News
from the Mennill Lab
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Upcoming seminar by Ryan Norris: On Dec 4 Mennill Lab will host a visit from Dr. Ryan
Norris
of the University of Guelph. Ryan's seminar at 2:00pm
in
Biology 122 is titled: "From the gold rush to the 21st century:
Decoding the causes of population decline in North America's most
cryptic seabird".
Posted November 2009
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Upcoming seminar by Jeff Podos: On Nov. 13 the Mennill Lab will host a visit from Dr.
Jeff
Podos of the University of Massachusetts. Jeff's seminar at 2:00pm
in
Biology 122 will be called: "Galapagos finches and the unfinished
business of Charles Darwin".
Posted October 2009
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Photos from 2009 Ornithology field trip: Visit my Photos page for
new photographs of my Ornithology class field trip to Point Pelee
National Park and Holiday Beach Migration Observatory.
Posted October 2009
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New research paper on Yellow Toads: Stephanie and I
have just published a paper on dynamic colour change in the
neotropical toad Bufo luetkenii
in the journal Biology Letters. Visit my publications
page for more information.
Posted October 2009
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Photos from 2009 field research: Visit my Photos page for
new photographs of Mennill Lab researchers conducting field studies at
Queen's
University Biology Station, Point Pelee National Park, and Santa Rosa
National Park, Costa Rica.
Posted August 2009
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New bird song papers from the Mennill Lab: Visit my publications page for new research
papers on rufous-and-white wren sound transmission, rufous-naped wren
vocal behaviour, and woodpecker acoustic monitoring techniques.
Posted April 2009
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Upcoming Talks: I will present public lectures
on woodpeckers to the Norfolk
Field
Naturalists. on March 10, 2009, and to the Ontario
Bluebird Society in Hamilton on March 14, 2009. I will present academic
seminars to the University
of Toronto Mississauga on March 13, 2009, and to the University of Massachusetts
Amherst on March 27, 2009.
Posted January 2009
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Mennill Lab Congratulates
David Wilson: Congratulations to David Wilson
of Macquarie University, who was recently selected as the University of
Windsor's recipient of the Ministry of Research and Innovation
Postdoctoral Fellowship. We look forward to welcoming David into the
Mennill Lab in the new year.
Posted October 2008 |
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Departmental Seminar by
David Lahti: On
Friday October 24, Dr.
David Lahti of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst will visit
the University of Windsor to deliver a departmental seminar called "How
Does Behaviour Evolve?". The seminar is in room 122 at 2:00.
Posted October 2008
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Lauren Fitzsimmons wins
Governer General's
Gold Medal: My
former Master's student, Lauren Fitzsimmons (nee Reed), has been
awarded the Governer
General's Academic Gold Medal in recognition of
the outstanding research she conducted during her graduate program at U
Windsor. This is Canada's most prestigious academic award.
Congratulations Lauren!
Posted October 2008
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 New study in Current Biology: My latest study on duetting
behaviour in Rufous-and-white Wrens was recently published in
Current Biology. Read the article here,
listen to the wrens sing here,
and read media coverage here,
here,
here, here,
here,
here,
here,
here,
and here,
e aqui,
und hier.
Radio interviews can be heard here
(CBC Radio: Quirks & Quarks) and here (BBC Radio: The World).
Posted September 2008
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 Nicole
defends: On
Thursday August 28, Nicole
Barker successfully defended her Master's
thesis: "Effective communication in tropical forests: Song transmission
and the singing behaviour of rufous-and-white wrens".
Congratulations Nic!
Posted August 2008
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 Pelee Environmental
Research Centre: Together
with a group of colleagues from throughout Ontario, I am leading an
effort to develop an
environmental research centre near Leamington. Find out more about
this exciting project here.
Posted August 2008
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 Departmental Seminar by
Beth
MacDougall-Shackleton: On Friday
September 12, Dr.
Elizabeth MacDougall-Shackleton from the University of Western Ontario
will present a departmental seminar on her research on Song Sparrow
mate choice.
Posted August 2008
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 Summer 2008 Conferences: This summer I will attend three
conferences. I will present a plenary talk on duetting wrens at the Vocal Communication
Conference in St. Andrews, Scotland. I will
present a paper
on Screaming Pihas at the AOU/SCO
meeting in Portland, Oregon. I
will present a paper on chickadees at the ISBE in Ithaca, New York.
Mennill Lab grads will attend both ISBE and AOU/SCO
meetings.
Posted July 2008
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 Dan granted tenure: On July 1 2008,
Dan was granted
tenure and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor at the
University of Windsor.
Posted July 2008
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 David Bradley defends his MSc Thesis: On June 30, David Bradley
successfully defended his Master's thesis: "The form and function of
coordinated vocal signalling in a cooperatively breeding Neotropical
songbird: the Rufous-naped Wren". Congratulations David!
Posted December 2007 |
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 New chickadee
studies in print: Recent
editions of Animal Behavior,
Behavioral
Ecology, and Acta Ethologica contain
new research papers written by Lauren Fitzsimmons (Mennill Lab MSc
student
2005-2007), Sarah Lippold (Mennill Lab Honours student 2006-2007),
myself and our collaborators at Queen's University on
network-based communication in chickadees.
Visit my publications page to read the papers.
Posted
June 2008 |
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 2008 Tropical
Ecology course pictures: Stephanie and I recently taught a
field course on the Tropical Ecology of Costa Rica to fourteen
undergraduate students through the OUPFB program.
You can see pictures from the field course through the link on my Photos page.
Posted March 2008
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 Rufous-and-white
Wren study in BES: The online edition of Behavioral
Ecology & Sociobiology contains
a new research paper written by Steph Topp (Mennill Lab MSc student
2005-2007) and myself on seasonal variation in the vocalizations of
Rufous-and-white Wrens.
Click here to read the paper.
Posted February 2008
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 Article in U Windsor's Alumni Magazine "View":
The
most recent version of University of Windsor's alumni magazine features
an article about our new effort to develop a field research centre for
the University of Windsor, including a cover photo of Dan and his
organizing committee co-chair Daniel Heath. You can read the article here.
Posted February 2008 |
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 Kyle Swiston defends his MSc Thesis: On December 14, Kyle Swiston
successfully
defended his Master's thesis: "Bioacoustic monitoring tools and their
application in assessing whether Ivory-billed Woodpeckers persist in
Florida". Congratulations Kyle!
Posted December 2007 |
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 Dan receives U Windsor research award: Dan was recently
awarded the
University of Windsor Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Research and
Creative Activity. This is the University of Windsor's top internal
recognition award for excllence in research.
Posted November
2007 |
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 Niceforo's Wren Interactive
Map: The November 2007 edition of
Condor
contains
a new research paper by Sandra Valderrama (Mennill Lab
Visiting
Scientist 2006), Jorge Parra, and myself. We compare the song of the
critically endangered Niceforo's Wren to the closely related
Rufous-and-white Wren.
Click here to visit an
interactive webpage of the sounds contained in
this paper. Click here to read the paper.
Posted November
2007
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 Plain Wren
Interactive Website:
The August 2007 edition of Condor
contains
a new research paper written by Jessica Cuthbert (Mennill Lab Honours
student
2005-2006) and myself on the vocal behaviour Pacific Coast Plain Wrens.
Click here to visit an
interactive webpage of all of the sounds contained in paper. Click here to read the paper.
Posted November 2007
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 Departmental Seminar by Ben
Evans: On
Friday November 23, Dr. Ben Evans of McMaster University will deliver a
guest lecture titled "Conservation of a biodiversity hotspot: testing
alternative scenarios for diversification on the Indonesian island of
Sulawesi". The seminar is in Biology Building room 122 and is open to
the public.
Posted November 2007 |
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 Ornithology Field Trip to Pelee and Holiday
Beach: On
Saturday October 13, sixty one
students of University of Windsor's Ornithology class took a field trip
to Point Pelee National Park and Holiday Beach Conservation Area. See
pictures of the students at my photos page, by clicking here.
Posted October 2007 |
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 Departmental Seminar by
Nigel Mann: On
Friday November 2, Dr. Nigel
Mann of SUNY Oneonta will visit Windsor to deliver a guest lecture
titled "Phylogenetic and ecological influences on the song styles of
'Thryothorus' wrens".
Posted October 2007
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 Dan wins Early Researcher Award:
Ontario's
Ministry of Research and Innovation recently announced that Dan has
received an Early Researcher Award. This award will create new
opportunities for graduate students in the Mennill Lab over the next
five years.
Posted September 2007
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 Lauren Reed defends her MSc Thesis:
On August 21, Lauren Reed successfully defended her Master's thesis:
"Countersinging interactions in black-capped chickadee neighbourhoods:
Graded aggressive signals and communication networks". Congratulations
Lauren!
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 Steph Topp defends her MSc Thesis:
On April 14, Steph
Topp successfully defended her Master's thesis: "Seasonal variation in
the duetting behaviour of rufous-and-white wrens". Congratulations
Steph!
Posted April 2007 |
 New book features Mennill Lab resesarch:
Geoff
Hill's recently published book Ivorybill Hunters describes the joint Auburn
University /
University of Windsor search for evidence of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers
on the Choctawhatchee River in Florida, and features research from the
Mennill Lab.
Posted March 2007
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Posted March 2007
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 Tropical Ecology course photos:
In February and March
2007, Dan and
Stephanie
taught a Tropical Ecology field course in Peru. You can see photographs from the field course at
the Tropical Ecology Field
Course
Photos page.
Posted March 2007
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 Cover of Auk features dancing manakins:The cover of the January Auk
features a
painting by Julie
Zickefoose that Dan comissioned for Stephanie on the occasion of
her PhD defense. The cover
article by Stephanie and her colleagues describes the age-graded
plumage system of male long-tailed manakins.
Posted January 2007 |
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 Dan presents public seminar at Canada South
Science City: On Tuesday
December 5, Dan will
present a free public lecture: "The Ivory-billed Woodpecker: The Search
for Evidence in a Flooded Wilderness". The lecture will take place at
Canada
South Science City and is open to the public.
Posted December 2006 |
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Dan receives Faculty of Science award:
Dan recently received the Unviersity of
Windsor Faculty of Science Performance Award, given to professors in
the Faculty of Scinece who have made an exceptional contribution to
research, teaching, and service.
Posted November 2006 |
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 Departmental Seminar by Mike Kasumovic:
On
Thursday November 9, Michael Kasumovic of University of Toronto will
present a seminar as part
of the Behaviour Cognition and Neuroscience seminar series. Mke's
talk is titled: "Developmental plasticity and the evolution of male
phenotypes in sexually cannibalistic spiders". The seminar is in Biology
Building room
122 and is open to
the public.
Posted November 2006 |
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 Departmental Seminar by John Burt:
On
Friday October 27, Dr. John
Burt of University of Washington will present a departmental seminar:
"The importance of social factors in bird song learning". The seminar is in Biology
Building room
122 and is open to
the public.
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 Departmental Seminar by Stephanie Doucet:
On
Thursday October 26, Dr. Stephanie Doucet will present a seminar as
part
of the Behaviour Cognition and Neuroscience seminar series. Stephanie's
talk is titled: "The function and evolution of colourful plumage in
birds". The
seminar is in Biology Building room
122 and is open to
the public.
Posted October 2006
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 Departmental Seminar by Jim Quinn:
On
Friday September 15, Dr. Jim
Quinn of McMaster University will present a departmental seminar:
"Cooperation and conflict among communist and capitalist birds". The seminar is in Biology
Building room
122 and is open to
the public.
Posted September 2006 |
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 Dan receives grants from Canada Foundation for
Innovation: Dan
recently received support for his project: "Acoustic location systems
and advanced recording and playback technology for studying
communication networks in temperate and tropical birds" from the Canada
Foundation for Innovation.
Posted March 2006 |
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 Tropical Ecology course photos:
In February and March
2006, Dan and
Stephanie
ran a 15-day Tropical Ecology field course at the Guanacaste
Conservation Area in northwest Costa Rica through the University of
Windsor. You can see photographs from the field course at
the Tropical Ecology Field Course
Photos page.
Posted March 2006
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 Journal of
Experimental Biology cover photo:
A study on Satin
Bowerbird feathers
written by Stephanie
Doucet appears in the January 2006 issue of Journal of
Experimental Biology. Stephanie is presently a visiting researcher in
the Mennill Lab. The article features a cover photograph by Dan.
Find out more about Stephanie's research on avian feather colour
through Stephanie's webpage.
Posted March 2006 |
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 Departmental Seminar by Gail Patricelli:
On
Thursday February 2, Dr. Gail Patricelli of U. C. Berkeley will present
a seminar as part
of the Behaviour Cognition and Neuroscience seminar series. Gail's
talk is titled: "Interactive courtship signaling in satin bowerbirds:
An experiment with robotic females". The seminar is in Biology
Building room
122 and is open to
the public.
Posted February 2006 |
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 Whip it Good!: Listen to one of the world's most
extraordinary singers and discover an
amazing pattern of geographic variation in the duets of
Australia's Eastern Whipbirds at my Interactive
Whipbird Webpage. Listen to Dan's discusses of whipbird songs on
the January 28
episode of Quirks
and Quarks
on CBC radio.
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 Departmental Seminar by Geoff Hill:
On
Friday November 11, Dr. Geoff
Hill of Auburn University will present a departmental seminar:
"The signal content of colourful plumage in the house finch". The seminar is in Biology
Building room
122 and is open to
the public.
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 Departmental Seminar by Angelika Poesel:
On
Thursday October 27, Dr. Angelika Poesel of Ohio State University will
present a seminar as part
of the Behaviour Cognition and Neuroscience seminar series. Angelika's
talk is titled: "A network perspective: Male and female-directed song
in blue tits". The
seminar is in Biology Building room
122 and is open to
the public.
Posted October 2005 |
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Dan receives NSERC Discovery Grant:
In
April 2005, Dan received a Discovery Grant from NSERC to support his
research on the ecology and behaviour of temperate and tropical birds
over the next five years.
Posted April 2005 |
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 Dan joins the faculty at University of Windsor:
On
January 1, 2005, Dan began his first faculty appointment as an
Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the
University of Windsor .
Posted January 2005
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New book on behaviour and ecology of chickadees: