Hello All,
Please join us on *Oct 7th at 7:30 p.m.* for the next Monday Night
Seminarat the Lab of Ornithology.
Hope to see you there*!*
*
*
*When Urban Winners Become Losers: Bird Communities in Human-Dominated
Landscapes*
*Speaker: Scott Robinson, Professor of Conservation Biology, Museum of
Natural History, University of Florida. *
*Host: John Fitzpatrick*
One of the most surprising and pressing issues in bird conservation is the
extreme instability of bird communities and populations in urban and
agricultural landscapes. Although there are many success stories of species
that have adapted well to human-dominated landscapes, there are also many
formerly abundant backyard and farmland birds that have all but disappeared
from large sections of their ranges. Robinson will explore some of the
reasons underlying these changes with special attention on the role of
predation.
*More Upcoming Seminars:*
*October 14**--**Cayuga Bird Club Meeting, Seminar, and Book Signing***
*An Environmental Success Story: Saving an Ecological Treasure through
Resolute Teamwork*
*Speaker: Bob Beck, Author, Naturalist, Educator, Environmentalist. Host:
Laura Stenzler*
Beck will share his experiences in organizing and leading an 11-year fight
against proposed gravel mines next to diverse, pristine wetlands. The
battle culminated in the establishment of The Nature Conservancy's O.D. von
Engeln Preserve at Malloryville, in the Fall Creek area of Tompkins County.
Beck’s new book The Journey at Malloryville Bog: Commitment, Teamwork and
Tenacity in Defense of Land and Nature will also be available for
signing. Cayuga
Bird Club meeting and speaker, starting at 7:15 with cookies and
conversation. Bird club business begins at 7:30 followed by the
presentation. All are invited and welcome.
*October 21*
*Warbler Plumage Patterns that Make Capturing Insects Easier*
*Speaker: Ron Mumme, Professor of Biology, Allegheny College. Host: Walt
Koenig*
The striking plumage ornaments so characteristic of birds are usually
thought to serve as social and sexual signals. In the parulid warblers
however, conspicuous plumage patterns can serve an entirely different
function: startling potential insect prey and enhancing foraging
performance. Mumme will examine the role of plumage pattern in the foraging
behavior of the Slate-throated Redstart of Central and South America and
the Hooded Warbler of eastern North America.
*November 4**--**Seminar and Book Signing*
*Natural History, Aesthetics, and Conservation*
*Speaker: Harry Greene, Professor and Faculty Curator of Herpetology,
Cornell University. Host: Miyoko Chu*
Greene will describe how natural history enhances our appreciation for
organisms and environments, thereby influencing value judgments that
ultimately underlie conservation. He will explain how an 18th Century
philosopher’s distinction between “beauty” and “sublime” can be used in the
context of Darwin’s notion of “descent with modification,” then illustrate
this approach with frogs, rattlesnakes, African megafauna, longhorn cattle,
and California Condors. Greene’s new book “Tracks and Shadows” will be
available for signing.
*November 11 Cayuga Bird Club Meeting and Seminar*
*Songbirds Rise Above the Din*
*Speaker: Elizabeth Derryberry, Assistant Professor of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University. Host: Laura Stenzler*
Noise, whether from a crowded city or nature itself, may be enough of a
nuisance to convince birds to change their tune. Derryberry will talk about
her studies on current and historical songs of White-crowned Sparrows in
San Francisco and Marin County, California. She compares songs from urban
and rural locations to see how these songs have evolved in each
location. Cayuga
Bird Club meeting and speaker, starting at 7:15 with cookies and
conversation. Bird club business begins at 7:30 followed by the speaker
presentation. All are invited and welcome.
*November 18*
*Behind the Scenes With Bird Cams*
*Speaker: Charles Eldermire, Bird Cams Project Leader, Cornell Lab of
Ornithology. Host: Miyoko Chu*
There's a lot more to Bird Cams than providing live, streaming video of
cute nestlings. Eldermire will take listeners behind the scenes of this
hugely popular Cornell Lab project. He'll discuss some of the unexpected
pleasures and problems that arise when unscripted natural history plays out
before the eyes of millions of deeply engaged fans.
*December 2*
*Climate Change, Food Caching, and Winter Breeding: The Story of a
Declining Gray Jay Population*
*Speaker: Ryan Norris, Department of Integrative Biology, University of
Guelph. Host: Irby Lovette*
A bird of the Canadian boreal forests, Gray Jays breed in late winter
andrely on cached food to survive. But at the southern edge of the
bird’s
range in Algonquin Park, Ontario, the jays have been declining for the past
20 years. One hypothesis is that increasingly warmer fall temperatures are
spoiling cached food. Using data
