Thesis Successfully Defended!

I have completed my research and successfully defended my thesis!  I will be graduating in December with my M.N.S. in Biology.

Thesis: 2013 Field Season

The 2013 field season is coming to a close, as is my education.  In five months I will graduate with an M.S. in Biology.  I don't think I truly comprehend this yet!

Lark sparrows have finished nesting for the summer.  Although the number of nests was much lower this summer (5), the nesting success was much higher.  I was able to band ten birds, and on two occasions I was able to observe the nests from eggs to successful fledging.

In addition to these nests, I also conducted vegetation surveys for a large number of randomly selected square meter plots, fifty in all.  Because botany is not my area of expertise, identification of certain unknown specimens (particularly Poeaceae) has proven to be quite an adventure.  Fortunately I have assistance from my advisor and Dr. Bornstein at Southeast as well as a past collection of specimens from Sand Prairie Conservation Area.

Field Season 2013

The 2013 field season has commenced.  Lark sparrows returned on April 17 and as of now, there are at least six pairs of birds at Sand Prairie Conservation Area.  I located one nest thus far and will be sampling the microhabitat this Friday.  I will also begin my random sampling this Friday.

The Offseason

I am in the process of bolstering my knowledge of statistics in order to write a better thesis.  I won't be engaging in actual research until April, when the sparrows return.  In the meantime I am also about to obtain audio software from Cornell with which to analyze lark sparrow songs.  I'm hoping that my recordings from last summer are clear enough to provide me with solid analysis.

That's it for now, and probably for a while.