Dr. Margaret Brittingham Brant

Return to Earl Poole Award page

Dr. Margaret Brittingham has been selected for the Earl Poole Award which is presented to a person or persons who have made significant contributions to Pennsylvania’s ornithology.

She has just retired as Professor of Wildlife Resources at The Pennsylvania State University (1988- 2022) where her research projects are too many to all be mentioned.

They encompass many conservation-related projects including forest fragmentation effects on songbirds, the impact of shale gas extraction on forest birds, raptors including Northern Goshawk and migrating raptors in the central Appalachians, monitoring of grassland species as surveyed in the Pennsylvania Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and more.

Her research projects have resulted in more than 75 papers published in scientific journals and more than 50 PSU Extension publications.

She has mentored many students who have gone on to exciting careers.

Margaret served on the Ornithological Technical Committee for more than 20 years and also taught ornithology courses and labs since the early 1990s.

More recently she has also served as consultant for the development of the Penn State Arboretum’s Avian Education Program.

A long-term member of PSO, Margaret joined PSO in 1990 and served on the board for three years.