Monday Oct 25, please join us in the City of Delaware at the Ohio Wesleyan University, Schimmel- Conrades Science Center, Room 163. Conversation and refreshments begin at 7:00 PM; the meetings and programs start at 7:30 PM. Parking is available next to the Selby Stadium on the east side of Henry Street and in the lot south of the Science Center next to Branch Rickey Arena. Title: Birding Southeast Arizona : Islands in the Sky For many avid birders, southeast Arizona is a favorite location. A series of mountain ranges form "islands in the sky" that rise out of the desert below. A number of resident specialty species can be found almost nowhere else in the US and there is always the possibility of real rarities crossing into the area from nearby Mexico. A beautiful climate, spectacular scenery and great birds are hard to beat. In tomorrow night's program Earl Harrison will present the area as experienced on a 10 day trip taken in 2010. Photos of birds, birders & locations will be use to familiarize newcomers and bring back good memories for folks who have birded the area themselves. Earl is an avid birder, photographer, and member of Columbus Audubon Society. He is on the faculty of Ohio State. Monday Nov. 14 (moved up a week due to the holiday) Join Aubrey Alamshah, Jr at Ohio Wesleyan University for her program: Seasonal changes in maintenance behavior of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). Aubrey Alamshah and Edward H. Burtt, Jr., Dept. Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan Univ., Delaware, OH 43015 The percentage of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), and with feather-degrading bacilli is significantly greater in the winter than the spring and summer (Burtt and Ichida, 1999). One possible explanation is that the sparrows engage in less maintenance behavior in winter than in summer. There are several reasons why this might be: higher energy demands, which would necessitate more time foraging; shorter days; colder temperatures and lower humidity so that feather-degrading microorganisms are a lower risk to the plumage than in warm, humid weather (Burtt and Ichida 2004). However, seasonal changes in the maintenance behavior of passerines is a largely unstudied subject. House Sparrows bathe, dust bathe, head scratch, bill wipe, sun, and preen (Summers-Smith 1963, Anderson 2006). We observed changes in the form and frequency of the behavior in House Sparrows held in an outdoor aviary. We caught twelve House Sparrows in Ashley, Ohio. We banded each bird with an aluminum band and a unique combination of color bands, measured the weight and wing length, examined condition of their feathers, and sampled their plumage for microorganisms. The birds were then released into an outdoor aviary, 8m x 4.5m x 2.5m. We observed the birds for 2-3 hours/week, noting the occurrence of maintenance behavior in each individual, its sequential organization, and bout length. The study is still in progress, but we will compare changes in maintenance behavior and time allotted to such behavior throughout the seasons. Seasonal differences in the behavior may explain seasonal variation in the plumage microbiota of the House Sparrow. The title can be "Maintenance behavior and potential effects on plumage microbiota of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)". As for the bio, I am a Junior Pre-professional zoology major and psychology minor, I've done research under Dr. Burtt since the start of my freshman year, mainly on the maintenance behavior of House Sparrows. I'm a mentor for the Microbiology of Birds freshman honors tutorial and will be one of two TA's for the ornithology class taught by Dr. Burtt next semester. I'm also an RA in Hayes hall and a member of the Honors Board. I've been a volunteer at the Ohio Wildlife Center for 9 years and was employed by them for about a year. Right now I'm looking at graduate schools and plan on studying animal behavior. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]