|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |  |
Monday Night Seminar SeriesArchived Talks (from past semesters)All of the following archived seminars
were held in the Lab
of Ornithology Auditorium during past semesters. For a current listing of
upcoming seminar speakers, please visit the Lab's Education
Program web site and click on the link for Monday Night Seminars.
Tim Gallagher traveled across the South, interviewing people who claimed to have seen Ivory-billed Woodpeckers and following up on their sightings. Then one day, in a remote bayou in eastern Arkansas, he had his own close-up view of this most wanted bird. Tim will tell of the ivory-bill's near demise and miraculous rediscovery from his new book, The Grail Bird. [Books may still be available for purchase. Inquire at the Lab's Wild Birds Unlimited store.]
Well-known wildlife photographer Marie Read will show some of her amazing bird images and share stories behind the photographs in her new book Secret Lives of Common Birds: Enjoying Bird Behavior Through The Seasons. [Books may still be available for purchase. Inquire at the Lab's Wild Birds Unlimited store.]
Children's book author and illustrator Lynne Cherry, best known for her classic, The Great Kapok Tree, will talk about the writing, drawing, and field research that go into each of her books. She is an ardent birder and naturalist, which are reflected in her scientifically accurate illustrations. Lynne infuses her audiences with hope and inspires them to make a difference in the world. Her latest book, The Sea, the Storm and the Mangrove Tangle, raises awareness about mangrove habitats that are threatened by developers. [Books may still be available for purchase. Inquire at the Lab's Wild Birds Unlimited store.]
Dave's vision for conserving North America's wild nature and combating the extinction crisis is bold, hopeful, scientifically credible, and practically achievable. His strategy is based on the functional role of large carnivores in maintaining and restoring healthy ecosystems and on the need for conservation action at a continental scale. [Books may still be available for purchase. Inquire at the Lab's Wild Birds Unlimited store.]
The Important Bird Areas (IBA) initiative is a global effort to identify and conserve a network of essential habitat for birds. New York's IBA program recently completed a second series of site identifications, which were published in the new Important Bird Areas of New York: Habitats Worth Protecting, 2nd edition. Come learn about the IBAs in the Finger Lakes region and the current efforts to protect them. [Books may still be available for purchase. Inquire at the Lab's Wild Birds Unlimited store.]
Among vertebrates, there are many a drummer and many a whistler, but only one species has it's own instrument-like body parts. Kim will talk about the male Club-winged Manakin's suite of unique features, which enable it to make violin-like notes with its wings.
Malaria affects millions of people--and birds--worldwide. Avian malaria parasites infect almost every bird species on the planet, even the most common backyard birds here in Ithaca. Mari Kimura will talk about the ecological interactions between mosquitoes, birds, and parasites that enable this disease to persist.
Animals have many ways to get their point across, from displaying brilliant colors to producing a variety of sounds or performing a complex behavior. This is especially true when an animal tries to attract or defend a mate. Paul will discuss a variety of communication strategies briefly and then will focus on the use of song by House Finches and the production of ornamental colors by King Penguins.
James will discuss the new book, From Walden to Wall Street, which brings together the experience of more than a dozen pioneering conservation finance practitioners to present powerful ideas for dramatically expanding the availability of capital for land and biodiversity conservation in the United States. The discussion will put into historical context a wide array of promising initiatives in conservation finance across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. James D. Range, Chair of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership notes, "This book is planting the seeds of the next generation of successful conservation in America." [Books may still be available for purchase. Inquire at the Lab's Wild Birds Unlimited store.]
The loss and fragmentation of natural habitat is a major threat to avian biodiversity worldwide, but the reasons differ depending on the region. In North America, but not in Australia, habitat fragmentation results in elevated nest predation and brood parasitism. In this talk, Caren will explain the behavioral ecology of the Brown Treecreeper and another mechanism by which fragmentation causes population declines.
Miyoko will talk about the remarkable lives of songbirds and the scientific quest to answer age-old questions about where they go, how they get there, and what they do in the far-flung places they inhabit throughout the year. Her new book, Songbird Journeys, is described by Living on the Wind author Scott Weidensaul as "that rare book that mingles passion, beauty, and science into a surprising, fascinating whole." [Books may still be available for purchase. Inquire at the Lab's Wild Birds Unlimited store.]
Historically a bird of the countryside, the American Crow has moved into cities only in the last 20 years. For this they may be paying a price. Although crows are skilled at finding foods in city trash cans and compost piles, the nutritive value of most of what they find in these areas is low. Rebecca will reveal the developmental repercussions for nestling crows raised on the city “junk food” diet.
As the supervisor of fieldwork for the last two years, Elliott will discuss the daily life, joys, and frustrations of the Arkansas search team during their search for one of the world's most endangered species. Get an inside view of how and why they use different search techniques, and of the regional planning for continued ivory-bill searches throughout the southeastern United States.
Burrowing Owls, while numerically abundant, are a Species of Special Concern in California due to declining population trends and the disappearance of nesting owls in many areas. Jack will describe the challenges of Burrowing Owl conservation in California and the long-term management of a Burrowing Owl colony at San Jose International Airport that seems to be beating the odds. His seminar gives special emphasis to understanding the basic biology and natural history of this charismatic species, as well as the conflicts that arise when managing Burrowing Owls at a major airport.
The Harpy Eagle is one of the most powerful birds of prey in the world. Although it once ranged from Mexico to Argentina, it has disappeared almost entirely due to hunting and loss of habitat. During this presentation you will have the opportunity to accompany nature and wildlife artist David N. Kitler to the jungles of Panama. There, in the first-ever WNAG Flag Expedition, he observed and gathered reference material on this amazing raptor and its habitat. The images created as a result of the expedition will be used to increase public awareness on the key role this species plays in the maintenance of a healthy ecosystem.
Cormorants have long been known for their foraging prowess but their reputation as insatiable fish predators has often been exaggerated. Jeremy will discuss general cormorant foraging behavior gleaned during his research on breeding Double-crested Cormorants from colonies on Oneida Lake, Lake Ontario, and Lake Champlain. He will also describe previously unknown details about cormorants in their underwater world that were gathered using innovative electronic time-depth recorders.
During the course of their lives, animals face a series of behavioral choices that can have important consequences for survival and reproduction. Nowhere is this more evident than in the complex social lives of Western Bluebirds. Janis will describe the rules male Western Bluebirds use to make decisions about dispersal and reproduction, based on a 20+ year study in central coastal California.
Why do some individuals apparently sacrifice their own self-interest to help others? Reproductive competition is the norm in the animal kingdom, but instead of fighting over females, male Lance-tailed Manakins team up to court mates cooperatively. Emily will describe the spectacular displays and complex social behavior of these small tropical birds, and explain her studies of why subordinate males cooperate.
Compared with North America, Europe tends to have larger concentrations of observers but many different coexisting monitoring schemes. In this seminar Gabriel will explain the benefits of combining different data sources using the New Catalan Breeding Bird Atlas. Furthermore, he will show how amazingly consistent and precise the process of plumage replacement is for birds, and its usefulness in ageing birds.
The perception of long-term declines among Neotropical migrant birds led to the development of Partners in Flight, considered the worldís largest conservation effort. Yet, there has been little discussion about population trends since the early 1990s. In this lecture John presents some patterns from personal long-term monitoring studies, including 35 years from Puerto Rico, and discusses what they may suggest about current and future trends in bird populations.
People have harvested wildlife in tropical forests for consumption for thousands of years. In this talk, John explores the biological limits of sustainable hunting, and examines changes in recent years brought about by increased access to forest areas, changes in hunting practices, increased commercialization of the wild meat trade, and increased demand for bushmeat. Conservation strategies must take into account both the ecological and socioeconomic context.
Louis Agassiz Fuertes was one of the influential early leaders at the Lab of Ornithology, even coining the name of the sanctuary "Sapsucker Woods"! In this engrossing seminar, the artistís granddaughter guides the audience through Fuertesí life by showing a selection of his paintings and sketches, reading a few bits from his letters, and talking about his life and times.
Most bird migration over New York occurs at night and many species give flight calls during their passage. On a good migration night, thousands of calls can be heard by a listener who is tuned in. Bill will share tips for hearing the flights and discuss patterns of calling he has deciphered in 20 years studying the phenomenon in central New York.
Studies of birds in burned forests reveal that many species are nearly restricted in their distributions to burned forests. And the presence of many of these bird species is tied to the presence of standing dead trees. Dick will illustrate these facts with data from more than 50 different fires that have burned since 1988 in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, and discuss the implications of post-fire timber harvesting on their ecology.
This presentation will provide an overview of the loon conservation efforts conducted in New York's Adirondack Park by the Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners in the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program. Beautiful photographs and video clips describe intriguing facts about Common Loons and their natural history, as well as the Loon Program's research on the impact of environmental mercury pollution on these captivating birds and their aquatic habitats.
Ravens typically feed in large crowds on ephemeral food bonanzas. Wood frogs breed "explosively" in crowds in ephemeral pools. Vocal communication among unrelated individuals plays a large role in both. Bernd will explore the similarities and differences in the evolution of these systems.
To view the previous semester's schedule, please visit the Spring 2007 Monday Night Seminars page. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
