May: Louisiana Waterthrush Research
Tim O'Connell with Louisiana Waterthrush
Tim O’Connell, assistant professor (Natural Resource and Ecology) at Oklahoma State University will be our guest speaker at the May 21 meeting of the Oklahoma City Audubon Society. The focus of his presentation will be the Louisiana Waterthrush.
Tim has been interested in wildlife (especially birds) for as long as he can remember. “If there is one pervasive theme to my research, teaching, and personal life, it probably lies in my desire to share my enthusiasm for nature with others, and the hope that new-found empathy will spur greater awareness of, and dedication to, wildlife conservation,” he says
Tim grew up in central New York State, and earned his undergrad degree from Cornell. From there, he headed south to Williamsburg, VA, and earned a Master’s degree in Biology from William and Mary. He stayed in Virginia for a few more years, working for the state in the Department of Conservation. From there, he headed to Pennsylvania and started working toward a Ph.D. in Ecology at Penn State. After obtaining his degree at Penn State, he stuck around for a few more years as a Research Associate with the Penn State Cooperative Wetlands Center and part-time Instructor in the School of Forest Resources.
In 2003, he accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology at Oklahoma State University. In 2006, he joined colleagues from Zoology and the departments of Forestry and Plant and Soil Sciences to form the new Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM). In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in NREM.
Tim has authored numerous scientific articles, he has also co-authored several with our own John Shackford, including First Confirmed Breeding for Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) in Texas County, Oklahoma, published in the Bulletin of the Oklahoma Ornithological Society.
Come out and bring a friend for a good evening of camaraderie and birds and great refreshments. Our meetings are held September through June on the third Monday of each month. They begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Will Rogers Garden Center, I-44 and NW 36th Street. Visitors are always welcome.
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Adopt-A-Park at Prairie Dog Point
The members of the Oklahoma City Audubon Society have adopted Prairie Dog Point at Oklahoma City’s Lake Hefner by participating in Oklahoma City Beautiful’s Adopt-A-Park program. Our commitment to the program is for assistance in litter management. The Parks department has responded to our request to have additional trash cans placed around the area to help keep the area clean.
Prairie Dog Point is located at the southwest corner of Lake Hefner. It attracts diverse species of birds throughout the seasons and is especially popular with birders during the spring and fall shorebird migrations. In addition to contributing to the beautification of our community, our participation in the program allows us to promote the area as a location of interest to birders, perhaps helping to avoid further habitat loss. Everyone is invited to participate in our Adopt-A-Park project by picking up litter during birding trips to the Point.
2011 Christmas Bird Count numbers
In spite of dry conditions during the year, we improved on our count total in 2011. To find out how many birds were spotted,click here.
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The Oklahoma City Audubon Society is neither a chapter of, nor affiliated with, the National Audubon Society.