ZO 501 Ornithology - Spring 2007

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Archived News -

  • Changes have been made to the full species list to reflect current thinking about the phylogenetic arrangement of orders and families. Our list is now consistent with the official AOU checklist, but it will be somewhat different than the order of species in your field guides (Anseriformes is now ahead of Gaviiformes for instance).
  • Check out the new job posting linked here. Future jobs will be posted to this page as well.
  • Photos from the coastal field trip are now posted here
  • Acclaimed ornithologist Harold Mayfield had died at the age of 95. Please read his obituary posted here
  • Territorial defense is serious business for Australian wedge-tailed eagles. Sent by Laurina Sigmon.
  • Bernoulli's principle illustrated and explained by Katie Gensel. (Thanks Katie!)
  • 2/12 The bird songs you need to know for lab this week:
  • 2/12 A paper on identifying shorebirds by their eating habits. Sent by Kelsey Obernuefemann
  • 2/13 A new job posting is up on the jobs page
  • 2/14 This is the weekend (Feb 16-19) for the Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Please check it out and participate if you can. It can take as little as 15 minutes and the Triangle had the 2nd highest participation in the nation last year! Let's go for #1!!
  • 2/14 The handout for lab this week (2/16) is available for download
  • 2/14 The amazing Lyrebird video! Sent by Heather Campbell
  • 2/14 Two resources that are relevant for your lab project:
  • 2/14 Check out this video of a remarkably adaptable penguin! Sent by Oliver Connor
  • 2/15 Additional guidelines for completing the Literature Review for the Term Paper/Research Proposal (due Wed 2/21)
  • 2/19 Robotic cameras have joined in the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas. Check out these sites for more information on the IBWO search in Arkansas and Florida
  • 2/20 Eagle Cam - sent by Cindy Carr
  • 2/21 Humm-birding opportunity in Ecuador! Travel to Ecuador with Susan Campbell this summer to search for hummingbirds high in the Andes. Arrangements should be made as soon as possible if you are interested. Contact Susan Campbell directly.

    ECUADOR BIRD WATCHING 2007
    Hummingbirds of the Cloud Forests

    It is dawn in the cloud forests of Ecuador and the swirling mists blanket the epiphyte-laden trees. Moisture is everywhere and one can almost feel the oxygen being produced. As the shrouds begin to lift, the chorus of songs slowly morphs into splashes of color as a seemingly endless variety of birds flit among the branches.

    Such is a typical morning in the spectacular cloud forests of Ecuador. These forests, on both the eastern and western slopes of the Andes, are incredibly diverse and nowhere is that more evident than in the richness of the bird community. EcoQuest Travel is proud to offer an unparalleled bird watching journey to the extraordinary country of Ecuador. Although we will concentrate on all bird species, this trip will be co-led by hummingbird expert Susan Campbell, so we will make a special effort to maximize hummingbird diversity. The hummingbird family is endemic to the Americas and reaches its apex of diversity in northwestern South America - including Ecuador. Truly spectacular hummingbirds such as the booted racket-tail, empress brilliant, Ecuadorian hillstar, great sapphirewing, violet-tailed sylph, rainbow-bearded thornbill, velvet-purple coronet and the unreal sword-billed hummingbird are among the species we could see. No less gaudy are the tanagers, cotingas, toucans, barbets, warblers, jays, parrots and other birds that inhabit these forests. In order to maximize diversity we have chosen to visit both the eastern and western slopes of the Andes. Although both slopes are draped in cloud forest, they differ markedly in their species composition of birds. This composition also changes with altitude and we will witness this as we visit different elevations on each slope. In between the two slopes we will cross the high Andes and perhaps even have a chance to see Andean condor soar past the jagged peaks. We invite you to join us as we search for dazzling hummingbirds, admire the snow-capped Andes and explore the wonders of Ecuador's cloud forests.

  • 2/21 Birds plan ahead, study shows - sent by Kellett Babb
  • 2/22 Term paper deadlines updated
  • 2/22 (1) Handout on sampling for lab on 2/23 - (2) PDF on sampling design
  • 2/27 Hummingbirds can fall prey to large preying mantis'. Keep an eye on your feeders this spring! - Sent by Beth Folta.
  • 2/27 Hunters of the Sky opens March 10th at the Museum of Natural Sciences - Sent by Liani Zabala
  • 3/1 This week's airing of Exploring North Carolina on UNC-TV will feature the episode "Homecomings" and star John Connors and the Chimney Swifts. The episode will air on Thursday evening at 8:30 PM and again Friday at 9:30 PM.
  • 3/1 New photos from Ocracoke Island by Cindy Carr on the photos page
  • 3/1 Guidelines for the detectability lab write-up are on your handout from 2/16. The guidelines are also posted here
  • 3/5 Guidelines for the annotated outline
  • 2/23 Practice bird ID quizzes from Northbirding.com. Some of the species are not found in NC, but it still may be useful as a study aid. - Sent by Beth Folta.
  • 3/15 Online birding sites Fatbirder and Birdzilla - Sent by Cindy Carr
  • 3/17 This week at Hilton Pond: A study in Black and White
  • 3/17 New job posting
  • 3/17 Birds may get bearings from beak sensors
  • 3/19 Becky H. has a short-term volunteer position open for someone who enjoys entering data. She and Dr. Simons have been working together with the Museum of Natural Science on a Black-capped Petrel project. Little is known about this globally threatened species, and these new data would help us create a map of at-sea sightings. Please email Becky if you are interested.

 

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