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"The study of nature is a limitless field, the most fascinating adventure in the world."
~ Margaret Morse Nice
"The study of nature is a limitless field, the most fascinating adventure in the world."
~ Margaret Morse Nice
Education
Education
PhD, Environmental and Life Sciences (2025)
Dissertation: "Behavioural responses of nocturnally stranded seabirds toward artificial light, and implications for rescue programs"
*Nominated for the Gold Governor General's Academic Medal
Trent University, Peterborough, ON
Advisor: Gary Burness
MSc, Biology (2019)
Thesis: "Investigating indirect anthropogenic effects on spatial variation in nest predation risk and shorebird nest success in Churchill, Manitoba"
York University, Toronto, ON
Advisor: Laura McKinnon
BSc, Biology (2016)
Thesis: "Fall migration decisions of Northern Saw-whet Owls at an ecological barrier"
Acadia University, Wolfville, NS
Advisors: Phil Taylor, Dave Shutler
Taylor and her two labmates from York University during their Master's fieldwork in Churchill, Manitoba.
Experience
Experience
2024 - : Wildlife Biologist, LGL Limited
St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
Field lead responsible for conducting targeted bird surveys including those for waterfowl, shorebirds, landbirds, and raptors (locations: throughout Newfoundland; western Labrador)
Deploy, check, retrieve, and process acoustic data from Autonomous Recording Units in remote locations; detect bird species vocalizations using SongScope and BirdNet; manually verify identifications using acoustic bird identification skills
Organize and safely conduct fieldwork in remote wilderness areas by helicopter, vehicle, and on foot in all weather conditions
Write and revise environmental impact assessment reports for clients in a timely yet detail-oriented manner; compose project proposals
2019 - 2024: Teaching Assistant, Trent University
Peterborough, ON, Canada
Lab instructor for BIOL4140: Ornithology, BIOL3360: Behavioural Ecology, BIOL3340: Herpetology, and BIOL1030: Foundations of Cellular & Molecular Biology
Familiarized oneself with lab demonstration topics and any associated experiments / tasks prior to demonstration; organized each lab demonstration's materials and instructed students on methods for completing each task; answered questions and assisted students with tasks throughout labs; cleaned up and put materials away after labs
2017 - 2019: Teaching Assistant, York University
Toronto, ON, Canada
Lab instructor for Natural Sciences 1610: The Living Body; BIOL1000: Cells, Molecular Biology and Genetics; BIOL2325: Zoology; BIOL3170: Population and Community Ecology; and BIOL4245: Conservation Biology
Lab Coordinator and Grader for Natural Sciences 1660: The Biology of Sex
2017: Aerial Insectivore Field Technician, Birds Canada
Port Rowan, ON, Canada
Mist-netted, extracted, and banded hundreds of Bank and Barn swallows as part of annual monitoring program
Conducted lakeshore Bank Swallow population surveys by boat
Worked alongside team of 3-4 and with landowners to monitor Barn Swallow nesting structures
Maintained and checked Motus Wildlife Tracking System equipment
Check out a news article about our work at this link
2016 - 2017: Bird Control Officer and Educational Assistant, Pacific Northwest Raptors
Duncan, BC, Canada
Educated the public about conservation and life histories of raptors
Implemented measures of gull control at local landfills with trained raptors
Cared for raptors and ensured well-being through proper diet, housing, exercise and enrichment
2016: Avian Field Technician, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
Amherst, MA, U.S.A.
Banded, colour-banded, monitored nests, and took morphological measurements and feather samples of nine focal bird species
Engaged citizen scientists in learning about birds and ecological research
Compiled bird banding and resighting data into multi-year database
Led day camps for children ages 4 and up focused on birding, bird-banding, and avian ecology
2013 - 2016: Research and Field Assistant, Acadia University
Wolfville, NS, Canada
Mist-netted, banded, retrieved geolocators from and conducted censuses of colour-banded Blackpoll Warblers on islands in Nova Scotia (DeLuca et al. 2015: “Transoceanic migration by a 12 g songbird”, Biology Letters)
Transported, assembled, repaired, and downloaded data from Motus Wildlife Tracking System towers
Mist-netted, extracted, and banded numerous species of migrating eastern North American birds
Monitored Tree swallow nests including ageing nestlings, and trapping and banding adults
Taxonomically identified, sorted, and catalogued a collection of tabanid flies for a biodiversity study
Taylor (far left, if not obvious) with some enthusiastic young naturalists during a Neighbourhood Nestwatch house visit in Massachusetts. During the visit, I set up mist nets and colour-banded birds as part of a multi-year monitoring study.
Peer-reviewed Publications
Peer-reviewed Publications
6. Wijekulathilake C, T Brown, S Munro, A Demko, and A Lang (2026). High-elevation coniferous scrub use by breeding Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) in western Newfoundland. Canadian Field-Naturalist 139(1):xxx-xxx. https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v139i1.3513
5. Brown TM, K Baker, SI Wilhelm, and G Burness (2025). Under cover of darkness: refuge from artificial light at night may mitigate risks to stranded seabirds. Ornithological Applications 127(3): duaf018, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf018
4. Brown TM, SI Wilhelm, AD Slepkov, K Baker, GF Mastromonaco, and G Burness (2024). Navigating the Night: Effects of artificial light on the behaviour of Atlantic Puffin fledglings. Animal Behaviour 218:135-148. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.24.590944
3. Craik SR, A Doucet, M Manuel, C Roy, TM Brown, EJ Knighton, D Shutler, RF Lauff, D Ethier, A-L Kouwenberg, PD Taylor (2023). Irruptive fall migrations are linked to elevated breeding abundance but are not associated with body condition or stopover duration in Northern Saw-whet Owls. Ornithology https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukad057
2. Brown TM, S Wilhelm, G Burness, and G Mastromonaco (2023). A path forward in the investigation of seabird strandings attributed to light attraction. Conservation Science and Practice https://http://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12852
1. Brown TM, V Olek, JD Roth, and L McKinnon (2022). Spatial variation in predator communities, predation risk, and shorebird daily nest survival near a sub-Arctic human settlement. Polar Biology https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03061-0
Gray Literature
Gray Literature
Craik S, R Lauff, P Taylor, D Shutler, T Brown, C Roy. 2016. Migration and Habitat Use by Northern Saw-whet Owls in the Maritimes. Final Report prepared for the Nova Scotia Habitat Conservation Fund.
Media Coverage
Media Coverage
9. December 2025. "Saving the petrel: Volunteers keep moving with patrol to save stranded sea birds." CBC News - Article by Madison Taylor. Read here!
8. October 2025. "More than 200 young storm-petrels get a second chance at life after being rescued." CBC Radio - The Broadcast interview. Listen here!
7. January 2025. "Atlantic puffins are perilously attracted to artificial light, new study shows." Article by Spoorthy Raman on Mongabay.com. Read here!
6. April 2024. "Fellowship of the Research" podcast interview about my research. Listen here!
5. October 2022. Radio-Canada article about Atlantic Puffin strandings in Newfoundland, featuring me and my collaborators, Sabina Wilhelm and Suzanne Dooley. Read here!
4. August 2022. Interview with CBC Radio-Canada journalist Patrick Butler about Atlantic Puffin strandings in Newfoundland (skip to 10:10 in the recording). Listen here!
3. September 2022. Trent University Research & Innovation's promotional video about my research on X (formerly Twitter).
2. October 2021. Restoration Planet mini-documentary: Watch the full video for the whole story on Leach's Storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) strandings in Newfoundland, or skip to 6:07 to learn about the research I was doing on that phenomenon.
1. July 2017. Global News. "Inside Ontario’s fight to save declining barn swallows, one bird house at a time." Liam Casey, The Canadian Press. Read here!
Conference & Webinar Presentations
Conference & Webinar Presentations
Atlantic Puffin and Leach's Storm-petrel behavioural responses to ALAN.
Brown TM (2025).
Seabirds and Artificial Light at Night: Sharing science and conservation from Atlantic Canada webinar, Birds Canada, online.
Is light attraction the cause of otherwise unexplained seabird strandings?
Brown TM, K Baker, S Wilhelm, G Mastromonaco, G Burness (2022).
Environmental and Life Sciences Seminar Series, Trent University, Peterborough, ON.
Seabird strandings due to light attraction: testing phototactic and exploratory behaviour in Atlantic Puffin fledglings.
Brown TM, K Baker, S Wilhelm, G Mastromonaco, G Burness (2022).
International Ornithological Congress 2022, online.
Is light attraction the cause of otherwise unexplained seabird strandings?
Brown TM, SI Wilhelm, G Mastromonaco, and G Burness (2022).
Canadian Society of Zoologists Annual Meeting, online.
Investigating Indirect Anthropogenic Effects on Spatial Variation in Nest Predation Risk and Shorebird Nest Success in Churchill, Manitoba
Brown TM and L McKinnon (2019).
Society of Canadian Ornithologists annual meeting, Québec City, QC.
Risky Business: Effects of human settlement on predation risk and nest survival of sub-arctic nesting shorebirds
Brown TM and L McKinnon (2018).
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, Ottawa, ON.
Fall migratory decisions of Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) at an ecological barrier
*Third Place, Science Atlantic Undergraduate Research Award*
Brown TM, PD Taylor, and D Shutler (2016).
Science Atlantic, Joint Biology and Aquaculture & Fisheries, Halifax, NS.
Public Lectures & Invited Talks
Public Lectures & Invited Talks
Exploring Avian Sensory and Behavioural Ecology. Brown TM (2025). Invited guest lecture for BIO328H5Y, "Lectures in Animal Behaviour" at University of Toronto, Mississauga (virtual; professor Dr. Tharusha Wijewardena).
Do seabird fledglings become stranded due to light attraction?
Brown TM, K Baker, S Wilhelm, G Mastromonaco, and G Burness (2023).
Nature Guelph Bird Wing monthly meeting & speaker series (virtual).
A Girl's Journey in Studying Birds
Brown TM (2021).
Terranaut Club guest speaker series (virtual).
Risky Business: Effects of human settlement on predation risk and nest survival of sub-arctic nesting shorebirds
Brown TM, and L McKinnon (2019).
Toronto Ornithological Club monthly meeting, Toronto, ON.
Oden the Red-tailed Hawk squawks his disapproval of being kept inside the work vehicle during some pretty chilly weather on the job! He wants to be out scaring gulls away from the landfill instead.
Awards and Honours
Awards and Honours
Student Publication Award. 2025. Animal Behavior Society and Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Dean's PhD Scholarship. 2019 - 2023. Trent University.
York Graduate Scholarship. 2017 - 2018. York University.
University Scholar. 2016. Acadia University.
Dr. Francis M. Archibald Scholarship. 2015 - 2016. Acadia University.
Acadia Excellence Scholarship. 2012 - 2016. Acadia University.
Fred C. Manning Scholarship. 2012 - 2016. Acadia University.
Dean's List. 2013. Acadia University.
Governor General's Academic Medal (Secondary School Level). 2012. Government of Canada.
Research Funding
Research Funding
CAD $2,000. 2023. Taverner Award. Society of Canadian Ornithologists.
CAD $15,000. 2022 - 2023. Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Province of Ontario.
CAD $63,000. 2019 - 2022. ReNewZoo Graduate Training Program. Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC).
CAD $3,852. 2018. Northern Scientific Training Program. Polar Knowledge Canada.
CAD $2,500. 2018. Research / Fieldwork Costs Fund. York University.
CAD $810. 2018. Northern Research Fund. Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
CAD $6,000. 2015. Undergraduate Student Research Award. Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC).
Service
Service
2023 - current. Manuscript reviewer. Ornithological Applications (n = 1), Conservation Science and Practice (n = 3), PLOS One (n = 2), and Bulgarian Journal of Veterinary Medicine (n = 1).
2019 - current. Birder. Christmas Bird Counts [various], Birds Canada.
2023 - 2024. Social Media Manager. Northumberland Land Trust.
2021 - 2024. Volunteer Atlasser. Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas.
2023. Birding Walk Leader. Ontario Field Ornithologists 2023 Convention. Peterborough, Ontario
2022 - 2023. Birder. Northumberland Land Trust 2022 Birding Marathon (fundraiser).
2018 - 2023. Social Media Manager. Society of Canadian Ornithologists / Société des Ornithologistes du Canada.
2021. Guest Scientist. Skype a Scientist.
2020. Social Media Manager. North American Ornithological Conference. (On behalf of Society of Canadian Ornithologists / Société des Ornithologistes du Canada).
2018. Bird Bander. Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station (TTPBRS), Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
2018. Student Mentor. Prime Mentors of Canada.
2014 - 2016. Founder and President. Acadia Outdoors Club, Acadia University.
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