Hi Everyone,
Here are some further details on the Wilson Conference at The College of
William & Mary in March. Looks both fun and interesting! Note that
there's an inexpensive "Birder's" option. Hope to see some of you there.
Have fun,
Ron Gutberlet
Salisbury, MD
<rlgutberlet...>
*
The Birder's Ticket ($50) to the Wilson Ornithology Conference at the
College of William & Mary (March 7-10, 2013) gets you these two great
plenary lectures, plus the Friday night scientific poster social, plus
access to Sunday field trips.*
SNEAK PREVIEW: Margaret Morse Nice Plenary talks:
Margaret Morse Nice Plenary Lecture #1 (presented Friday, 8 March 2013)
From Passion to Science to the Evolution of Avian Color
Edward H. Burtt, Jr., Department of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University,
Delaware, OH 43215
We began our ornithological careers out of passion, a passion for watching
birds, for identifying them, for sharing our excitement and knowledge with
our friends. At some point our desire to know and understand birds led us
into science. We joined Christmas Bird Counts and wondered why the species
and numbers varied annually. We wondered what characterized good sparrow
habitat. We found that patch of habitat and saw more sparrows than anyone
else. Then we discovered that people published their observations of birds.
We read some of those papers, at first the short ones, those that focused
on natural history, on what we could observe. Then we tried to imitate the
authors. We asked questions and watched birds to find answers. We were not
aware, certainly not me, that the child hobbyist had become an adolescent
scientist. I joined the Wilson Ornithological Society and began to write up
my observations. One day I screwed up my courage and submitted a short
paper on Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). It was rejected. But I was
now an undergraduate with a research grant. The die was cast. Graduate
school followed and writing more short papers. Some were accepted. I
synthesized some of these into larger papers with substantive conclusions
that were cited by real ornithologists. Imperceptably I became a scientist,
I began to formulate hypotheses, deduce predictions, collect data and
create new explanations about the evolution of avian color, an aspect of
birds that had fascinated me almost since I became aware of birds and
painted a papier-m�ch� duck white with scarlet feet and bill.
Margaret Morse Nice Plenary Lecture #2 (presented Saturday, 9 March 2013)
A long-term study of Darwin's Finches
Peter R. Grant & B. Rosemary Grant, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Many ornithologists have followed in Margaret Morse Nice's footsteps by
studying a population of birds continuously for many years. Long-term
studies reveal insights into population processes that can only be hinted
at in studies of short duration. We have followed in these footsteps by
studying populations of Darwin's finches for four decades. In doing so we
have followed in some other illustrious footsteps, those of Charles Darwin.
Experiences he gained in the Gal�pagos and elsewhere helped him to
establish the scientific basis for understanding how evolution occurs by
natural selection. Darwin was less clear about the process of species
formation. Nevertheless he envisioned a three-step process: colonization,
involving the expansion of a population into a new environment; divergence,
when populations become adapted to novel environmental conditions through
natural selection; and finally, the formation of a barrier to interbreeding
between divergent lineages. He showed characteristic foresight by
suggesting that investigations of what we now call "very young adaptive
radiations" might provide windows through which we can view the processes
involved. Since Darwin's time insights from the fields of genetics,
behavior and ecology have continued to illuminate how and why species
evolve. In this talk we will discuss the progress that has been made in our
understanding of speciation with special reference to the young radiation
of Darwin's Finches.
*A Regular Registration ($140 before February 1, $160 after) gets you all
that plus access to the Thursday night opening reception, Saturday banquet,
and ~100 scientific talks including the following two special symposia:*
*Special Symposium #1 on Birds and Human Health (Friday, 8 March 2013)*
Talks focus on the role of birds and their habitats and arthropod
parasites as vectors for Lyme Disease and West Nile Virus, as well as the
role ornithologists can play in reducing risks from mercury pollution and
aircraft birdstrikes.
1. The Possible Role of Avian Hosts in Newly Established Populations of
the Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum)
Eric L. Walters Holly D. Gaff, Robyn M. Naldony, Department of Biological
Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, R. Jory Brinkerhoff,
Biology Department, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173
2. The effects of urbanization on the relationship among birds, ticks, and
tick-borne diseases
Erin Heller, Dr. Eric Walters, and Dr. Holly Gaff, Department of Biological
Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529.
3. Does anthropogenic forest fragmentation affect distributions of ticks,
exotic plants, and deer?
Matthias Leu, Joanna Weeks, Matt Feresten, Christopher Tyson, Nora Wicks,
Joseph Thompson, and Alan Harris, College of William and Mary, VA 23185.
4. Modeling tick-borne diseases in the changing landscape of the Virginian
peninsula: a tool for urban planning in the context of human health.
Joanna Weeks, Matthias Leu, Matt Feresten, and Oliver Kerscher, College of
William and Mary, VA 23185.
5. Increased bird diversity is associated with lower incidence of West Nile
Virus infections in humans
John P. Swaddle, Institute for Integrative Biodiversity and Behavior
Studies, Biology Department, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
23187. ****
6. Northern Cardinals as Victims, Vectors, and Sentinels for West Nile Virus
Sylvia L. Halkin*, Biology Department, Central Connecticut State
University, New Britain, CT 06050.
7. Birds as sentinels and models for the problem of mercury pollution
Daniel A. Cristol, Institute for Integrative Biodiversity and Behavior
Studies, Biology Department, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA
23187.
8. Birds and the Safety of Airline Travel
Carla Dove, Feather Identification Lab, Smithsonian Institute, Washington,
D.C., 20013
****
*Special Symposium #2 on Aspects of the History and Future of American
Ornithology from the Perspective of the Wilson Ornithological Society on
the Occasion of its 125th Anniversary (Saturday, 9 March 2013).*
For this 125th anniversary of the WOS we have decided to approach the
history of the society from the perspective of some of the individuals who
have contributed to making the WOS what it is today. This includes papers
on two individuals -- Catesby and Wilson -- who laid a scientific
foundation for American ornithology, then a paper on the individuals who
founded or belonged to the WOS in its first two decades, a look at the
roles of individuals in shepherding the WOS through times of global
financial and social upheaval, and finally a look at recent and current
status of the WOS and the prospects for the future of WOS and American
ornithology.
1. Mark Catesby's Birds
Shepard Krech III, Brown University, Research Associate, Smithsonian
Institution. Washington, DC.
2. Alexander Wilson, the masterful author of American Ornithology
Edward H. Burtt, Jr., Cincinnati Conference Professor of Zoology, Ohio
Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH 43015 and Jack M. Stenger, Department of
Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH 43015
3. Founders of the Wilson Ornithological Society -- A Gallery of Kids,
Joiners, Botanists, and Friends in Search of Collaborators, Knowledge, and
the Conservation of Birds
Bette J. S. Jackson, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast
University, Ft. Myers, FL 33965; and Jerome A. Jackson, Department of
Marine and Ecological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers,
FL 33962
4. The Role of Avocational Birders in American Ornithology and in the
Wilson Ornithological Society.
William E. Davis, Jr., Boston University, 23 Knollwood Drive, East
Falmouth, MA 02536
5. Dealing With Crises: The Power of Diversity, Friendships,
Collaboration, and Individual Persistence of Professionals in the Middle
Years of the Wilson Ornithological Society
Jerome A. Jackson, Department of Marine and Ecological Sciences, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, FL 33962
6. The Once and Future Wilson Ornithological Society
John Kricher, Biology Department, Wheaton College, Norton, MA 02766
Sign up now at:
http://www.cvent.com/events/125th-annual-meeting-of-the-wilson-ornithological-society/event-summary-5d289a66b396437cb50d65a6cd35c19e.aspx
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