Meetings & Programs

Prof Amber Rice, Lehigh University

When hybridization occurs, selection against hybrids can maintain species barriers. Learning and memory can be important for fitness in many species, but whether cognition is impacted by hybridization is not well understood. Black-capped and Carolina chickadees naturally hybridize, and also rely on learning and memory to cache and retrieve food as an adaptation for overwinter survival. My research on wild-caught adult chickadees indicates that hybrid chickadees show reduced spatial memory, which persists even after we standardized diet and rearing environment. Much of this reduction in memory may be explained by genetic incompatibilities, but our work also suggests that chickadee gut microbiomes may be influencing their cognition.

Amber completed a BA at the College of Wooster in Ohio, followed by a PhD at the University of North Carolina. She first began working with birds during her postdoc at Uppsala University in Sweden. Amber started her faculty position at Lehigh University in 2011. Across her career, Amber has worked with study systems including plants, spiders, toads, and birds, but her interests have always centered around understanding how biodiversity arises and is maintained.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Jim Wright

Jim Wright, long-time "Bird Watcher" columnist for The Bergen Record and other New Jersey newspapers, will speak about his book The Real James Bond, the story behind the noted naturalist/adventurer from Philadelphia and the world’s greatest identity theft

Featured are the genuine James Bond's iconic Birds of the West Indies, his solo Caribbean expeditions -- and his enduring connection to Ian Fleming.

Jim's other books include The Screech Owl Companion, The Nature of the Meadowlands, Jungle of the Maya, and Hawk Mountain. In his spare time, he spies on peregrine falcons for the state of New Jersey. He is the coordinator for the fall migration at the State Line Hawk Watch on the Hudson River.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Prof Jennifer Uehling

Though most people bemoan the presence of bird poop, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure! Dr. Jenny Uehling will explore what we can learn from bird feces, covering topics such as DNA sequencing to identify bird diet and microplastic identification and quantification. Understanding what birds are eating, and how it can expose them to potentially helpful nutrients or harmful pollutants, allows us to better understand the relationship between diet, survival, reproductive success, and bird declines.

Dr. Jenny Uehling is an assistant professor at West Chester University. She received her PhD in Ecology from Cornell University and her BS in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Chicago. She studies bird behavior, with a focus on foraging ecology.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Jennie MacFarland

The Desert Purple Martin (Progne subis hesperia) is a distinct subspecies that times its nesting to monsoon abundance and nests almost exclusively in saguaros or other large columnar cacti. Desert Purple Martins are extremely understudied with large gaps in knowledge about their nesting, migration, and wintering grounds. Very recent discoveries and data results will be shared along with lots of video and audio that showcases the charming and fascinating Desert Purple Martin.

Jennie MacFarland is the Director of Bird Conservation at Tucson Bird Alliance. She co-coordinates the Arizona Bird Areas Program with Tice Supplee and also coordinates the Tucson Bird Count, a city-wide, urban spring bird count.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Shirley Klein

TBD

Bio TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

LeeAnn Haaf, Samantha Collins & Lisa Ferguson

Tidal marshes are ecologically critical yet increasingly vulnerable coastal systems, and emerging research suggests that soundscape analysis may offer a novel, non-invasive approach to assessing their condition over time. To assess soundscapes and determine anthropogenic influences, we monitored 11 New Jersey tidal marsh along salinity and urbanization gradients. Audio data were collected and analyzed. We found that biological and anthropogenic sound were related to the degree of light pollution. Other preliminary results suggest that loudness was driven by a variety of factors, including the dominance of specific species and anthropogenic sounds.

LeeAnn leads science programming at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE), where she oversees ecological research and assessments of the region’s tidal wetlands. With over 12 years of experience in scientific research and project management, she brings deep expertise and a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. A triple Dragon, LeeAnn holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Drexel University.

Samantha Collins & Lisa Ferguson are associated with The Wetlands Institute.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Speaker TBD

TBD

Bio TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Zoe Warner

The Grassland Bird Collaboration (GBC), a program of Willistown Conservation Trust, addresses grassland bird conservation needs among Chester County’s agricultural lands and nature preserves. The GBC partners with farmers, landowners, and conservation organizations to implement management practices that benefit birds that rely on farm fields for survival. This talk features the work of the GBC to conserve sensitive grassland bird species while minimizing disruption to agricultural production among Chester County’s farmlands.

Zoë Warner is the GBC program manager and has been researching grassland birds in southern Chester County since 2014. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Speaker TBD

TBD

Bio TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Speaker TBD

TBD

Bio TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Speaker TBD

TBD

Bio TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Speaker TBD

TBD

Bio TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.