Migration Network – Steering Committee Member (2016 – present), Chair of Radar and Acoustic Monitoring Working Group (2016 – present)
  • Gulf of Mexico Avian Monitoring Network
  • University of Delaware – faculty affiliate for Data Science Institute, Delaware Environmental Institute, and Center for Research in Wind
  • Delaware Ornithological Society – Elected Council Member (2021-2023), Hawkwatch Coordinator (2022)
  • London Grove Township: Environmental Advisory Council Member (2012-2015)

18.        Michelle Eshleman, In Progress. Ph.D. Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. Anthropogenic influences on avian migration        

17.        Amanda Crandall, In Progress. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. Impacts of climate and anthropogenic change on migratory landbird stopover across Texas and Louisiana

16. Katherine Bird, In Progress. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. Investigating Purple Martin movements and roosts in the mid-Atlantic

15.        Matthew Hardy, In Progress. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. A remote sensing and radio telemetry biosecurity mechanism for the mid-Atlantic poultry industry

14.        Nur Annis Hidayati, In Progress. Ph.D. Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. Exploring drivers of the distributions and phenology of migrating landbirds in Australia and beyond

13. Narango, Desiree. 2020. Investigating multi-trophic linkages between plants, insects and migratory birds to inform effective forest habitat management and restoration strategies. David Smith Fellow (Supplementary Mentor). Current position: Conservation Scientist, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, VT.

12. Calderon, Lily. 2020. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. Sex-, Age-, and size-related differences in the distribution of migrating landbirds in the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Current position: Biologist, US National Park Service, OR

11. Cabrera-Cruz, Sergio. 2021. Nocturnal light pollution and landbird migration. Ph.D. Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. 2020 UD CANR William J. Benton Graduate Student Award. Current position: Senior Researcher, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Veracruz, Mexico.

10. Clipp, Hannah. 2018. An investigation of landbird stopover patterns along the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico during spring migration. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. 2018 UD CANR William J. Benton Graduate Student Award. Current Position: Ph.D. Student University of West Virginia, WV 

9. Zenzal, T.J. 2018. Application of integrated long term datasets to understand migrant-habitat use along the Mississippi-Alabama coast. Post-doctoral Researcher. Current position: Wildlife Ecologist, US Geological Survey, LA.

8. Schreckengost, Timothy. 2017. Methods for studying stopover ecology of migrating landbirds with weather surveillance radar. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. Current position: Chief Marketing Officer, Skoped Industries, UT.

7. McLaren, James. 2015-2016. Assess possible impacts of Superstorm Sandy on migrating landbirds and their habitats. Post-doctoral Researcher. Current position: Post-doctoral Researcher, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany

6. Boone, Matthew. 2016. The effect of Hurricane Sandy on landbird migration in the Northeast United States. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. Current position: Software Engineer, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, ID

5. Adalsteinsson, Solny. 2016. (co-advised with W. G. Shriver). The effect of forest fragment dynamics on human disease risk: developing a holistic approach to prevent tick-borne diseases in urban landscapes. Ph.D. Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. 2016 UD CANR William J. Benton Graduate Student Award. Current position: Staff Scientist, Tyson Research Center, MO.

4. Horton, Kyle. 2013. Examining songbird migration along the Delaware Bay: A comprehensive approach. M.S. in Wildlife Ecology. Current position: Assistant Professor, Colorado State University, CO.

3. Sieges, Mason. 2013. If You Flood It, They Will Come: Quantifying Waterbird Response to the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. Current position: Wildlife Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service, CA.

2. La Puma, David. 2013. Radar analysis of bird migration stopover sites in the southeastern U.S. Post-docoral Researcher. Current position: Director of Global Marketing Development, Cellular Tracking Technologies, NJ.

1. Duren, Ken. 2010. A predictive habitat model for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in Delaware. M.S. Wildlife Ecology. Current position: Biometrician, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA.

Generally, JJB  will appear as second or last author if publication is a mentored student project. Google Scholar reported citations: (Citations = 1,647, h-index = 21, i10-index = 31). Google Scholars Report Page

2022

41. Rogers, R., J. J. Buler, T. Clancy, H. Campbell. 2022. Repurposing open-source data from weather radars to reduce the costs of aerial waterbird surveys. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3, e12148. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12148 

40. Cohen, E. B., J. J. Buler (co-first author), K. G. Horton, S. R. Loss, S. Cabrera-Cruz, J. Smolinsky, P. P. Marra. 2022. Using weather radar to help minimize wind energy impacts on nocturnally migrating birds. Conservation Letters. 00e12887. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12887

40. Schekler, I., J. A. Smolinsky, D. Troupin, J. J. Buler, N. Sapir. 2022. Bird migration at the edge – geographic and anthropogenic factors but not habitat properties drive season-specific spatial stopover distributions near wide ecological barriers. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.822220 

2021

39. Clipp, H. L., J. J. Buler, J. A. Smolinsky, K. G. Horton, A. Farnsworth, E. B. Cohen. 2021. Winds aloft over three water bodies influence spring stopover distributions of migrating birds along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Ornithology. ukab051, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab051 

38. Acosta, A., T. Kelman, E. Matchett, S. Feirer, J. Smolinksky, M. Pitesky, J. Buler. 2021. Using the California Waterfowl Tracker to Assess Proximity of Waterfowl to Commercial Poultry in the Central Valley of California. Avian Diseases 65:483-492. https://doi.org/10.1637/aviandiseases-D-20-00137

37. Cabrera-Cruz, S., R. Larkin, M. Gimpel, J. Gruber, T. Zenzal, J. Buler. 2021. Potential effect of low-rise, downcast artificial lights on nocturnally migrating land birds. Integrative and Comparative Biology. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab154

36. Zenzal, T. J., M. P. Ward, R. H. Diehl, J. J. Buler, J. Smolinsky, J. Deppe, R. Bolus, A. Celis-Murillo, F. R. Moore. 2021. Retreat, detour, or advance? Understanding the movements of birds confronting the Gulf of Mexico. Oikos 130:739-752. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.07834 

37. McCuen, M. M., M. E. Pitesky, J. J. Buler, S. Acosta, A. Wilcox, R. Bond, S. Diaz-Muñoz. 2021. A comparison of amplification methods to detect Avian Influenza viruses in California wetlands targeted via remote sensing of waterfowl. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases 68: 98-109. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13612

36. Cohen, E. B., K. G. Horton, P. P. Marra, H. L. Clipp, A. Farnsworth, J. A. Smolinsky, D. Sheldon, J. J. Buler. 2021. A place to land: spatiotemporal drivers of habitat use by birds through a prominent migration corridor. Ecology Letters 24: 38-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13618 

35. Shriver, W.G., Z.S. Ladin, J.J. Buler, V. D’Amico. 2021. Non-native shrubs and calcium availability are important for birds breeding in urban forests. Urban Ecosystems 24:429-440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-020-01049-4

2020

34. Clipp, H., E. Cohen, J. Smolinsky, K. Horton, A. Farnsworth, J. J. Buler. 2020. Broad-scale synoptic weather patterns influence stopover densities and distributions of migrating landbirds. Remote Sensing 12(3):565. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030565 

33. Cabrera-Cruz, S.A., E. B. Cohen, J. A. Smolinsky, J. J. Buler. 2020. Artificial light at night is related to broad-scale stopover distributions of nocturnally migrating landbirds along the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Remote Sensing 12(3):395. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030395

32. Rogers, R. M., J. J. Buler, C. E. Wainwright, and H. A. Campbell. 2020. Opportunities and challenges in using weather radar for detecting and monitoring flying animals in the Southern Hemisphere. Austral Ecology 45(1): 127-136. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.12823

2019

31. Cabrera-Cruz, S., J. Smolinsky, K. McCarthy, J. Buler. 2019. Urban areas affect flight altitudes of nocturnally migrating birds. Journal of Animal Ecology 88: 1873– 1887. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13075 

30. Becciu P., D. Reynolds, M. Ciach, A. Aurbach, L. B. Pettersson, G. M. Arroyo, M. Menz, S. A. Cabrera-Cruz, J. Buler, S. Bauer, I. Maggini, M. Scacco, C. Wainwright, N. Sapir. 2019. Environmental effects on flying migrants revealed by radar. Ecography 42(5): 942-955. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03995 

29. Horton, K. G., B. Van Doren, F. La Sorte, E. Cohen,, H. Clipp, J. Buler, J. Kelly, A. Farnsworth. 2019. Holding steady: little change in intensity or timing of bird migration over the Gulf of Mexico. Global Change Biology. 25:1106-1118. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14540 

2018

28. Ladin, Z. S., S. Van Nieuland, S. A. Adalsteinsson, V. D’Amico, J. L. Bowman, J. J. Buler, J. M. Baetens, B. De Baets, W. G. Shriver. 2018. Differential post-fledging habitat use of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory birds within an urbanized landscape. Movement Ecology 6:17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-018-0132-6

27. Adalsteinsson, S. A., J. J. Buler, J. L. Bowman, V. D’Amico, Z. Ladin, W. G. Shriver. 2018. Post‐independence mortality of juveniles is driven by anthropogenic hazards for two passerines in an urban landscape. Journal of Avian Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.01555

26. Cabrera-Cruz, S. A., J. A. Smolinsky, J. J. Buler. 2018. Light pollution is brightest during the migratory phase of the annual cycle for nocturnally migrating birds around the world. Scientific Reports 8:3261https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21577-6

25. Adalsteinsson, S. A., W. G. Shriver, A. Hojgaard, J. L. Bowman, D. Brisson, and J. J. Buler. 2018. Multiflora rose invasion amplifies prevalence of Lyme disease pathogen, but not necessarily Lyme disease risk. Parasites & Vectors 11:54https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-2623-0

24. McLaren, J. D., J. J. Buler (co-first author), T. Schreckengost, J. A. Smolinsky, M. Boone, E. E. van Loon, D. K. Dawson, E. L. Walters. 2018. Artificial light confounds broad-scale habitat use by migrating birds. Ecology Letters 21:356-364. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.12902/full.

23. Zenzal, T. J., Smith, R. J., D. N. Ewert, R. H. Diehl, and J. J. Buler. 2018. Fine-scale heterogeneity drives forest use by spring migrant landbirds across a broad, contiguous forest matrix. The Condor: Ornithological Applications 120:166-184. https://doi.org/10.1650/CONDOR-17-33.1

2017

22. Buler, J. J., W. Barrow Jr., M. Boone, D. K. Dawson, R. H. Diehl, F. Moore, J. Smolinksky, T. Schreckengost. 2017. Linking Animals Aloft with the Terrestrial Landscape. pp 347-378 in: Chilson P., Frick W., Kelly J., Liechti F. (eds) Aeroecology. Springer, Cham.

21. Buler J. J., R. J. Lyon*, J. A. Smolinsky, T. J. Zenzal, and F.R. Moore. 2017. Body mass and wing shape explain variability in broad-scale bird species distributions along an ecological barrier during migratory stopover. Oecologia 185:205-212https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3936-y.

20. La Sorte, F., D. Fink, J. J. Buler, A. Farnsworth, and S. Cabrera-Cruz. 2017. Seasonal associations with urban light pollution for nocturnally migrating bird populations. Global Change Biology. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.13792/full.

19. Cohen, E. B., W. C. Barrow, Jr., J. J. Buler, J. L. Deppe, A. Farnsworth, P. P. Marra, S. R. McWilliams, D. W. Mehlman, R. R. Wilson, M. S. Woodrey, and F. R. Moore. 2017. Understanding how en route events around the Gulf of Mexico impact intercontinental migratory landbird populations. The Condor: Ornithological Applications 119(2):327-343. http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1650/CONDOR-17-20.1

18. Archibald, K. M., J. J. Buler, J. A. Smolinsky, and R. J. Smith. 2017. Migrating birds reorient toward land at dawn over the Great Lakes, USA. The Auk 134:193201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/AUK-16-123.1

2016

17. Adalsteinsson, S. A, V. D’Amico, W. G. Shriver, D. Brisson, and J. J. Buler. 2016. Scale-dependent effects of nonnative plant invasion on host-seeking tick abundance. Ecosphere 7. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.1317/full

16. Lafleur, J. M., and J. J. Buler (co-first author), and F. R. Moore. 2016. Geographic position and landscape composition explain regional patterns of migrating landbird distributions during spring stopover along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Landscape Ecology 31:1697–1709. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-016-0354-1

15. Horton, K. G., W. G. Shriver, and J. J. Buler. 2016. An assessment of spatio-temporal relationships between nocturnal bird migration traffic rates and diurnal bird stopover density. Movement Ecology 4:1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40462-015-0066-1

2015

14. Horton, K. G., W. G. Shriver, and J. Buler. 2015. A Comparison of traffic estimates of nocturnal flying animals using radar, thermal imaging, and acoustic recording.  Ecological Applications 25:390-401.

2014

13. Buler, J. J., and D. K. Dawson. 2014.  Radar analysis of fall bird migration stopover sites in the northeastern US. The Condor 116:357–370.

12. Sieges, M. L., J. J. Buler, J. A. Smolinsky, W. Barrow Jr., M. Baldwin, and L. Randall. 2014. Assessment of bird response to Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative managed wetlands using weather surveillance radar. Southeastern Naturalist 13: G36–G65.

2013

11. Irvin, E., K. Duren, J. Buler. W. Jones, A, Gonzon, and C. K. Williams. 2013. A multi-scale occupancy model for the grasshopper sparrow in the Mid-Atlantic. Journal of Wildlife Management.

2012

10. Buler, J.J., L.A. Randall, J.P. Fleskes, W.C. Barrow, T. Bogart, and D. Kluver. 2012. Mapping wintering waterfowl distributions using weather surveillance radar. PLoS ONE 7:e41571

9. Duren, K. R., J. J. Buler, W. Jones, and C. K. Williams. 2012. Effects of broadcasting calls during surveys to estimate density and occupancy of northern bobwhite. Wildlife Society Bulletin 36:16-20.

2011

8. Duren, K., J. J. Buler, W. Jones, and C. K. Williams. 2011. An improved multi-scale approach to modeling habitat occupancy of northern bobwhite. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:1700–1709.

7. Buler, J. J., and F. R. Moore. 2011. Migrant – habitat relations during stopover along an ecological barrier: Extrinsic constraints and conservation implications. Journal of Ornithology 152(S1):101–112.

2009

6. Buler, J. J. and R. H. Diehl. 2009. Quantifying bird density during migratory stopover using weather surveillance radar. IEEE Transcations on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 47:2741–2751.

2008

5. Ruth, J. M., J. J. Buler, R. H. Diehl, and R. S. Sojda, R.S. 2008. Management and research applications of long-range surveillance radar data for birds, bats, and flying insects. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008-3095, 4p.

2007

4. Barrow, W., J. J. Buler, B. Couvillion, R. Diehl, S. Faulkner, F. Moore, L. Randall. 2007. Broad scale response of landbird migration to the immediate effects of hurricane Katrina. Science and the storms – the USGS response to the hurricanes of 2005. (G.S. Farris, G. J. Smith, M. P Crane, C. R. Demas, L. L. Robbins, D. L. Lavoire, eds.). U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1306. pp. 131-136.

3. Buler, J. J., F. R. Moore, and S. Woltmann. 2007. A multi-scale examination of stopover habitat use by birds. Ecology 88:1789–1802.

2005

2. Moore, F. R., M. S. Woodrey, J. J. Buler, S. Woltmann, and T. R. Simons. 2005. Understanding the stopover of migratory birds: A scale dependent approach. Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference 2002 March 20-24; Asilomar, California, Vol 2. (C.J. Ralph and T.D. Rich, eds.). Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S.D.A., Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-191, Albany, CA pp. 684–689.

2000

1. Buler, J. J., and R. B. Hamilton. 2000. Predation of natural and artificial nests in a southern pine forest. The Auk 117:739–747.