Photo: Bryan Stokes
Meet the Team
Our team is comprised of a small group of core members who share a common interest in Conservation Biology, plus a number of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds.
Deirdre Robinson - Co-Director
Deirdre is a Master Bird Bander, having a Federal Bird Banding Permit from the USGS. While an Assistant Professor in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of RI, Deirdre earned a Master's Degree in Biological Sciences, specializing in Avian Ecology. She began banding birds and monitoring Saltmarsh Sparrow nests in Galilee, RI in 1990. To update banding skills, she recently completed the Powdermill Avian Research Program's course on Molt Identification and the Institute for Bird Populations Advanced Banding course. She is interested in studying the behavioral ecology of saltmarsh birds and their vulnerability to climate change. Deirdre is also the steward of Jacob's Point Saltmarsh, which is owned and managed by the Warren Land Conservation Trust.
Steven Reinert - Co-Director
Steven Reinert has studied birds in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for over 40 years, and has authored several scientific papers, monographs, and book-chapters on the region’s avifauna. His areas of specialty include coastal- and estuarine-bird ecology, and land-bird migration. He received his bachelor of science degree in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island in 1975, and his Master’s in Wildlife Biology from URI in 1978. He has worked as an ornithologist for the University of Rhode Island and the Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies in South Dartmouth, MA; has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency on studies of salt-marsh sparrow ecology; and has served on the boards of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. He is a master-bander (since 1983), and has served as the volunteer data manager for the Block Island Banding Station since 1996. Since 2008 he has been presenting educational bird-banding programs for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and he serves, since 2016, as co-director of the Saltmarsh Sparrow Research Initiative (SALSri).
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Jim O'Neill - Co-Director
Since his retirement and move to Bristol, RI in 2015, Jim has become an avid amateur birder and photographer. Jim worked in website support and administration at Boston College. He is webmaster for salsri.org and helps the project with field work and mapping. In addition to the SALSri project, Jim is a nest monitor for the Rhode Island Audubon Osprey Monitoring Project. You can find him on Cornell University’s eBird as jazzjmon and see his photos in the Macaulay Library.
Joel Eckerson
Joel is a 19 year old birder who grew up spending every free hour outdoors. But it wasn't until he was 7 years old that his brothers and he decided to go out and see how many species of birds they could count in their backyard. This ultimately sparked them to be hooked on birding and seek out a total of 214 species in their yard alone. Joel enjoys keeping a nature journal, wildlife photography, recording birds, Krav Maga, hiking, looking for rare birds and pretty much every sport. He is currently running a bird club in his town and frequently leads bird walks to teach his community about birds. He feels very excited to be working with the Saltmarsh Sparrow Research Initiative (SALSri) for his third summer.You can find him on eBird at: https://ebird.org/profile/NTMyNDYx/US
Cooper White
Cooper is a Wildlife and Conservation Biology major at the University of New Hampshire, Class of 2026, with three years of field experience in saltmarsh ecology, documenting the breeding status of Saltmarsh Sparrows (Ammospiza cautacuta). After two years of constructing bridges over runnels, mist-netting birds, and locating cryptic nests, he was promoted to Research Assistant in 2025. He currently locates and monitors nests, provides vegetation and GPS data and installs floating "arks" to nests that are at high risk for flooding. He also manages the nest check database and shares spreadsheet information with the team. His interests include behavioral ecology and photography which mesh well in studying this vulnerable species.