Our monthly meetings run September through may. They are held on the fourth Tuesday of the month, usually at 7PM.                        (see calendar for exact times and dates)

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The meetings are conducted in the Firelands Room of The Frost Center at Osborn Metropark (unless stated otherwise).

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Our meetings are filled with information, slide presentations and wonderful speakers all in a welcoming environment.  ​

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Dr Brad Blackwell

European Starlings

March 28, 7pm

Title:

Use of nest boxes by European Starlings: effects of nest predation risk and nest box internal condition

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Talk Description:

The European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), an invasive species outside its Eurasian range, is a recognized pest in agriculture and hazard to aviation safety, as well as a potential competitor with indigenous cavity-nesting species for nest sites. There is no effective method to deter its nesting in human structures where access cannot be controlled. Both nest predation risk and cavity condition can affect site selection and nesting success in cavity-nesting species. How starlings might respond to both factors could inform nesting deterrent methods. In a recent study, we examined the effects of enhanced nest predation risk and presence or absence of old nest material on starling occupancy of nest boxes and subsequent reproductive metrics. I will report on our findings and implications for future research.

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Bio:

Brad serves as Field Station and Project Leader for the USDA/APHIS Wildlife Services (WS), National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station (OFS).  Brad and staff at the OFS focus their research on mitigating wildlife collisions (strikes) with aircraft.  Brad manages funding and directs research under the research component of an Interagency Agreement between WS and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a collaborative relationship that’s been in place since 1990.  As an example, since 1999 Brad and colleagues with the OFS and in academia have examined aspects of avian detection of and response to aircraft approach.  This work builds upon an understanding of the visual capabilities of frequently struck bird species, and with the goal of providing the FAA and industry with data to inform new aircraft lighting designs that will aid in reducing bird strikes.  Brad has worked as a Research Wildlife Biologist at the OFS since 1997 and has led applied ecological research in areas of wildlife population demographics, land cover/resource use, and sensory ecology and behavior; he assumed leadership of the OFS in September 2019.

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Emily Kuzmick

Avian Monitoring at Old Woman Creek

April 25, 7pm

 

Come join us to hear a presentation from Emily Kuzmick, the Coastal Training Program Coordinator for Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve. 

The Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve functions as both a state nature preserve and national research reserve, implementing research, training, and outreach associated with climate, habitat, and water quality in the Lake Erie Region. Among its many initiatives, one crown jewel is the Reserve’s citizen science Phenological Species Monitoring Program. Started in 2016, this program now has 9 different monitoring initiatives focused on observing keystone and indicator wildlife species and their changes in population and activity over time, through different climates. Avian monitoring associated with this program is one of the most popular, with volunteers conducting observations year-round throughout the Reserve’s trail system. Come learn about the evolution of this program, its monitoring protocol, and some of the different trends observed and species seen since the start of this citizen science initiative!

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Annual Meeting

Guest Speaker (TBC)

May 23, 7pm

 

Join us for our Annual Meeting where we will formally elect our new officers. We will also have an exciting guest speaker (TBC).

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