News
from the Mennill Lab
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Starting in January 2017 I
have used Twitter to share news from the Mennill Lab. Follow my
Twitter feed here: twitter.com/dmennill
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| Congratulations to Brendan Graham: Brendan Graham has
successfully defended his doctoral dissertation called "Cultural
evolution in Rufous-and-white Wrens (Thryophilus
rufalbus): Insights from acoustic and genetic analysis."
Congratulations Dr. Graham! |
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| Welcome to new Mennill Lab researchers: Recently I have
been very excited to welcome two new graduate students to the Mennill
Lab: Lincoln Savi and Katy Switzer. I've also been very pleased
to welcome Katherine McGuire as our new lab manager. Welcome! |
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| Ornithology Field Trip Photos: On Saturday
September 26, I lead 72 students in a day-long field study of migratory
birds on the north shore of Lake Erie for my Ornithology class. You can
see photos of the students in action at my Photos
Page. |
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| Cover Article on Titi Monkeys: Christini
Caselli visited my lab with generous
funding from the Government of Brazil in 2012. One of the papers we
collaborated on will be the cover article for the upcoming issue of American Journal of Primatology:
"Playback responses of socially monogamous black-fronted titi monkeys
to simulated solitary and paired intruders." |
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| Congratulations to Kristina and Nick: Kristina Hick has
successfully defended her Master's thesis on vocal and visual
communication in Neotropical wrens. Nick Rehberg-Besler also
successfully defended his Master's thesis on vocal and visual
communication in Neotropical Yellow Toads. Congratulations
Kristina! Congratulations, Nick! |
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| Welcoming Four New Graduate Students: I'm
excited to welcome four new graduate students to the Mennill Lab: Rachel Hasson, Zachary Kahn, Blaine
Landsborough, and Ines Moran. You can read their biographies and about
other past and present Mennill Lab students at my Meet
the Mennill Lab page. |
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| 2015 Field Season Photos: This spring the
Mennill Lab conducted field research in Costa Rica, Queen's Biology
Station, and New Brunswick. You can see photos of the 2015
research teams in action at my Photos page. |
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| 2014 Ornithology Class Field Trip: On Saturday September 20, I took 69 undergraduate students
to Point Pelee National Park and the Holiday Beach Migration
Observatory to study birds. You can find photos of our adventure at my Photos page. |
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| Dave recruited to Memorial: The Mennill Lab
sends a very hearty congratulations to Dave Wilson who will begin a
tenure-track animal behaviour position in the Psychology Department at
Memorial University of Newfoundland. We are going to miss Dave; he has
been a vital part of the Menilll Lab for the past five years.
Congratulations Dave! |
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| Roberto awarded research chair: Roberto Sosa, who
defended his PhD in January, recently received a ten-year research
chair
from the Government of Mexico to study biodiversity at CIIDIR (Centro
Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral
Regional Unidad Oaxaca) in Oaxaca City. Congratulations Roberto! |
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| 2014 Field Season Photos: This spring the
Mennill Lab conducted field research in Costa Rica, Mexico, two
locations in Ontario, and New Brunswick. You can see photos of the 2014
research teams in action at my Photos page. |
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| Cracking the top ten: A paper by Roberto
Sosa, myself, and Adolfo Navarro was one of the ten most downloaded
articles at the Journal of Avian Biology from 2013. Read about it
here. |
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| Research Chair: Beginning in 2014,
I am honoured to take up a two-year research chair funded by the
University of Windsor called
the Faculty of Science Research Excellence Award in Environment and
Ecosystems. This will allow my research team to conduct new
investigations of migratory songbirds in Canada. |
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| Congratulations to Luis Sandoval: Congratulations to
Mennill Lab PhD student Luis Sandoval who successfully defended
his dissertation in April 2014: "Vocal behaviour and vocal divergence
in Mesoamerican Melozone ground-sparrows."
Congratulations Dr. Sandoval! |
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| Congratulations to Roberto Sosa: Congratulations to
Mennill Lab PhD student Roberto Sosa-Lopezwho
successfully defended
his dissertation in January 2014: "Vocal behaviour, geographic
variation, and the evolution of song in Troglodytes wrens."
Congratulations Dr. Sosa! |
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| Conservation Award: In 2013 the Essex
Region
Conservation Authorty (ERCA) recently presented me with a Conservation
Champion Award for the research and teaching that I do. It was an
honour. You can read their citation here
and see a few photos on my photos page. |
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| Congratulations to Lauren Fitzsimmons: Congratulations to
Dr. Lauren Fitzsimmons, who recently received a two-year Post-Doctoral
Fellowship from NSERC. Lauren completed her MSc in the Mennill Lab and
her PhD in the Bertram Lab at Carleton University. She will return to
the Mennill Lab for her postdoc, studying communication networks and
animal acoustic behaviour. |
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| Congratulations to Alana Demko: Congratulations to
incoming Mennill Lab PhD student Alana Demko for receiving a three year
doctoral scholarship from NSERC. Alana will conduct research on the
vocal behaviour of neotropical warblers. |
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| Adrianna Bruni defends her MSc thesis: Congratulations to
Mennill Lab MSc student Adrianna Bruni who successfully defended her
MSc in late July 2013: "The influence of weather and ambient light on
the dawn chorus start times of north temperate birds." Congratulations
Adrianna! |
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| Kristin Kovach defends her MSc thesis: Congratulations
to Mennill Lab MSc student Kristin Kovach who successfully defended her
MSc in late July 2013: "Cooperative functions of duetting behaviour in
tropical wrens." Congratulations Kristin! |
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| Claire Sanders defends her MSc thesis: Congratulations
to Mennill Lab MSc student Claire Sanders who successfully defended her
MSc in late July 2013: "Bioaoustic monitoring of nocturnal songbird
migration in a southern Great Lakes ecosystem". Congratulations Claire! |
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| Microphone Array Paper: I recently
published a paper on a new type of microphone array. Together with a
group of
colleagues, we showed that this cable-free system can be used to
triangulate the position of wild animals based on the sounds they
produce. Read the paper here and
watch a YouTube video about the paper here.
We have also written new software for processing array recordings
called "Sound Finder". Read about it soon on my publications page. |
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  Cover Articles: Much of the
research in my
lab stems from long-term studies of two species: Black-capped
Chickadees
and Rufous-and-white Wrens. Excitingly, both species appeared on the
covers of behavioural and ornithological journals in the summer of
2012!
You can read these cover articles through my publications page here. |
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| Faculty of Science Teaching Award: I was recently
honoured to receive the Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award. I was
also honoured to receive a Faculty of Science Performance Award for
excellence in research, teaching, and service. See some photos on my photos page. A video about the
teaching award ceremony is here. |
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| University of Windsor Research Awards: I
was recently honoured to receive the University of Windsor Award for
Excellence
in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity and to see Matt
Battiston receive the Mayhew Undergraduate Research Award at the 2012
Celebration of Research Excellence. See photos from the awards ceremony
at my Photos
page. |
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| University of Windsor Teaching Award: I was recently
honoured to receive the University of Windsor Alumni Award for
Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching. The university made
a video about the award that you can see here.
The video was presented at a ceremony that you can see here. |
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| Luis Wins Research Award: Mennill Lab PhD
Candidate Luis Sandoval was recently given the University of Windsor
Research Excellence Award. Congratulations Luis! Some photos of the
award ceremony are on my photos page. |
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| Ornithology Field Trip Photos: In September 2012,
my Ornithology class took a day-long field trip to Point Pelee National
Park and Holiday Beach Conservation Area. You can see photos of our
excellent trip here. You can
read a story about our trip in the U Windsor Daily News here. |
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| Best Presentation Award: In August 2012,
Mennill Lab Master's student Sarah Baldo won an award for the best
student presentation at the North American Ornithological Congress in
Vancouver. Congratulations Sarah! We're proud of you for winning
this prestigious award at such a major international conference! |
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| Encounternet Radiotelemetry Paper: In collaboration
with a group of colleagues, I recently
published a methodological paper on a new type of digital raiotelemetry
called Encounternet. You can read the paper here,
watch a YouTube video here,
and find the Encounternet homepage here. |
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| Wireless Microphone Array Paper: I recently
published a paper on a new type of microphone array. Together with a
group of
colleagues, we showed that this cable-free system can be used to
triangulate the position of wild animals based on the sounds they
produce. Read the paper here and
watch a YouTube video about the paper here.
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| New Photos of Tropical Ecology Field Course: I've posted new
photos of the 2012 Tropical Ecology of Costa Rica field course from the
dry forests and cloud forests of Central America. Find them at my
Photos
page |
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| The newest Dr. Mennill: My sister Sally
recently defended her PhD dissertation "Prepping the cut: Caesarean
section scenarios in English Canada, 1945-1970" in the Department of
Women's and Gender Studies at UBC. Congratulations Dr. Mennill! |
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| University of Windsor Research Awards: I
was honoured to receive the University of Windsor Award for Excellence
in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity and to see Matt
Battiston receive the Mayhew Undergraduate Research Award at the 2012
Celebration of Research Excellence. See photos from the awards ceremony
at my Photos
page. |
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| January 27 visit by Laurene Ratcliffe: On Friday January
27 the Mennill Lab will host a visit from Dr. Laurene Ratcliffe of
Queen's University. Laurene's seminar "Why the early bird gets
the worm: Insights from a long-term study with American Redstarts" will
be at 2:00 pm in Biology Room 122. |
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| Faculty Performance Award: In Fall 2011, I
was honoured to receive a Faculty Performance Award for Excellence in
Research, Teaching, and Service from the Dean of Science. See photos
from this and other recent award ceremonies on my Lab Photos page. |
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| Alumni Teaching Award Video: I
was recently honoured to receive the University of Windsor Alumni Award
for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching. The university
made a video about my teaching that you can see here.
The video was presented at an awards ceremony that you can see here. |
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| New Photos of Mennill Lab Field Research: I've posted some
new photos of members of the Mennill Lab conducting field research in
Mexico, Costa Rica,
and Ontario during the 2011 field season. Find them at my Photos
page. |
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| Blackbirds change their song in response to
traffic noise: In October 2011,
my colleagues and I published the cover article in the Journal of
Experimental Biology, showing that Red-winged Blackbirds change their
song in response to traffic noise. Read about it here and here.
Listen to Mennill Lab postdoc Dave Wilson on the October 15 edition of Quirks &
Quarks. |
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| 2011 Ornithology Field Trip Photos: In September 2011,
I organized a full-day field trip of 59 undergraduate ornithology
students from the University of Windsor. You can see photos of our
expedition here and read
about it here. |
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| Tree Swallow Grid Setup: Together with 17
friends and colleagues, I recently set up a grid of 51 Tree Swallow
nest boxes at the University of Windsor Pelee Environmental Research
Centre in Leamington. Find photographs here, and read about it here. |
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| New Mennill Lab Photos: I have added new
photos to my photos page,
including shots from the recent Behavior 2011 meeting in Bloomington
Indiana. See them here. |
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| Alumni Teaching Award: In the summer of
2011, I
was honoured to receive the University of Windsor Alumni Award for
Distinguished Contribution to University Teaching. You can read about
it here
or watch a video here
(click on 2011 Convocation Session 4; the award is presented at 49:00). |
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Research feature in Journal of Applied
Ecology: I recently published a
collaborative review paper on acoustic monitoring in the Journal of
Applied Ecology (see my publications page
for details). The article was selected as the "Editor's Choice" and was
featured in the May 2011 issue, including a photo of Stephanie and I
deploying a microphone array. Read the "Editor's Choice" article here.
Posted May 2011
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Mennill Lab heads to the field: This spring, members of the Mennill Lab are conducting field
research all over the world. We are studying chickadees at Queen's
Biology Station and Point Pelee National Park, ground sparrows in Costa
Rica's central valley, wrens and manakins in Santa Rosa National Park,
wrens in various parts of Mexico, and buntings in the Arctic.
Stay tuned for results.
Posted May 2011
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Roberto completes his Comprehensive Exam: Mennill
Lab PhD Student Roberto Sosa recently completed his Comprehensive Exam.
Congratulations on becoming a PhD Candidate Roberto!
Posted May 2011
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Sarah receives NSERC and OGS scholarships: Mennill
Lab MSc student Sarah Baldo (cosupervised by Oliver Love) was recently
awarded both an NSERC Canada Post-Graduate Scholarship and an OGS
Scholarship to fund her research on the
singing behaviour of Snow Buntings. Congratulations Sarah!
Posted April 2011
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Dugan receives three research awards: Mennill
Lab MSc student Dugan Maynard recently received three student research
awards: a Paul A. Stewart
Research Grant from the Wilson Ornithological Society, a Frank M.
Chapman Award from the Americam Musem of Natural History, and an Animal
Behavior Society Research Awards. These awards will help to fund his
research on manakins.
Congratulations Dugan!
Posted April 2011
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Luis receives Field Museum scholarship: Mennill Lab PhD student Luis Sandoval recently received a
scholarship from Chicago's Field Museum as part of their Visiting
Scholar's Program to conduct research on Melozone ground sparrows.
Congratulations Luis!
Posted March 2011
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New photos from Tropical Ecology Field Trip: In February and March, Stephanie and I lead a two-week field
course on the Tropcal Ecology of Costa Rica. Click to see photos of this
hands-on field course in the Guanacaste Conservation Area.
Posted March 2011 |
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March 11 Seminar by Albrecht
Schulte-Hostedde: In
On Friday March 11, Canada Research Chair Dr. Albrecht
Schulte-Hostedde will visit the University of Windsor to deliver a
Departmental Seminar. Details to follow.
Posted February 2011
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Feb 4 Seminars by Peter Dunn and Linda
Whittingham: On
Friday February 4 Drs. Peter
Dunn
and Linda
Whittingham will visit the University of Windsor. Linda will
deliver a seminar "Cryptic mating behaviour in birds"
during our BCN Seminar series at 10:30am. Peter will deliver a seminar
"Conservation genetics of greater prairie-chickens" during our
Departmental Seminar Series at 2:00pm.
Posted January 2011
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Recent Awards: On January 20,
2011, I was awarded the Essex Region Conservation Authority's "Conservation
Education Award" together with Drs. Oliver Love and Stephanie Doucet.
In November 2010, I was awarded the Dean of Science's Award for
Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service. See photos from the
awards ceremonies on my Photos page.
Posted January 2011
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Luis receives Field Museum scholarship: Mennill Lab PhD student Luis Sandoval recently received a
scholarship from Chicago's Field Museum as part of their Visiting
Scholar's Program to conduct research on Melozone ground sparrows.
Congratulations Luis!
Posted January 2011
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Jan 28 Seminar by John Klicka: On Friday January 28 the Mennill Lab
will host a visit from Dr. John Klicka of the
Unviersity of Nevada. John's seminar "Geographic and genetic patterns
of variation among New World birds" will be at 2:00 pm in
Biology room 122.
Posted January 2011
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Seminar by David McDonald: On Friday January
14 the Mennill and Doucet Labs will host a
visit from Dr. David
McDonald of the Unviersity of Wyoming. Dave's seminar at 2:00 pm in
Biology room 122 will be called: "Social networks in a lek: Viscosity,
reputation, and male-male cooperation".
Posted January 2011
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Photos of Mennill Lab Research: Visit my Photos page for
new photographs from summer 2010 conferences and field seasons.
Posted November 2010
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New research papers from the Mennill Lab: Visit my publications page for new research papers on
playback techniques for studying duets, vocal behaviour of owls,
individual distinctiveness in chickadee songs, and signaling behaviour
of toads.
Posted November 2010 |
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Seminar by Jordan Price: On November 5 the Mennill Lab will host a visit from Dr. Jordan Price
of St. Mary's College of Maryland. Jordan's seminar at 2:00 pm in
Biology room 122 will be called: "A phylogenetic perspective on bird
songs and colors: Revisiting Tinbergen’s neglected question".
Posted November 2010
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Photos from Ornithology Field Trip: Visit my Photos page for
new photographs from our 2010 Ornithology Field Trip to Point Point
Pelee, University of Windsor's Pelee Environmental Research Centre, and
Holiday Beach.
Posted September 2010
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Jennifer Foote now faculty at Algoma: Mennill Lab postdoc Jennifer Foote has started a job as an
Assistant Professor at Algoma University in Sault Ste Marie.
Congratulations Jenn! Visit her new homepage here.
Posted September 2010
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Photos from 2010 Tropical Ecology field
trip: Visit my Photos page for
new photographs from our recent field course in Costa Rica.
Posted March 2010
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Yellow Toads in BBC Wildlife: The research
Stephanie and I
conducted on dynamic colour change in a neotropical toad was featured in the January 2010
issue of BBC Wildlife. Read the article here.
Hear Stephanie discuss our work on Quirks
& Quarks here.
Posted January 2010
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Faculty of Science awards: In November 2009 Stephanie and I
received the University of Windsor Dean of Science's Award for
Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service. Photos on my Lab Photos page.
Posted December 2009
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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
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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: