Research
Research in the Nocera lab generally focuses on the management and population ecology of wildlife, and we have studied a broad range of topics within that field, using whatever methods or data are best suited to addressing the questions of importance. In addition to work in forested systems, where we have studied Red-headed Woodpeckers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, American Redstarts, and neotropical forest birds, we have studied and published on a wide array of species in a diversity of habitats. Our ornithological work has ranged from seabirds / waterbirds (terns, loons, pelicans), to grassland birds, to birds of urban ecosystems (swifts). Our attention has also often extended to mammals, such as American badgers and Eastern moles (in agro-ecosystems) and, most recently, the movement ecology of moose (in the Acadian forest). This broad repertoire allows us to maintain flexibility in the lab and our research so as to accommodate funding priorities, faculty directives, and student interests.
At UNB, Dr. Nocera's focus has largely been on modelling (1) the large scale drivers of avian population dynamics, (2) the causative factors underlying habitat selection, (3) and the demographic and spatial patterns of habitat selection in relation to forest management. Prior to arriving at UNB, he was a Research Scientist in Species-at-Risk for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.