Lower Trinity Valley Bird Club

LIBERTY, September 30, 2008 - The October meeting of the LOWER TRINITY VALLEY BIRD CLUB will be held on, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the meeting room of the First Liberty National Bank located at 1900 Sam Houston in Liberty. From Hwy. 90 turn on Travis Street, between Kentucky Fried Chicken and Whataburger, cross over the railroad tracks and take a right into the bank parking lot. Be sure to come early at 9:30 a.m. for coffee and our “Birder’s Chat” time. If you have any questions Call President Gary Holmes at 281-577-0574 or e-mail him at lisashepholmes@verizon.net.

Jim Armacost, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology at Lamar University will be our speaker in October. Dr. Armacost will be speaking to the club concerning his research and experience with the birds of Amazon Basin and Peru. Jim gives following description of his interests and current research:

“I’m a broadly trained naturalist with interests in ecology, natural history, biodiversity, and conservation biology. My research deals with avian ecology and conservation. I’ve conducted ornithological fieldwork in the United States, Peru, and Japan. My primary interest is in habitat use by birds, and most of my research has addressed this interest. Habitat use is of fundamental importance because it is both central to understanding wildlife ecology and central to the management and conservation of wildlife, including birds. A secondary interest, which is reflected in much of my research, is the effect of human habitat modification on bird communities. My students and I are currently involved in two research projects.

First, we’re monitoring the impact of an electrical transmission line on avian populations in the J. D. Murphree State Wildlife Management Area, Jefferson County, Texas. Birds may be injured or killed in collisions with manmade structures, including transmission lines. We’re characterizing patterns of avian mortality associated with the transmission line at the J. D. Murphree State Wildlife Management Area in order to develop recommendations to minimize the impact of future transmission lines on avian populations. The J. D. Murphree State Wildlife Management Area is dominated by coastal marshes and provides important habitat for resident and migrant waterbirds throughout the year.

Second, we’re monitoring changes in the avian community in response to vegetative succession following Hurricane Rita in Village Creek State Park, Hardin County, Texas. Village Creek State Park is dominated by a mix of pine and hardwood forest and provides important habitat for resident and migrant landbirds throughout the year. The vegetative structure of the forest was significantly altered by Hurricane Rita in 2005 and will continue to change as the forest recovers. We are characterizing changes in the composition and structure of the avian community in response to vegetative succession in order to predict the future distributions and abundances of different bird species in the park.”