Portland Press Herald looks at Noah Perlut's and Margaret Friar's urban gull research

A Portland Press Herald story on July 5th featured the urban herring gull research of Noah Perlut, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental studies, and Margaret Friar, Ph.D., associate lecturer.

The story notes that herring gull populations in their natural island habitats have declined by 50 percent in the last 10 years, according to airplane surveys, but the surveys did not count gulls roosting in cities.

To fill the gap in knowledge, Perlut and Friar are studying the gulls nesting on downtown Portland rooftops to study the costs and benefits of urban nesting. This is the third year of the study that has involved a number of student researchers. Read the entire story.