Hello all,
Please join us for the next Monday Night Seminar, September 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Visitor Center auditorium. Doors open at 7:00 and close when seats are filled. We hope to see you there! *September 16* *Bird and Bayou: a SpiritForm Revival* *Speaker: Marlon Blackwell, Distinguished Professor and Department Head, School of Architecture, University of Arkansas. Host: Constance Bruce* Blackwell will discuss the innovative interdisciplinary project between the Cornell University and University of Arkansas Schools of Architecture and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to understand the possibilities for architecture to contribute to the cultural, ecological, and economic revival of the Arkansas Delta. His presentation will feature student work that showcases the analysis of local bird species, including the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and the transformations of these studies into building design proposals for the Bayou De View near Brinkley and Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Blackwell will also discuss ongoing work at the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture to develop centers for environmental and wildlife education in the swamps and bayous of the Arkansas Delta. *More Upcoming Seminars* Seminars are held at 7:30 p.m. in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Visitor Center auditorium except on night indicated as Cayuga Bird Club meetings, with club business at 7:30 p.m., followed by the seminar. Doors open at 7:00 and close when the auditorium is filled. Seminars are free and open to the public. *September 23* *Opening for Marsh Madness: Wonders of Wetlands* *Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. Host: Diane Tessaglia-Hymes* A sampling of some of our favorite wetlands species and habitats, in paintings and photographs! All paintings have been created by members of the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. The exhibit features work by Paula Bensadoun, Henrike Burton, Candy Cima, Marla Coppolino, Margaret Corbit, Camille Doucet, Gretchen Halpert, Phil Hutchings, Shirley Hogg, Iva Lesky, Liisa Mobley, Margy Nelson, Kathy Schlough, and Susanne Williams. Photographs are by special guest Daniel Elswit of Mist, Light & Stone Photography. *September 30* *Protecting the World’s Last Pristine Ocean: Ross Sea, Antarctica* *Speaker: Grant Ballard, Chief Science Officer, Point Blue Conservation Science. Host: Steve Kelling* The Ross Sea in Antarctica is one of the most untouched marine ecosystemson Earth. Incredibly large populations of several marine bird and mammal species coexist. Understanding how that is possible is key to maintaining the ecological integrity of the system. Ballard will discuss the effort to create the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area and what the public can do to help. *October 7* *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. *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 from a banded population that spans more than 50 years as well as a series of novel experiments, Norris presents results that test both the assumptions and predictions of the “hoard-rot hypothesis.” *December 9 Cayuga Bird Club Meeting and Seminar* *The Way West: Birding with a Microphone* *Speaker: Bob McGuire, sound recordist, former CBC president, and editor of "Birding the Cayuga Lake Basin." Host: Laura Stenzler* McGuire says recording bird song is his excuse for getting outdoors and for traveling. He’ll describe a trip to record birds in Texas, Arizona, California, and Oregon. The talk will include photos of the birds, their habitats, and a selection of recordings. 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. Marc Devokaitis Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd Ithaca, NY 14850 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
