Guy Bradley was an Audubon Warden in the Everglades who was murdered by wading bird poachers in 1905. His death galvanized the conservation movement eventually resulting in the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Each year, Audubon Florida recognizes an individual for their contributions to bird conservation with an award in Guy Bradley’s honor.

Audubon selected Reed Bowman to receive the Guy Bradley Award for his life’s work growing our understanding of some of Florida’s most imperiled bird species, guiding their conservation, and training the next generation of researchers.

Bowman’s career at Archbold Biological station has generated the strong science needed to understand and protect Florida’s only endemic bird species, the Florida Scrub-Jay, with ground-breaking studies on fire, cooperative breeding behavior, interactions between jay groups, dominance hierarchies, prey base, and so much more. He has been instrumental in the captive breeding and reintroduction of critically endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrows, and has mentored countless graduate students who now are advancing conservation science across the country.

Biography

Dr. Reed Bowman is the John W. Fitzpatrick Director of the Avian Ecology Program at Archbold Biological Station in south-central Florida, one of the oldest and most celebrated not-for-profit biological research stations in the US. He holds graduate degrees in wildlife and biology from McGill University and the University of South Florida. Over the last 40 years he has studied the ecology, demography, and conservation of several threatened and endangered birds, including the American Kestrel, Common Raven, White-crowned Pigeon, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, and the Florida Scrub-Jay.

His primary research focuses on the comparative demography, ecology, and evolution of Florida Scrub-Jays in a variety of different landscapes using long-term data on marked populations. The study of scrub-jays at Archbold, overseen by Dr. Bowman, is the longest-running study of marked birds in North America, now entering its 52nd continuous year. 

In addition to his work in avian ecology, another of Dr. Bowman’s interests: the many effects, both locally and worldwide, of urbanization on birds. He is anauthor on more than 100 scientific papers and book chapters, the editor of two books, including the acclaimed “Avian Ecology and Conservation in an Urbanizing World” and co-author of the second edition of “Florida Bird Species.” He has made more than 120 public presentations about science, ecology, and conservationof Florida Birds.  Dr. Bowman is graduate faculty at University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, and University of Memphis, and has been the major advisor of two Ph.D. students and ten Master's Degree students.

Click here to learn more about Archbold Biological Station's Avian Ecology Program, and click here to learn more about Reed Bowman.