[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 06/14/14 (What Is The Piedmont?)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Big news! As I join other U.S. citizens in celebrating the Fourth of July, I 
also observe another event: The publication of my 600th installment of "This 
Week at Hilton Pond." This anniversary edition returns to the Center's roots in 
answering the question: "What is the Piedmont?" and as a bonus includes a 
portfolio of 50-plus images of flora, fauna, and phenomena I've observed 
locally in 15 years since I started this blog. Also included is recognition for 
those special folks who contributed to Hilton Pond Center the latter half of 
June. It's all on-line athttp://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek140614.html

Don't forget to scroll down for a list of birds banded or recaptured during the 
period. (Note the especially old returning hummingbird.)

Happy (Anniversary) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics. Follow us on Twitter @hiltonpond.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR., D.Sci.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 04/22/14 (Spring Birds & Wildflowers)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

As usual we celebrated spring here at Hilton Pond Center and in the mountains 
of West Virginia, banding birds and looking at wildflowers in the Carolina 
Piedmont and at the annual New River Birding & Nature Festival. Our 22 Apr thru 
5 May 2014  installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" is a compilation of 
images of flora and fauna from both locales--including an interesting South 
Carolina sighting of a pair of Mississippi Kites. Our latest photo essay is at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek140422.html

We include our usual list of birds banded at Hilton Pond--please scroll down to 
view it--and acknowledge folks who recently have provided much-needed financial 
support for the Center's diverse activities.

Happy (Spring) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics. Follow us on Twitter @hiltonpond.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR., D.Sci.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 03/27/14 (Hummingbirds Galore)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

This year my first Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont 
Natural History tied a record for earliest spring arrival on 27 March, and I've 
banded an unprecedented number of early spring ruby-throats in the month since 
then. My analysis of this phenomenon is the subject of my latest "This Week at 
Hilton Pond" photo essay for 27 Mar-21 Apr 2014. To access the installment, 
please see 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek140327.html

While there, don't forget to scroll down for lists of all birds banded and 
recaptured during the period; the returns are especially interesting, with a 
couple of very old American Goldfinches re-appearing in our traps. I also 
include numerous nature notes and an acknowledgement for recent supporters of 
our education, research, and conservation initiatives.

Happy (Spring) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics. Follow us on Twitter @hiltonpond.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR., D.Sci.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 01/22/14

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

I typically wander my trails by day, but when I do go out at night it's hard to 
know even with a flashlight if undetected animals are watching me instead. 
"This Week at Hilton Pond" I supplemented my human lack of nocturnal vision 
with the infrared power of a trail cam that revealed all sorts of "invisible" 
animals lurking right outside my office window. To view this latest photo essay 
about "Creatures of the Night," please visit the installment for 22-31 Jan 2014 
at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek140122.html

While there, don't forget to scroll down for lists of all birds banded and 
recaptured during the period--plus a bigger-than-usual compilation of 
miscellaneous nature notes.

Happy (Mid-winter) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics. Follow us on Twitter @hiltonpond.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR., D.Sci.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 11/01/13 (Ujarráscals In Costa Ri ca: Hummingbirds Among The Chayote)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

The first half of November I was in Costa Rica's Orosi Valley for our 22nd 
Operation RubyThroat citizen science expedition to the Neotropics. Mist netting 
and live-trapping operations were centered at Ujarrás, a riverside agricultural 
community whose cash crop is Chayote--a squash that flowers prolifically and 
whose nectar is sought by hummers and other avifauna.

Over a nine-day period we spent six mornings in the field, banding ruby-throats 
and other Neotropical migrants such as warblers and orioles, and photographing 
other colorful resident birds that went unbanded. We also had time for field 
trips to view other fauna and lush flora in natural areas, including Tapanti 
National Park, Irazú Volcano, and Rancho Naturalista ("Home of the Snowcap").

My "This Week at Hilton Pond" installment for 1-30 November 2013 is a summation 
of our most recent excursion, complete with more than a hundred photos and a 
non-technical description of our results. The photo essay is extensive and may 
take a while to download, but I think you'll find it enjoyable and informative. 
To view the write-up, please visit 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek131101.html . (It's formatted for easy 
reading on computer or tablet.)

Remember, experience and training are not necessary to participate in an 
Operation RubyThroat trip to Central America; ANYONE with interest and 
enthusiasm can be a citizen scientist!   :-)

Happy (Neotropical) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics. Follow us on Twitter @hiltonpond.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR., D.Sci.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 10/11/13 (Schweinitz's Endangered Sunflower)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Since 2006 I've been following the progress of the Center's solitary specimen 
of Schweinitz's Sunflower--a federally endangered species that once flourished 
on the vast Piedmont Prairie.

"This Week at Hilton Pond" our plant had its most prolific bloom ever, even 
though many of its ray flowers disappeared almost overnight. For a photo essay 
about this curious phenomenon and what might have caused it, please visit the 
installment for 11-20 October 2013 at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek131011.html

While these don't forget to scroll down for our admittedly short lists of birds 
banded and recaptured during the period, along with Miscellaneous Notes about 
everything from Wood Ducks to deck demolition.

Happy (Autumn) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics. Follow us on Twitter @hiltonpond.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR., D.Sci.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 02/13/13 (Hummingbirds in Nicaragua)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Although it took a LONG time (no excuses here, but illness, travel, and banding 
birds when i returned to Hilton Pond slowed me down a lot!), I just finished my 
on-line summary of February's Operation RubyThroat hummingbird expedition to 
Nicaragua. It's a comprehensive report with lots of photos of tropical flora 
and fauna, so it may take a while to access. Since it's formatted to be 
compatible with your iPad, Kindle, or other tablet, you might want to download 
and consume it at your leisure. The report's now posted as the 13-24 Feb 2013 
installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond." See 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek130213.html

As always I include a list of birds banded or recaptured at Hilton Pond, in 
this case just for 13 February.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 11/01/12 (Hummingbirds & Chayote)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Our hummingbird expeditions through Operation RubyThroat last only nine days in 
the Neotropics, but it seems like it takes forever to process all our photos of 
flora and fauna, write the text, and compile the data for our requisite on-line 
report. It's a labor of love, however, and provides a full account for the 
public and the 12 citizen scientists who made our most recent trip possible.

"This Week at Hilton Pond" we're finally done with our illustrated summary for 
Costa Rica East, where we again banded Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at a Chayote 
plantation on the Caribbean Slope--a place the species "isn't supposed to be." 
Our photo essay for 1-30 Nov 2012 includes lots of new scientific info about 
ruby-throats on their southerly wintering grounds. You can view it on your 
computer but it's also optimized for iPad, so curl up with your tablet like a 
good book, enjoy, and pass it on!

Because we WERE at Hilton Pond for a few days during the period you can also 
scroll down for a list of birds banded and recaptured there--plus some 
miscellaneous notes. We include a grateful acknowledgement of recent supporters 
for our education, research, and conservation initiatives.

NOTE: A few spots are still available for our February expedition to Costa Rica 
and one to Belize in March, but deadlines loom. (Nicaragua in February is 
full.) Sign up today and be a part of an exciting trip to study hummingbirds in 
the warm, sunny Neotropics.  

To read all about our latest Costa Rica trip please visit 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek121101.html

Happy (Neotropical) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 10/01/11 (Red-breasted Nuthatch)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

What with this year's failure of some seed crops across Canada, ornithologists 
have predicted 2012-13 will be a good "finch winter" in the southern U.S. and 
even that a few other northern species may come on down and show up at our 
feeders. When we started hearing reports of migrant Red-breasted Nuthatches in 
the Carolinas as early as August, we wondered if we'd see one. We did "This 
Week at Hilton Pond," when we snared a very brightly colored adult nuthatch in 
one of our mist nets. To read all about our "irruption" of this locally rare 
species, please visit our photo essay for 1-10 October 2012 at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek121001.html

While there, don't forget to scroll down for a list of all birds banded and 
recaptured during the period--our most diverse week so far in 2012--and to 
review some miscellaneous notes about White-breasted Nuthatches, Palm Warblers, 
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and a special Swainson's Thrush.

Happy (Fall) Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hawk flies into a car and on a driver's lap!

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

I'd say most hawks DO look for prey while flying--as well as when perching--and 
it's for sure Golden Eagles do as they soar overhead looking for jackrabbits. 
Since Red-tailed Hawks can "hover," I think they'd be especially adept at 
spotting prey while on the wing.

Hawk banding stations frequently use tethered pigeons to attract migrating 
raptors that, while flying over, see the potential prey on the ground and come 
down to get it. There they are caught in mist nets, banded, and released.

Cheers,

BILL


On Sep 21, 2012, at 7:52 AM, J. Michael Nolan  
wrote:

> Thanks for this Heather. Read the article and have pasted in some comments 
> from the article below. If you watch Hawks, the are "adept soarers". I have 
> spent hours watching them ride thermals. It looks like they are having fun? I 
> wish I could do that!
> 
> Let me say that this Hawk does not look for food when flying, they find their 
> food while perched as the quote below states. I have said the before, but in 
> terms of eyesightkind of like being able to read the headline of a 
> newspaper from a quarter mile away. At least 8x better than ours. I have 
> waited several hours for one Hawk to come down to one of my traps. What is 
> amazing is that even using binos or a spotting scope, I could have trouble 
> seeing the Gerbil. They don't seem to be too troubled with seeing it.
> 
> They do not like to spend time on the ground, but will if they have to. I had 
> a Gerbil one time get its leg caught in the mesh of the trap. Hawk came down 
> and took the side of Gerbils head off. I released it, the same Hawk came 
> down, picked it off and flew off.
> 
> Normally, I would use the same Gerbil over and over again. One other sad 
> story. Had a great looking Red-tailed Hawk on a power pole. Tossed our trap 
> out and nothing happened. Well, the trap ended up right on top of a Fire Ant 
> mound. People from the south know all about Fire Ants. I believe, and can't 
> remember the whole story. Introduced into the U.S. in the 30's. They don't 
> bite, but sting. 
> 
> Once I had a gorgeous Warbler come in the window of my truck. Hit me in the 
> side of the face and then crashed in to back window of my truck. I was just a 
> bit lucky that day. Not the same ending for the Bird. 
> 
> The person who ended up with this Red-tail in their lap was also more than 
> lucky. This is an odd/rare situation. You just don't see too many Red-tails 
> killed by cars, etc. 
> 
> http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~gilbert/research/fireants/faq.html 
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Mike Nolansee below
> 
> "These hawks are active during the day and are adept soarers. They usually 
> locate prey with vision from a high perch and swoop down to capture it in 
> their talons."
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/hawk-car-connecticut-205632975.html
> 
> -- 
> Heather Renyck
> Bolivar-Richburg School District
> Bolivar, NY
> 
> --
> 
> If we are on another line or away from the phone, please leave your number, 
> best time to return your call and your e-mail address.
> 
> After hours and weekend phone appointments are available upon request.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> J. Michael Nolan, Director
> 
> Rainforest and Reef
> 
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> Panamá.
> 
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> including Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
> 
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> and Breeding season).
> 
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> 
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> 
> Birding, Photography, along with Home and Garden Tours are available upon 
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> 
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> Local/International Phone: 1.616.604.0546
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> Fax: 1.616.604.0546
> Google Talk/MS IM/Skype: travelwithrandr
> AOL IM: buddythemacaw

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 09/10/12 (Belted Kingfisher)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

In the wake of that first-cold-front-of-the-fall on 8 September, we ran our 
mist nets and expected to catch a potful of early migrants. As described last 
week, that didn't happen but we did make an exciting capture a couple of days 
later--only the tenth Belted Kingfisher we've ever banded. "This Week at Hilton 
Pond" we write about this heavy-billed species that bites our fish AND our 
fingers. We offer plenty of close-up kingfisher photos and info in the 
installment for 9-14 September 2012 at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek120910.html

While there don't forget to scroll down for a list of all birds banded or 
recaptured during the period, as well as miscellaneous comments about Common 
Nighthawks and an ancient American Goldfinch that showed up in our traps.

And if you missed last week's gallery of bird portraits over the 
weekend--apparently lots of folks didn't get the message--it's still up at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek120901.html

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 08/01/12 (Astronaut Armstrong & The Naturalist)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

We were deeply saddened this past Saturday to hear about the death of astronaut 
Neil Armstrong, a man we were lucky enough to meet and learn from early in our 
science career. "This Week at Hilton Pond" we stray a bit from our usual 
natural history theme for a first-person account of time we spent with this 
terrific man BEFORE he became an international hero. To read our installment 
for 1-25 August 2012--and to view an interesting photo of the astronaut that 
most people have never seen--please visit 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek120801.html

While there, don't forget to scroll down for a list of all birds banded and 
recaptured locally during the period and to see who's recently provided support 
for the education, research, and conservation efforts of Hilton Pond Center and 
Operation RubyThroat.

The Moon's out tonight. Don't forget to look up at it and ponder the eventful 
life of Commander Neil Armstrong--first man to walk the lunar surface.

BILL


P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.



BILL HILTON JR., Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

The mission of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History is "to conserve 
plants, animals, habitats, and other natural components of the Piedmont Region 
of the eastern United States through observation, scientific study, and 
education for students of all ages.

"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to watch the 
sunset."   BHjr.





P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] New 2012 Hummingbird Expedition to Costa Rica

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Ruby-throated Hummingbird numbers are starting to grow in the eastern U.S. 
right now, but in a couple of months nearly all these little balls of fluff 
will be down in the Neotropics. Care to follow them to see what they're up to?

Week One is full with 12 participants, so we've officially added another 
Operation RubyThroat hummingbird expedition to Costa Rica (east) for the week 
after Thanksgiving, 26 Nov-4 Dec. Afternoon side trips include tours of 
shade-grown coffee farm and orchid gardens. No experience necessary for a 
terrific nine-day trip that is very affordable; a portion of your fees is 
tax-deductible. Details at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/CostaRica(east)AnnounceMain12.html . Please spread 
the word.

Happy Hummingbird Watching!

BILL


P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] 30th Anniversary Celebration

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Please join us in celebrating today as the 30th anniversary of the first bird 
ever banded at Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History--a female Common 
Grackle trapped on 28 June 1982. As of this morning at 10:50 a.m. we've caught 
899 more grackles and a total of 57,514 birds of 126 species (including 4,491 
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds)--not a bad record for three decades of work at the 
most active year-round bird banding station in the Carolinas.  :-)

Happy Birding!

BILL

P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond 
for timely updates on nature topics.

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Biology

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

In my effort to make my point I should have mentioned a non-majors biology 
course with an ecological approach should also include organismal biology 
(including plants, which sometimes are barely mentioned in many intro biology 
courses), evolution, taxonomy, and other areas--not just lessons with an 
environmental emphasis.

BILL  



On May 27, 2012, at 1:09 PM, Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH) wrote:

> With sincere respect to all of you in the fields of microbiology, genetics, 
> and other laboratory-based disciplines of the life sciences, I contend the 
> "Campbell Essential Biology" approach is exactly what is wrong with biology 
> education today.
> 
> Nearly all undergraduate and high school introductory biology courses are 
> written as if EVERY student is going on to med school, nursing, or a career 
> in a lab-based science. I agree it's important for an undergrad course to 
> make mention of cytology, DNA, photosynthesis, etc., but I question the real 
> value to students of any non-major textbook in which 12 chapters deal with 
> cell-DNA and ecology, ecosystems, and the biosphere are relegated to the last 
> three chapters.
> 
> My guess is that 95% or more of non-majors will never have any really 
> practical use for information about cell-DNA. It's complicated stuff that 
> their physicians and pharmacists need to know, but what would be of 
> infinitely greater value is for everyone to be familiar with basic principles 
> of ecology, plant-animal interactions, pollination biology, and the like. 
> Knowing about these things will enable students in general to understand how 
> humans fit into and affect the world around them, and such understanding will 
> help them make informed decisions about such things as overfishing, 
> watersheds and wetlands, use of household pesticides and fertilizers--to say 
> nothing of current controversial topics like global climate change, fracking, 
> etc.
> 
> We all teach what we know, of course, and the vast majority of high school 
> biology teachers know what they learned in an undergrad biology courses 
> taught from the "pre-med" perspective. I know from 25-plus years in the 
> classroom and lab that for kids not going off to med-school the "pre-med" 
> approach is often a turn-off to science, while a course that emphasizes 
> ecology, the environment, field work, etc., is a turn-on. I also taught 
> undergrad biology and know such is the case with many college students.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> BILL
> 
> 
> On May 27, 2012, at 10:48 AM, Helena Puche wrote:
> 
>> David,
>> 
>> I used "Campbell Essential Biology" by E.J. Simon, J.B.Reece and J.L. 
>> Dickey. It is a book for non-biology  majors that has 20 chapters, all of 
>> them with a focus on evolution and examples, and nice drawings and pictures. 
>> Twelve of the 20 chapters are geared toward cell-DNA, then three chapters on 
>> taxonomy and systematics. The last three include populations & ecology, 
>> communities & ecosystems, and the biosphere. Therefore, you will have to add 
>> extra material to recreate those last topics. 
>> 
>> I created  several evolution labs using beans or the web pages below, 
>> designed a ppt to introduce Darwin's liand thoughts, and added many lab 
>> activities to learn about mark-recapture techniques, estimating population 
>> growth rate & size, population growth models, climate change, and 
>> identifying biomes. 
>> 
>> Evolution links to check are:
>> http://video.pbs.org/video/1300397304/
>> http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/devitt_02 
>> 
>> I used those as base for the lab activities.
>> 
>> Hope this helps.
>> 
>> Helena
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Helena Puche, Ph. D. 
>> 
>> Adjunct Assistant Professor
>> 
>> University of Illinois at Chicago
>> 
>> 
>> Biological Sciences, 3464 SES, MC
>> 066
>> 
>> 845 West Taylor Street 
>> 
>> Chicago, IL 60607hpu...@uic.edu
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --- On Fri, 5/25/12, Johnson, David R  wrote:
>> 
>> From: Johnson, David R 
>> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Biology
>> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
>> Date: Friday, May 25, 2012, 2:49 PM
>> 
>> Greetings,
>> 
>> I am teaching a "contemporary biology" course for non-science majors in the 
>> fall and for the first time I am fortunate to be able to organize the course 
>> at my discretion. Effectively, I can present any material I wish as long as 
>> I hit broad themes such as Cell Theory and Evolution. While this is 
>> certainly do

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Biology

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

With sincere respect to all of you in the fields of microbiology, genetics, and 
other laboratory-based disciplines of the life sciences, I contend the 
"Campbell Essential Biology" approach is exactly what is wrong with biology 
education today.

Nearly all undergraduate and high school introductory biology courses are 
written as if EVERY student is going on to med school, nursing, or a career in 
a lab-based science. I agree it's important for an undergrad course to make 
mention of cytology, DNA, photosynthesis, etc., but I question the real value 
to students of any non-major textbook in which 12 chapters deal with cell-DNA 
and ecology, ecosystems, and the biosphere are relegated to the last three 
chapters.

My guess is that 95% or more of non-majors will never have any really practical 
use for information about cell-DNA. It's complicated stuff that their 
physicians and pharmacists need to know, but what would be of infinitely 
greater value is for everyone to be familiar with basic principles of ecology, 
plant-animal interactions, pollination biology, and the like. Knowing about 
these things will enable students in general to understand how humans fit into 
and affect the world around them, and such understanding will help them make 
informed decisions about such things as overfishing, watersheds and wetlands, 
use of household pesticides and fertilizers--to say nothing of current 
controversial topics like global climate change, fracking, etc.

We all teach what we know, of course, and the vast majority of high school 
biology teachers know what they learned in an undergrad biology courses taught 
from the "pre-med" perspective. I know from 25-plus years in the classroom and 
lab that for kids not going off to med-school the "pre-med" approach is often a 
turn-off to science, while a course that emphasizes ecology, the environment, 
field work, etc., is a turn-on. I also taught undergrad biology and know such 
is the case with many college students.

Cheers,

BILL


On May 27, 2012, at 10:48 AM, Helena Puche wrote:

> David,
> 
> I used "Campbell Essential Biology" by E.J. Simon, J.B.Reece and J.L. Dickey. 
> It is a book for non-biology  majors that has 20 chapters, all of them with a 
> focus on evolution and examples, and nice drawings and pictures. Twelve of 
> the 20 chapters are geared toward cell-DNA, then three chapters on taxonomy 
> and systematics. The last three include populations & ecology, communities & 
> ecosystems, and the biosphere. Therefore, you will have to add extra material 
> to recreate those last topics. 
> 
> I created  several evolution labs using beans or the web pages below, 
> designed a ppt to introduce Darwin's liand thoughts, and added many lab 
> activities to learn about mark-recapture techniques, estimating population 
> growth rate & size, population growth models, climate change, and identifying 
> biomes. 
> 
> Evolution links to check are:
> http://video.pbs.org/video/1300397304/
> http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/devitt_02 
> 
> I used those as base for the lab activities.
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> Helena
> 
> 
> 
> Helena Puche, Ph. D. 
> 
> Adjunct Assistant Professor
> 
> University of Illinois at Chicago
> 
> 
> Biological Sciences, 3464 SES, MC
> 066
> 
> 845 West Taylor Street 
> 
> Chicago, IL 60607hpu...@uic.edu
> 
> 
> 
> --- On Fri, 5/25/12, Johnson, David R  wrote:
> 
> From: Johnson, David R 
> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Biology
> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
> Date: Friday, May 25, 2012, 2:49 PM
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> I am teaching a "contemporary biology" course for non-science majors in the 
> fall and for the first time I am fortunate to be able to organize the course 
> at my discretion. Effectively, I can present any material I wish as long as I 
> hit broad themes such as Cell Theory and Evolution. While this is certainly 
> doable, I am struggling deciding exactly what content to present. The course 
> is meant to present the science of contemporary issues that may be important 
> and/or interesting to the non-science student rather than a broad survey 
> course encompassing all of biology. There is another such survey course with 
> a set syllabus that I am not teaching, and there are two other sections of 
> contemporary biology that are focusing on genetics. I would like to focus on 
> the many ecological issues that both affect and are affected by humans. My 
> struggle involves the fact that this may be the only (or last) biology these 
> students get before we cast them out into the world.
> So I want to be sure and cover all my bases. 
> 
> I am writing Ecolog with two questions. First, what is the relative merit of 
> including as much biology as possible as opposed to focusing on fewer but 
> perhaps more directly relevant ecological topics? These students will most 
> likely not become scientists, and certainly won't need to memorize the 
> structure of all the amino acids, for example. On the ot

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 04/01/11 (Spring Hummer Flowers)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

We're often asked what Ruby-throated Hummingbirds eat if they come back in 
early spring before there's a noticeable flower bloom. Among other things they 
consume tree sap and tiny insects, but there may be more blossoms out there 
than you think. "This Week at Hilton Pond" we've selected five native plants 
that produce nectar-rich flowers in late March and early April--just in time 
for those earliest ruby-throats. All can be grown throughout most of the 
eastern U.S., so you might even want to try them all in your backyard 
"Hummingbird Habitat." To view our photo essay for 1-10 April, please visit 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek120401.html

While there don't forget to scroll down for a list of birds banded or 
recaptured during the week--plus a couple of miscellaneous notes, 
acknowledgements for folks who have thoughtfully supported us recently, and 
another of our occasional nature moments with McKinley.

Happy (Spring) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 03/19/12 (Signs Of Early Spring)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

MARTIN . . .

Thanks for your note. I don't think I said that the warmer-than-usual spring is 
a result of global warming.  ;-)

By saying "Curmudgeonly humans may deny climate change is upon us, but watching 
and listening to Mother Nature leads us to the truth" I'm suggesting we collect 
the evidence to find out what's really going on.

Best wishes,

BILL

=

On Apr 5, 2012, at 7:06 PM, Martin Meiss wrote:

> Hi, Bill H. and Ecologers:
> 
> I accept the scientific evidence that global warming is occurirng, 
> but I think we should be careful about pointing to various warmer-than-usual 
> events and saying, "Aha, evidence for global warming!"  I don't think doing 
> so is statistically valid, and here's an analogy to illustrate my reasoning.
> 
>Suppose you had an "honest" coin, which after thousands of flips 
> averaged coming up heads 50% of the time and tails 50%.  Now suppose we file 
> the rim of the coin on one side to affect its aerodynamics, and after 
> thousands more flips we find the ratio is now 49% to 51% in favor of tails. 
> This shows the affect of our tampering, just as melting glaciers and other 
> evidence COLLECTIVELY indicate global warming.  However, you can't point to 
> any one case in which the tossed coin came up tails and say "See, our filing 
> did that."  Similarly, a record warm March on the east coast COULD happen 
> during a long-term cooling trend, just as a lopsided run of "tails" coin 
> tosses could have occurred before we filed the edges.
> 
>Recognizing this distinction between collective evidence and single 
> data points is important, not just a quibble.  After all, climate-change 
> deniers can comb through data and find some event in the past that is warmer 
> than some carefully chosen but corresponding event in the present and say, 
> "Aha, cooling!  The data does not support global warming!"
> 
> 
> Martin M. Meiss
> 
> 2012/4/5 Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH) 
> The month of March 2012 was incredibly warm--both day and night--and Mother 
> Nature seemed to respond. Plants and animals of various species showed 
> activity ahead of what the calendar usually dictates, so there may be some 
> long-term effects. To view our photo essay about this phenomenon and some of 
> the organisms involved, please visit our "This Week at Hilton Pond" 
> installment for 19-31 March 2012 at 
> http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek120319.html
> 
> While there, don't forget to scroll down for a list of birds banded and 
> recaptured, including a rather old American Goldfinch.
> 
> Happy (Spring) Nature watching!
> 
> BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 03/19/12 (Signs Of Early Spring)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

The month of March 2012 was incredibly warm--both day and night--and Mother 
Nature seemed to respond. Plants and animals of various species showed activity 
ahead of what the calendar usually dictates, so there may be some long-term 
effects. To view our photo essay about this phenomenon and some of the 
organisms involved, please visit our "This Week at Hilton Pond" installment for 
19-31 March 2012 at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek120319.html

While there, don't forget to scroll down for a list of birds banded and 
recaptured, including a rather old American Goldfinch.

Happy (Spring) Nature watching!

BILL



=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 03/10/12 (Hummingbirds In Belize)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

As noted previously, it takes a long time to put together each photo essay that 
summarizes an Operation RubyThroat hummingbird expedition to the Neotropics. 
Nonetheless, I've just completed the on-line write-up about our third trip to 
Crooked Tree in Belize and have posted it as our "This Week at Hilton Pond" 
installment for 10-18 March 2012. In it you'll find lots of colorful images of 
Belizean birds and other wildlife and scenery, but the most important content 
is what we learned this year about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and other 
Neotropical migrants that may show up in your own backyard in the U.S. or 
Canada. (We might mention our field crew this year was an eager bunch of 
undergraduate students from Keystone College in Pennsylvania.)

To view the report, please visit http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek120310.html 
, and then get your hummingbird feeders ready for the ruby-throats' annual 
return from wintering grounds south of the border.

Happy (Neotropical) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] spring wildflowers visited by Ruby-throated Hummingbirds?

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

DAVID . . .

My guess is that this may be one of those years when sapsucker wells--those 
horizontal, sap-oozing holes made by Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers--may be of more 
importance than usual in the northern part of the ruby-throat's range. (See 
images at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek060515.html )

Hummers may also take small amounts of sap from tree buds that likely will be 
bursting early.

I suspect warm weather that allows hummers to be further north than usual also 
will cause earlier-than-normal emergence of insects that will provide needed 
fats and proteins.

The big question may be what will happen if there is a sudden cold snap now 
that ruby-throats are so far north. Will adults survive? Will early nesters 
lose the first clutch or eggs--or even a first brood? We'll have to wait and 
see, i guess.  :-)

Cheers,

BILL

===

On Mar 26, 2012, at 1:23 PM, David Inouye wrote:

> http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html reports that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds 
> have already arrived in Canada this month (3 weeks earlier than last year).  
> What wildflowers do they usually visit during their spring migration, and are 
> they already in bloom?
> 
> David Inouye

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 10/11/11 (Ode To Goldenrod)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Each October, one of our favorite natural pastimes is to venture into a patch 
of Goldenrod to see how many pollinators and predators we can find. "This Week 
at Hilton Pond" we located--and photographed--some little arthropods we'd not 
encountered before, including a spider species we've been seeking for years. To 
view our latest "Ode to Goldenrod" photo essay, please visit the installment 
for 11-21 October 2011 at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek111011.html

While there don't forget to scroll down for a list of all birds banded and 
recaptured, including some fall arrivals from the far north. There are also a 
few miscellaneous nature notes.

Happy (Autumn) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 08/01/11 (Spiders Of August)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Due to a family medical emergency, we haven't posted "This Week at Hilton Pond" 
for a while, but we're back at it now with a photo essay about the "Spiders of 
August." If you think you've got a bad case of arachnophobia, it's time to 
confront your fears--perhaps by taking a look at the images and text within our 
installment for 1-31 August 2011 at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek110801.html

While there please scroll down for a list of all birds banded or recaptured 
during the period--you may be surprised at the number of Ruby-throated 
Hummingbirds--and to read a few miscellaneous nature notes. We also acknowledge 
those who recently have supported Hilton Pond Center's initiatives in 
education, research, and conservation.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 05/23/11 (Spring Fancy!)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

In spring a young man's fancy may turn, but nature is way ahead of him as far 
as propagation is concerned. "This Week at Hilton Pond" we devote our photo 
essay to the rites of spring among turtles and birds and roadside flowers. For 
a peek at some of the adaptations that ensure organisms pass their genes from 
one generation to the next, please visit the installment for 23-31 May 2011 at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek110523.html

Don't forget to scroll down for a special postscript about yet another American 
Goldfinch that showed up someplace familiar. We also include our usual tally of 
birds banded and a whopping list of banded birds recaptured during the week; 
there are also some miscellaneous nature notes to peruse.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 03/01/11 (Belize Hummingbirds)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

At long last I've checked my notes and processed my photos and put together the 
third and final write-up about our 2011 Operation RubyThroat hummingbird 
expeditions to the Neotropics--this time to Belize.

The infamous "2011 Hummingbird Jinx" that began in Costa Rica and continued in 
Guatemala followed us to Belize, but we still had a productive, educational, 
and enjoyable nine-day stay at Crooked Tree Sanctuary. We caught lots of 
colorful birds and banded many migrants while adding to our knowledge base abut 
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on their wintering grounds.

Please note that we're already taking registrations for a November 2011 
expedition to Costa Rica, in addition to trips to Belize, Costa Rica, and 
Nicaragua in January-March 2012.

For a look at the latest photo essay--including a gallery of flora and fauna 
seen in Belize--visit the 1-12 March 2011 installment of "This Week at Hilton 
Pond" at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek110301.html

Happy (Neotropical) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Red-winged Blackbird Die Off in AR....

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

The flaw in Evan's friend's argument against the fireworks hypothesis is that 
there are no big summer (July 4th) concentrations of birds--such as the 
multi-thousand assemblages of Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, Common 
Grackles, etc., that occur in winter.

I'm sticking with the alien flying saucer attack theory.  :-)

(Not really. I still like the fireworks idea.)

Cheers,

BILL



On Jan 6, 2011, at 10:41 AM, Evan Clark wrote:

> Dear ECOLOG-L Members,
> 
> I have an ornithologist friend who works for the Dept. of the Environment in
> D.C., and in a recent correspondence I asked for his opinion on the mass
> bird kills in the news. Here is his reply for any who are interested.
> 
> "The red-winged blackbird and other species kills were most likely
> microbursts and windshear associated with the storm system which had moved
> through earlier. Microbursts can have wind gusts between 60 and 120 miles an
> hour, that would create plenty of force to mimic hurricane conditions and do
> some real trauma. Is was not disease or some type of contamination. You can
> see a few birds staggering around with broken wings on the news videos. I
> believe the birds were either crushed in the air of forced downward with
> enough energy to kill them. I don’t buy the firework theory. If it were true
> we would have giant bird kill problems every July 4th."
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Evan D. Clark

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 12/22/10 (House Finch Follow-ups)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

After our photo essay last week about possible diminished migration in eastern 
House Finch populations, we got some great questions and comments from visitors 
to our Web site. As a result, "This Week at Hilton Pond" we're revisiting the 
finch topic with some follow-up information about conjunctivitis, banding 
effort, foreign recaptures, and our sure-fire method for differentiating Purple 
Finches from House Finches. To view the latest installment for 22-28 December 
2010, please see http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek101222.html

While there don't forget to scroll down for our usual list of birds banded and 
recaptured, a couple of miscellaneous notes about still-frigid weather, an 
obligatory photo of Christmas snow at Hilton Pond, and a shout out to some 
folks who made tax-deductible contributions this week in support of our 
education, research, and conservation activities--including on-line publication 
of "This Week at Hilton Pond."

Happy (End of Year) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 09/11/10 (Summer Tanagers)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

With the autumnal equinox arriving at 11:09 p.m. yesterday, 21 September was 
the last FULL day of summer, so it seemed only appropriate our final birds 
banded that day were SUMMER Tanagers. One was a brilliantly plumaged adult 
male, the other a more cryptically colored bird that required closer analysis 
to determine its age and sex. For a closer look at this species and an 
explanation of why Summer Tanagers are sometimes disliked by beekeepers and 
pollination enthusiasts, please visit our "This Week at Hilton Pond" photo 
essay for 11-21 September 2010 at 
<>

While there, don't forget to scroll down for a list of all birds banded and 
recaptured during the week, plus miscellaneous notes about the current drought, 
early fall migration, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. We also gratefully 
acknowledge a sizable group of supporters who made contributions during the 
period.

You may also be interested in knowing about two scholarships available for our 
hummingbird expedition to Costa Rica in January 2011. If you've always wanted 
to study hummers in the warm, sunny Neotropics when winter is at its worst in 
much of North America, here's your chance to receive a $1,799 trip scholarship 
and get a tax deduction while supporting Hilton Pond Center's education, 
research, and conservation endeavors.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 08/27/10 (Mt. Cuba Center DE)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Many folks don't realize the Carolinas encompass only a small part of the 
Piedmont, which stretches all the way from southern New York to central 
Alabama. We've just returned from the "upper end" of the region in northern 
Delaware, where we held our final "Hummingbird Mornings" event of 2010 at Mt. 
Cuba Center. This amazing facility celebrates native plants of the Piedmont, so 
our "This Week at Hilton Pond" photo essay concentrates on wildflowers and the 
insects and birds that pollinate them. To view, please visit 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek100827.html

Our latest edition includes info about two scholarships available for our 
hummingbird expedition to Costa Rica in January 2011. If you've always wanted 
to study hummers in the warm, sunny Neotropics when winter is at its worst in 
much of North America, here's your chance to receive a $1,799 trip scholarship 
and get a tax deduction while supporting Hilton Pond Center's education, 
research, and conservation endeavors.

Don't forget to scroll down for a list of birds banded at Hilton Pond during 
the most recent period, as well as a couple of miscellaneous observations.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 08/01/10 (Land Between the Lakes)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Hummingbirds must like it hot, for there were tons of them in sweltering 
90-degree-plus weather at Land Between the Lakes this week when we went out for 
annual Hummingbird Festival at Woodlands Nature Station in Kentucky. We did see 
lots of hummers--including one with an interesting foot problem--but also 
encountered plenty of other birds, mammals, and insects worth showing to 
Ernesto Carman Jr., our Costa Rican guide who's been visiting "This Week at 
Hilton Pond." 

For a look at what Ernesto saw (plus one of his tropical hummer images), please 
visit our photo essay for 1-10 August 2010 at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek100801.html . Don't forget to scroll down for 
a list of birds banded or recaptured at Hilton Pond during the period. There's 
also a nature note and acknowledgement for our most recent contributors.

Happy (Hot) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 07/22/10 (Midsummer Hummer)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Although we've been away from home a bit--think the cool mountains of North 
Carolina and West Virginia--we still had time to catch a few Ruby-throated 
Hummingbirds "This Week at Hilton Pond." For a discussion of our midsummer 
lull--plus a possible answer to a perplexing hummingbird question--please check 
out our photo essay for 22-31 July 2010 at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek100722.html

Don't forget to scroll down for a list of all birds banded and recaptured 
during the period, as well as an acknowledgement of this week's donors.

Happy (Hot!) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] fixing peer review - elegant new proposal and petition

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

One way to handle that would be to put an expiration date on PubCreds, perhaps 
24 months.

Heaven forbid it should all lead to a system of reviewers who would review the 
quality of reviews.  :-)

BILL

On Jul 22, 2010, at 11:08 AM, Amartya Saha wrote:

> Its a good idea; however there is a possibility of the quality of reviews 
> deteriorating, whereby reviewers may not assign the time and effort required 
> for an indepth review, as their main aim would  be to get as many "PubCreds" 
> as possible.
> cheers
> Amartya
> 
> 
> Quoting Jeremy Fox :
> 
>> The peer review system is breaking down and will soon be in crisis:
>> increasing numbers of submitted manuscripts mean that demand for reviews is
>> outstripping supply. This is a classic "tragedy of the commons," in which
>> individuals have every incentive to exploit the "reviewer commons" by
>> submitting manuscripts, but little or no incentive to contribute reviews.
>> The result is a system increasingly dominated by "cheats" (individuals who
>> submit papers without doing proportionate reviewing), with increasingly
>> random and potentially biased results as more and more manuscripts are
>> rejected without external review.
>> 
>> In the latest issue of the ESA Bulletin (July 2010, v. 91, p. 325), Owen
>> Petchey and I propose a classic solution to this classic tragedy:
>> privatizing the commons. Specifically, we propose that instead of being free
>> to exploit the reviewer commons at will, authors should have to "pay" for
>> their submissions using a novel "currency" called PubCreds, earned by
>> performing reviews. We discuss how this simple, powerful idea could be
>> implemented in practice, and describe its advantages over previously
>> proposed solutions.
>> 
>> The article is available at
>> .
>> 
>> Owen and I are very serious about wanting to see this idea, or a suitable
>> alternative, implemented. We have set up a petition at
>> . Please sign if you
>> support this idea, at least enough to want to see it further discussed. The
>> petition site also has a link to the article, and a blog where we'll be
>> updating on progress of the idea and responding to comments.
>> 
>> PubCreds are already set to be discussed by the ESA Publications Committee,
>> and by numerous other ecology journals. If you're as frustrated as Owen and
>> I by the recent deterioration of the peer review process, now's the time to
>> speak up and take action. Please sign the petition, and pass it on to your
>> colleagues and students.
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.bio.miami.edu/asaha

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 06/22/10 (New York Wildflowers)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

We weren't at Hilton Pond this week but we were still involved in explorations
of natural history--this time in Upstate New York near the shores of the St.
Lawrence River. While there we wandered roadsides around Morristown, taking
photos of some of the many plants--native and imported--that abound in the
cool, moist habitat. For a look at what we found, please visit our photo essay
for 11-23 June 2010 at
<>

We did manage to band or recapture a few birds at York during the period;
a tally is included, as are a couple of weather-related nature notes.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 04/15/10 (Hummer Trips to the Tropics)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

After 11 successful expeditions to Costa Rica and Belize to study Ruby-
throated Hummingbirds on their Neotropical wintering grounds, we're expanding
our citizen science opportunities in 2011 by adding Nicaragua and Guatemala
so we can "Follow the Hummingbirds North." For the 15-21 April 2010 edition
of "This Week at Hilton Pond" we explain how we got started working on
hummingbirds in the tropics and summarize next year's trips--complete with
lots of photos of habitats, birds, and wildlife you can expect to see in one or
more of these Central American countries. The installment includes information
about pricing and links to detailed descriptions and day-by-day itineraries. To
read all about these exciting excursions YOU can join, please visit
<>

As always, we include a list of birds banded or recaptured closer to home at
Hilton Pond, as well as some miscellaneous Piedmont nature notes.

We'd appreciate forwarding this e-mail to individuals and groups that might
be interested in participating in our Neotropical hummingbird expeditions
in 2011.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 04/08/10 (Hummingbirds & Citizen Science)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Although migrant Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been back in the Carolinas for 
at least a couple of weeks, people elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada have 
contacted us about when to expect their first hummers; thus, our latest edition 
of "This Week at Hilton Pond" includes a North American migration map. However, 
the real focus of our photo essay is the potential value of reporting 
hummingbird observations to Operation RubyThroat and EarthTrek. To read about 
this "citizen science" initiative in which YOU can participate--and to view 
some ruby-throat photos from a surprising location--please check out our 8-14 
April 2010 installment at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek100408.html

While there, don't forget to scroll down for a list of birds banded and 
recaptured during the week. We also offer some miscellaneous nature 
observations about sparrows, Bullfrogs, and an unbanded hummingbird.

Happy (Spring) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 03/22/10 (Boxes for Bluebirds, etc.)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Although some female Eastern Bluebirds are already sitting on eggs here in the 
Carolina Piedmont, we still see pairs roaming about looking for suitable nest 
sites. From this we conclude it's not yet too late to build and put up new nest 
boxes--especially in more northerly parts of the species' breeding range. 
Besides, you may still get other cavity nesters to move in--birds such as 
Brown-headed Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers.

"This Week at Hilton Pond" we approach the topic of creating artificial 
cavities for bluebirds and other birds that will use them. The current photo 
essay includes a blueprint for a simple bluebird nest box, plus lots of natural 
history info about bluebirds and other cavity nesters. For ideas on how to 
attract bluebirds et al., please check out the installment for 22-31 March 2010 
at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek100322.html

While there, don't forget to scroll down for the latest lists of birds banded 
and recaptured--including a rush of returning Chipping Sparrows. We include 
some miscellaneous nature notes as well.

Happy (Spring) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 02/22/10 (Costa Rica Pollinators)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Although some folks seem to think all pollination is conducted by Honey Bees, 
many other organisms from butterflies to bats play a role in carrying pollen 
from one flower to the next. As part of our study of Ruby-throated Hummingbird 
behavior in Central America, we're interested in whether this migratory species 
that spends half its life in the Neotropics is as important a pollinator "down 
there" as it is "up here" on breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada.

The current installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" includes some of our most 
recent discoveries about plants visited—and likely pollinated—by RTHU here and 
abroad. To view the 22-28 February 2010 photo essay with lots of Costa Rica 
flower pictures, please visit http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek100222.html .

While there, be sure to scroll down for an account of birds banded or 
recaptured at Hilton Pond during the current period; there's also a personal 
note about the passing of a patriarch.

Happy Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
(803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 02/15/10 (Costa Rica Portfolio)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Really big hummingbirds, treetop monkeys, colorful flowers and fruits, lizards 
and snakes, and even a unusual Costa Rican election strategy. All this (and 
more) makes up Part Two of the report on our 2010 Operation RubyThroat 
hummingbird banding expedition to Guanacaste Province CR. To view our latest 
photo essay about all these tropical wonders, please visit the 15-21 February 
2010 installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" at 
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek100215.html . (NOTE: There are LOTS of 
images--46 to be exact--so the page may take a while to load!)

While on-site, don't forget to scroll down to see what birds we banded or 
recaptured this week closer to home--you may be as amazed as we were by the age 
of one returning Chipping Sparrow--and to read some miscellaneous nature notes.

Happy (Tropical) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
(803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 12/22/09 (Christmas Bird Count)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

As the holiday season arrives, we're always involved in compiling results of 
the York/Rock Hill Christmas Bird Count, so that's the topic of the 22-28 
December 2009 installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond." Our final numbers 
weren't all that great, but we did manage to get a few photos of birds we 
observed--including a close image of an adult Red-shouldered Hawk. To view the 
photo essay, please visit http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek091222.html and 
then scroll down for our usual list of banded birds and miscellaneous notes 
about bird scarcity and torrential rains.

Happy (Holiday) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
(803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Hilton Pond 11/18/09 (Hummingbird Records)

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Did your Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive slowly in 2009? Did you think you 
might have your worst year ever for hosting these little balls of fluff at 
backyard feeders? Did ruby-throats finally arrive with a vengeance in late 
summer? If so, you had something in common with our banding efforts in the 
Carolina Piedmont, where things started extremely slow and finished 
exceptionally fast. To read about the downs and ups of our unusual 2009 
hummingbird season, please visit the 18-21 November 2009 edition of "This Week 
at Hilton Pond" at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek091118.html . We include 
some hummer photos you may find of interest.

Happy (Thanksgiving) Nature Watching!

BILL

=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
(803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] To capitalize or not to capitalize

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

David Anderson has made the case well for "common name" taxonomy,  
which is just as standardized as the binomial (or trinomial) epithet  
for a growing number of disciplines. Many entomologists,  
herpetologists, and other specialists are following the lead of  
ornithologists who long ago standardized common names and had good  
reasons for capitalizing them.


To extend David's examples, there are lots of green frogs in North  
America, but only one Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans melanotus). Any  
non-scientific style dictionary that claims a "green frog" equals  
"Green Frog" implies it knows more about amphibian nomenclature than  
professional herpetologists and ought to be viewed with suspicion.


What really rubs me the wrong way is that the Associated Press ignores  
all scientific convention in refusing to italicize genus/species  
epithets and often follows no capitalization standard at all. It's not  
"homo sapiens."


And don't even get me started on "Canadian geese."

Cheers

BILL

=

On Oct 5, 2009, at 1:13 PM, David Anderson wrote:

It is important to separate vernacular names from professionally  
designated common names assigned to species.  The American  
Ornithologists' Union is the authority that names birds in North  
America, and names of birds are capitalized: Chipping Sparrow,  
Lovely Cotinga.  These names are associated with taxonomic binomials  
consistent with the recognized status of species.  A chipping  
sparrow is any sparrow seen chipping.  A Chipping Sparrow refers to  
Spizella passerina.  All cotingas are lovely indeed, but only Lovely  
Cotinga refers to Cotinga amabilis.  Birds have many common names.   
A "hoot owl" means nothing in particular.  A "rain crow" is a Common  
Nighthawk.  When popular magazines, e.g., National Geographic,  
Audubon, incorrectly refer to chipping sparrows and lovely cotingas  
they are ignoring the scientific authority and tradition that  
separates vernacular from science, and in so doing they blur the  
boundary between common and scientific observations and knowledge.




David L. Anderson
Ph.D. Candidate
Museum of Natural Science
Louisiana State University
225-578-5393
dand...@tigers.lsu.edu
http://www.museum.lsu.edu/Anderson/index.htm


=

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
(803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

[ECOLOG-L] Allelopathy in oaks

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

Various sources indicate some species of oak may be allelopathic  
toward understory and shrub layer vegetation.


Is anyone aware of work demonstrating that Willow Oak, Quercus  
phellos, is allelopathic--especially on Flowering Dogwood, Cornus  
florida?


Thanks in advance,

BILL

RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
(803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Intelligence Who is the greatest of them all?

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

It's amazing how many folks don't even accept that humans are animals,  
in that "we're" supposed to have dominion over "them."


BILL

==

On Sep 18, 2009, at 2:06 PM, Warren W. Aney wrote:


I agree with Tom:  I don't think we can generalize.

Some religions do profess the superiority of humans over the  
animals, end of
story.  However, many religions now agree that any such superiority  
carries

with it a divinely directed duty to act within creation as care-taking
stewards rather than outside of creation as exploiting overlords.

And some evolutionary scientists might ask how you define "most  
advanced" --
in terms of species' specialization, Malcom's bovine might be  
considered
more advanced than humans, e.g, hooved instead to toed feet are  
better for
running, a complex digestive system is better for processing a wide  
variety
of plant materials, a better sense of smell and hearing, more  
efficiently

spaced estrus cycles, etc.

Warren W. Aney
Senior Wildlife Ecologist
Tigard, OR

-Original Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of malcolm McCallum
Sent: Friday, 18 September, 2009 08:55
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Intelligence Who is the greatest of them all?

Do Hindu's believe this?
I thought the bovine was the top of the caste system?
I am reminded of an east asian religion (which one I do not remember)
that believed humans
were lice on God's head.  Not sure where that fits in.

On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 7:23 AM, Tom Cuba   
wrote:
Please consider the number of humans on the planet, their wide  
variety of
both stereotypical and highly personal beleifs and ask if a  
generalization

such as this is even properly posed.

Tom Cuba




Ecolog:


Would you please assess the following

statement for its veracity and

completeness? Is it misleading in

any way, especially with respect to

evolutionary biology?

"Humans consider themselves to be above 'the

animals,' believing that they

are superior, either chosen by

'God' or are products of an evolutionary

process in which they

are the most highly developed example of that

process, the most

highly  'advanced' species."




WT







--
Malcolm L. McCallum
Associate Professor of Biology
Managing Editor,
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
Texas A&M University-Texarkana
Fall Teaching Schedule:
Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm;
Forensic Science -  W 6-9:40pm
Office Hourse- TBA





RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
(803) 684-5852

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

==