Book Review of Ecology and Conservation of Grassland Birds of the Western Hemisphere

This book review appeared in The Auk, Volume 118 No. 3 (July 2001)

SET: The Probabilities and Possibilities

The card game SET involves finding groups o f three cards called SETs. Choices are based upon the individual card characteristics, including shape, pattern, number, and color. Previously, the maximum number o f cards that can be played without creating a SET has been determined as 20 cards by extensive computer work. This report further explored the probabilities and possibilities o f the game. Using discrete mathematics and probability, we explored how many SETs are possible and what strategies led to the most points. Additionally, this project exercised undergraduate logic and reasoning to generalize the results in order to be applied in other fields o f study. Furthermore, we investigated different methods o f selecting and ordering cards, trying to find the minimum cards needed to guarantee a SET

Phenology of Red-Winged Blackbird Use of Field Corn in Central New York

Crop depredations by red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) have been a problem since colonial times (Cardinell and Hayne 1945, Weatherhead and Bider 1979, Dolbeer 1980). Today, tens of millions of dollars worth of corn are consumed yearly by blackbirds (Stone et al. 1972, Dolbeer 1980, Tyler and Kannenberg 1980) and the problem appears to be increasing. Most of the initial efforts to reduce blackbird damage to corn and other crops focused on techniques to reduce redwing populations or on chemical and mechanical repellents and frightening devices (Dyer and Ward 1977). The inconsistent effectiveness of these techniques, however, has indicated the need for an integrated approach to understanding the ecological relationships between red wings and corn (Dolbeer 1980, Dolbeer et al. MS)

Successional Changes and Habitat Selection in Hayfield Bird Communities

I examined the effects of successional changes in vegetation on the breeding dispersion of grassland birds in hayfields in New York. I sampled vegetation and counted birds in 90 hayfields of various ages (i.e. number of years since planting) and sizes that were originally planted to a legume-dominated seed mixture. I also resampled a subset of these fields two years later. Over time, these hayfields changed from tall, dense, homogeneous stands of legume-dominated vegetation to short, sparse, patchy stands of grass-dominated vegetation. Fields of all ages were dominated by introduced plant species. Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), the most common bird species breeding in these fields, were most common in fields of intermediate ages, whereas numbers of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), the second most abundant species, increased logarithmically with field age. Upland Sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda), Eastern Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), and Henslow\u27s Sparrows (A. henslowii) were most abundant in the oldest hayfields, whereas abundances of Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis, the third most common species) did not differ in fields of different ages. Bird-species richness and diversity increased linearly with hayfield age. Three species (Red-winged Blackbird, Bobolink, Savannah Sparrow) accounted for more than 90% of the breeding individuals. Vegetation structure, composition, and patch size were the most important proximate correlates of habitat selection for these species. Hayfield size was positively correlated with abundance for five of the seven most common species. Furthermore, those species that nested late in the season (Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Henslow\u27s Sparrows) had low breeding densities in fields with early mowing dates the previous year

The North Comes South Northern Methodists In Florida During Reconstruction

This thesis examines three groups of northern Methodists who made their way to north Florida during Reconstruction: northern white male Methodists, northern white female Methodists, and northern black male and female Methodists. It analyzes the ways in which these men and women confronted the differences they encountered in Florida‟s southern society as compared to their experiences living in a northern society. School catalogs, school reports, letters, and newspapers highlight the ways in which these northerners explained the culture and behaviors of southern freedmen and poor whites in Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Monticello. This study examines how these particular northern men and women present in Florida during Reconstruction applied elements of “the North” to their interactions with the freedmen and poor whites. Ultimately, it sheds light on northern Methodist middle class values in southern societ

Comparing radio-tracking and visual detection methods to quantify group size measures

1. Average values of animal group sizes are prone to be overestimated in traditional field studies because small groups and singletons are easier to overlook than large ones. This kind of bias also applies for the method of locating groups by tracking previously radio-collared individuals in the wild. If the researcher randomly chooses a collared animal to locate a group to visit, a large group has higher probability to be selected than a small one, simply because it has more members.2. The question arises whether location of groups by means of finding collared animals has smaller or greater bias than searching for groups by visual observation. If the bias is smaller or same, this method can be recommended  for finding groups. However, such a comparison cannot be made by speculation, only by empirical investigation.3. The present study compares the two methods empirically, by statistically comparing group size measures (mean, median, quantiles, frequency distribution, and ‘typical group size’) between two data sets. These data sets  comprise of Rocky Mountain mule deer group size values collected in the same area during the same period of time, referring either to groups located by the traditional ‘search and observe method’ or located by tracking formerly collared individuals.4. All group size measures are statistically similar in the two samples, thus we conclude that the two methods yielded similar biases. Although the true group size measures are not known, we presume that both methods have overestimated them. We propose that these results do not necessary apply to other species, thus cannot be generalized. The reason for this is that bias may depend on factors specific to the species: bias of visual observation may depend on how well the species conceals itself in the existing habitat, and the bias associated with finding groups using collared animals is likely dependent on group size distribution and also on the proportion of collared animals in the population

Requirements for regional short-haul air service and the definition of a flight program to determine neighborhood reactions to small transport aircraft

An evaluation of the current status and future requirements of an intraregional short haul air service is given. A brief definition of the different types of short haul air service is given. This is followed by a historical review of previous attempts to develop short haul air service in high density urban areas and an assessment of the current status. The requirements for intraregional air service, the need for economic and environmental viability and the need for a flight research program are defined. A detailed outline of a research program that would determine urban community reaction to frequent operations of small transport aircraft is also given. Both the operation of such an experiment in a specific region (San Francisco Bay area) and the necessary design modifications of an existing fixed wing aircraft which could be used in the experiment are established. An estimate is made of overall program costs

The Effects of Site Quality on Breeding-Site Fidelity in Bobolinks

We compared breeding-site fidelity of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) at two low-quality sites (Bald Hill and Shackelton Point, BH +SP) with that at one high-quality site (Moore Road, MR) in central New York. Yearly density of fledglings at Moore Road was more than six times the density at Bald Hill and Shackelton Point. Furthermore, individual residents fledged 50-70% more young at the high-quality site. At Moore Road, 70% of the males and 49% of the females returned one or more times, compared with 44% of the males and 25% of the females at the low-quality sites. Successful residents (i.e. those fledging one or more young the previous year) were equally likely to return at all sites. However, the return rates of unsuccessful residents were more than three times higher at the high-quality site. Neither overall return rates nor intrasite dispersal of returning residents differed between individuals that had been successful or unsuccessful the previous year at the high-quality site. At the low-quality sites, individuals unsuccessful the previous year were much less likely to return than were successful individuals (55% vs. 19% for males, 41% vs. 9% for females). Those unsuccessful individuals that did return tended to move farther between nest sites than successful individuals. Overall, site productivity was the best predictor of yearly, site-specific return rates. For females (but not for males), individuals that were resident in one or more years previous were more likely to return than were novice residents (47% vs. 20%). Individuals that had nests experimentally destroyed by hay-cropping returned at similar rates to those of naturally unsuccessful residents. We believe that the patterns of breeding-site fidelity in Bobolinks are primarily the result of experience-based choices by the birds and do not simply reflect patterns of mortality. Bobolinks appear to use both their own reproductive success and that of others at their site to influence their decision to return to a breeding site