Dr. Scott A. Flemming

Image Scott Flemming
Shorebird and Waterbird Biologist

I work on the conservation and management of shorebird and waterbird populations in the Pacific Flyway. My particular focus is on birds using rocky intertidal and nearshore coastal habitats during the non-breeding season. 

Environment and Climate Change Canada
5421 Robertson Road, Delta, British Columbia, V4K 3Y3

Research and/or project statements

  • Monitoring populations of migratory shorebirds and waterbirds
  • Exploring innovative tracking technologies to improve conservation and management of migratory birds
  • Fostering international collaborations to understand flyway-scale threats and connectivity of migratory birds
  • Improving marine emergency preparedness by generating information on abundance, distribution, and movement of non-breeding birds using rocky intertidal and nearshore coastal habitats 

Education and awards

Ph.D., Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, 2019.

M.Sc., Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, 2012.

B.Sc., Animal Biology, University of Alberta, 2008.

International experience and/or work

Chair, Pacific Shorebird Conservation Initiative

Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative Fellow, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna - International Arctic Science Committee

Additional links

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Scott-Flemming

Key publications

  • Darvill, R, Westphal, A. M., Flemming, S. A., Drever, M. C. (2023) Abundance Estimates for Marsh Bird Species in the Columbia Wetlands, British Columbia, Canada. Waterbirds, 45: 266-276.
  • Flemming, S. A., Lanctot, R. B., Price, C., Mallory, M. L., Kühn, S., Drever, M. C., Barry, T., & Provencher, J. F. (2022) Shorebirds ingest plastics too: What we know, what we do not know, and what we should do next. Environmental Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2022-0008
  • Flemming, S. A., Smith, P. A., Kennedy, L. V., Anderson, A. M., & Nol, E. (2022) Habitat alteration and fecal deposition by geese alter tundra invertebrate communities: Implications for diets of sympatric birds. PLOS ONE, 17(7), e0269938. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269938
  • Lamarre, J.-F., Gauthier, G., Lanctot, R. B., Saalfeld, S. T., Love, O. P., Reed, E., Johnson, O. W., Liebezeit, J., McGuire, R., Russell, M., Nol, E., Koloski, L., Sanders, F., McKinnon, L., Smith, P. A., Flemming, S. A., Lecomte, N., Giroux, M.-A., Bauer, S., Bêty, J. (2021) Timing of Breeding Site Availability Across the North-American Arctic Partly Determines Spring Migration Schedule in a Long-Distance Neotropical Migrant. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 707. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.710007
  • Alava, J. J., Kazmiruk, T. N., Douglas, T., Schuerholz, G., Heath, B., Flemming, S. A., Bendell, L., & Drever, M. C. (2021) Occurrence and size distribution of microplastics in mudflat sediments of the Cowichan-Koksilah Estuary, Canada: A baseline for plastic particles contamination in an anthropogenic-influenced estuary. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 173, 113033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113033
  • Canham, R., Flemming, S. A., Hope, D. D., Drever, M. C. (2021) Sandpiper go with the flow: correlations between estuarine conditions and shorebird abundance at an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7240
  • Korne, N., Flemming, S. A., Smith, P. A., Nol, E. (2020) Applying structure-from-motion habitat reconstruction and GIS terrain analysis to test hypotheses about nest-site selection by shorebirds. Journal of Field Ornithology. 91: 421–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12351
  • Weiser, E. L., Lanctot, R. B., Brown, S. C., Gates, H. R., Bêty, J., Boldenow, M. L., Brook, R. W., Brown, G. S., English, W. B., Flemming, S. A., Franks, S. E., Gilchrist, H. G., Giroux, M.-A., Johnson, A., Kendall, S., Kennedy, L. V., Koloski, L., Kwon, E., Lamarre, J.-F., et al. Sandercock, B. K. (2020) Annual adult survival drives trends in Arctic-breeding shorebirds but knowledge gaps in other vital rates remain. The Condor, duaa026. https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/duaa026
  • Flemming, S. A., Nol, E., Kennedy, L. V., Bedard, A., Giroux, M.-A., Smith, P. A. (2019) Spatio-temporal responses of predators to hyperabundant geese affect risk of predation for sympatric-nesting species. PlosOne. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221727
  • Flemming, S. A., Smith, P. A., Rausch, J., Nol, E. (2019) Broad-scale effects of hyperabundant geese on tundra bird communities. Ecosphere 10: e02785. 10.1002/ecs2.2785
  • Duijns, S., Anderson, A. M., Aubry, Y., Dey, A., Flemming, S. A., Francis, C. M., Friis, C., Gratto-Trevor, C., Hamilton, D., Holberton, R., Koch, S., McKellar, A. E., Mizrahi, D., Morrissey, C. A., Neima, S., Newstead, D., Niles, L., Nol E., Paquet, J., Rausch, J., Tudor, L., Turcotte, Y., Smith, P. A. (2019) Long-distance migratory shorebirds travel faster in spring, but fly faster in autumn. Scientific Reports 9: 9420. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45862-0
  • Flemming, S. A., Nol, E., Kennedy, L. V., Smith, P. A. (2019) Hyperabundant herbivores limit habitat availability and influence nest site selection of Arctic‐breeding birds. Journal of Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13336.
  • Weiser, E. L., Brown, S. C., Lanctot, R. B., Gates, H. R., Abraham, K., Bentzen, R. L., Bêty, J., Boldenow, M. L., Brook, R., Donnelly, T. F., English, W. B., Flemming, S. A., Franks, S. E, Gilchrist, H. G., Giroux, M-A., Johnson, A., Kennedy, L. V., Koloski, L., Kwon, E., Lamarre, J-F, Lank, D. B., Lecomte, N., Liebezeit, J. R., McKinnon, L., Nol, E., Perz, J., Rausch, J., Robards, M., Saalfeld, S. T., Senner, N. R, Smith, P. A., Soloviev, M., Solovyeva, D., Ward, D. H, Woodard, P. F., Sandercock, B. K. (2018) Effects of environmental conditions on reproductive effort and nest success of Arctic-breeding shorebirds. Ibis 160, 608–623. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12571.
  • Weiser, E. L., Brown, S. C., Lanctot, R. B., Gates, H. R., Abraham, K., Bentzen, R. L., Bêty, J., Boldenow, M. L., Brook, R., Donnelly, T. F., English, W. B., Flemming, S. A., Franks, S. E, Gilchrist, H. G., Giroux, M-A., Johnson, A., Kennedy, L. V., Koloski, L., Kwon, E., Lamarre, J-F, Lank, D. B., Lecomte, N., Liebezeit, J. R., McKinnon, L., Nol, E., Perz, J., Rausch, J., Robards, M., Saalfeld, S. T., Senner, N. R, Smith, P. A., Soloviev, M., Solovyeva, D., Ward, D. H, Woodard, P. F., Sandercock, B. K. (2018) Life-history tradeoffs revealed by seasonal declines in reproductive traits of Arctic-breeding shorebirds. Journal of Avian Biology 49, jav-01531. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.01531.
  • Lank, D. B., Xu, C., Harrington, B., Morrison, R. I. G., Gratto-Trevor, C. L., Hicklin, P. W., Sandercock, B. K., Smith, P. A., Kwon, E., Rausch, J., Pirie Dominix, L. D., Hamilton, D. J., Paquet, J., Bliss, S. E., Neima, S., Flemming, S. A., Anderson, A. M., Ydenberg, R. C. (2017) Long-term continental changes in wing length, but not bill length, of a long-distance migratory shorebird. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2898.
  • Flemming, S. A., Calvert, A., Nol, E., Smith, P. A. (2016) Do hyperabundant Arctic-nesting geese pose a problem for sympatric species? Environmental Reviews 24: 393–402.

Contact

Research facility

Pacific Wildlife Research Centre
5421 Robertson Road
Delta, BC V4K 3Y3
Canada

Expertise

Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Ecosystems & Habitats›Coastal habitats
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Ecosystems & Habitats›Fraser River-Georgia Basin
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Wildlife Populations›Birds
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Wildlife Populations›Migration
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Wildlife Populations›Population monitoring techniques
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Wildlife Populations›Population tracking and analysis
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Wildlife Populations›Satellite telemetry
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Wildlife Populations›Shorebirds
Environment›Nature & Wildlife›Wildlife Populations›Waterbirds

Affiliations

Adjunct Professor, Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University

Co-supervisor, Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University

 

Language

English