Field Naturalists Research Articles

Low signs of territorial behavior in the Eurasian otter during low-water conditions in a Mediterranean river

The Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is a territorial semi-aquatic carnivore usually found at low densities in rivers, coastal areas, and wetlands. Its diet is based on prey associated with aquatic environments. Mediterranean rivers are highly seasonal, and suffer reduced flow during the summer, resulting in isolated river sections (pools) that sometimes can be left with a minimal amount of water, leading to concentrations of food for otters. To our knowledge, this process, which was known to field naturalists, has not been accurately described, nor have otter densities been estimated under these conditions. In this study, we describe the population size and movements of an aggregation of otters in an isolated pool in the Guadiana River in the Tablas de Daimiel National Park (central Spain), which progressively dried out during the spring–summer of 2022, in a context of low connectivity due to the absence of circulating water in the Guadiana and Gigüela rivers. Using non-invasive genetic sampling of 120 spraints collected along 79.4 km of sampling transects and spatial capture-recapture methods, we estimated the otter density at 1.71 individuals/km of river channel length (4.21 individuals/km2) in a progressively drying river pool, up to five times higher than previously described in the Iberian Peninsula. The movement patterns obtained with the spatial capture-recapture model are not quite different from those described in low density, which seems to indicate a wide home range overlap, with low signs of territoriality.

Presentation to Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club, March 2024

Presentation to Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club, March 2024

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) and Victoria's Field Naturalists Club

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) and Victoria's Field Naturalists Club

Two centuries of ornithological exploration of the Rio Doce basin, southeastern Brazil. Part I—A history of the landscape, its explorers, and their collections

The Rio Doce Hydrographic Basin (RDB) was once covered by magnificent tropical forest, which remained untouched by Europeans for three centuries after the arrival of the Portuguese colonists in the Brazilian coast in 1500. Nevertheless, a dramatic change in land use occurred throughout the entire RDB after the turn of the 19th century. Currently, the RDB is one of the most degraded regions in southeastern Brazil and, recently, it was the scenario of the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history. In this series of papers, we aim to construct a baseline biodiversity assessment that documents the changes in bird communities within the RDB throughout the last two centuries. In this first part, we present the history of the RDB landscape, its explorers, and their collections based on an extensive literature review and museum data. Early biological surveys in the RDB only started at the beginning of the 19th century and were conducted mostly by German and French naturalists. During the first eight decades of ornithological exploration, foreign field naturalists conducted expeditions to the RDB and collected hundreds of bird specimens. Unfortunately, labelling and curatorial procedures were often poor and despite the prodigious efforts of those naturalists, results obtained were often meagre. The second phase of exploration occurred from the 1900s to the 1960s and was dominated by expeditions conducted by Brazilian natural history museums. During this phase, labelling and curatorial procedures improved considerably and the material collected significantly advanced our knowledge about the RDB avifauna The third phase occurred from the 1970s to the first decade of the 21st century, when collection of specimens decreased sharply and the research activity slowly shifted from museums to universities, with a focus on ecology and natural history. We are now in a fourth, more pluralistic phase, in which research continues to be done by universities, Brazilian natural history museums have resumed their collection activity, and birdwatching has emerged as a popular activity in Brazil, producing a tremendous amount of data in a short period of time.

Joint Castlemaine Field naturalists Club/ BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch talk by Tanya Loos on 12 August

Joint Castlemaine Field naturalists Club/ BirdLife Castlemaine District Branch talk by Tanya Loos on 12 August

Women, Popular Science and Recreation: The First 25 Years of the South Australian Field Naturalists

Women, Popular Science and Recreation: The First 25 Years of the South Australian Field Naturalists

Dan Brunton steps down from the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club Publications Committee after many years of service

Dan Brunton steps down from the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club Publications Committee after many years of service

A Place for Volunteers in Field Sciences

A Place for Volunteers in Field Sciences

Short note : a brief history of the Central North Field Naturalists

This paper provides a brief history of the Central North Field Naturalists since its foundation in 1987 as the Deloraine Field Naturalists and lists the many contributions this community group has made to improving nature conservation and education in Tasmania.

Peninsula Field Naturalists Club President's Report A.G.M.

Peninsula Field Naturalists Club President's Report A.G.M.

Orchid-pollinator network in Euro-Mediterranean region: What we know, what we think we know, and what remains to be done

Facing the threat of global change, there is an urgent need to document our current knowledge about the interactions between plants and their pollinators, especially for species with specialized pollination strategies. We review orchid-pollinator networks in the Euro-Mediterranean region by providing an overview and a critical analysis of our current knowledge on pollination interaction. This review is organized in three parts: what we know, what we think we know and what remains to be done. Firstly, by relying on the recent orchid-pollinator network analyses, we investigate in detail what we know in terms of pollinator preferences as well as in terms of orchid pollination strategies. Even if at least one pollinator species is recorded for about half of the species of orchids in the Euro-Mediterranean region, we show that our knowledge of the orchid pollinator interaction stays largely imperfect. Secondly, we have identified several biases in what we think we know about orchid-pollinator interactions, by i) examining potential mistakes about species identification, but also potential biases induced by preconceived beliefs about the highly specialized pollination of Ophrys and also about the expected abundance of pollinators on nectar-producing orchids and ii) revealing a novel and promising research avenue concerning the sex of the pollinator and the strategy used by orchids to attract their pollinators. Thirdly, we have identified what remains to be done to give priority to the Euro-Mediterranean countries and orchid taxa which are still neglected or insufficiently studied. Finally, we propose several dos and don'ts to improve our knowledge of orchid-pollinator network by using a structured approach that is common to all field naturalists and scientists working on this fascinating topic.

Wade'sBirds of Bempton Cliffsand his observations on Guillemot (Uria aalge) eggs

Edward Walter Wade (1864–1937), author of The Birds of Bempton Cliffs (1903, 1907), is almost unknown. He worked as a clerk for the family timber company in Hull and in his spare time visited Bempton Cliffs, where he climbed (routinely without a rope) to observe the seabirds and to collect eggs. He was an active member of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club and became one of their Vice-Presidents and President. Between 1902 and 1920 he was a member of the British Ornithologists' Union. Wade's published comments on guillemots and their pyriform-shaped eggs, at Bempton, were unusually insightful, in part because his observations were made at close range (a consequence of his climbing ability), and partly because he thought carefully about what he saw. Wade was among the first to point out that the spinning-like-a-top explanation for the guillemot's pyriform egg shape was incorrect based on his own observations. An appendix lists Wade's 69 articles, mostly about birds in Yorkshire, published between 1901 and 1930.

Structured and unstructured citizen science: Seven decades of expanding bird populations in central Ontario, Canada

Citizens’ observations of wildlife offer a wealth of information. Such data, however, may be prone to biases or inaccuracies — in particular, the over-reporting of novel species and under-reporting of common or mundane species. Few studies have assessed the relationship between unstructured and structured observations using long-term data. We compared 69 years of voluntary bird sightings, recorded in the regular publication of Peterborough Field Naturalists (PFN), 1948–2016, to systematic Christmas Bird Counts (CBC; during winter) and Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS; during spring) in central Ontario, Canada. We focused on seven species that had expanded their ranges into the area: Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus), Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), and American Robin (Turdus migratorius). For each species, we compared the first record, the annual number of sightings, and the annual relative abundance from the PFN to the first record and annual relative abundance in the CBC and BBS. We anticipated that naturalists’ accounts would be more sensitive to the arrival of novel species but would underestimate abundance as the species became common.In general, our results agreed with these predictions. In 11 of 12 cases, the naturalists detected a species well in advance of the CBC and BBS — on average by 1½ decades (range: 5–33 years). The correlations in bird abundance between unstructured (PFN) and structured (CBC and BBS) data were variable; most were weak and negative. We found significant negative correlations for the two most common species, Northern Cardinal (winter) and House Finch (spring), as well as for Wild Turkey (winter), and a positive correlation for the rarest species, the Red-bellied Woodpecker (spring). We surmise that novelty underlies these results — that rarity increases the likelihood of reporting by non-professionals. We conclude that unstructured observations are valuable in detecting novel species, but they may be inconsistent, even inverse, indicators of the abundance of expanding species, once established.

10. The Golden Eagle - Conservation & Protection in Kingston, Ontario

This research project works to analyze and diminish the major threats to the Golden Eagle species through developing efficient and effective conservation techniques and introducing these advancements into the Kingston, Ontario habitat. We propose a partnership with the Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN), a community group with an active mandate in the preservation and conservation of wildlife and natural habitats. Many of their current projects involve at-risk bird species, and they are well equipped to aid in the successful development and implementation of this initiative. There are a few factors that affect the livelihood of Golden Eagles. Wind turbines, pesticides and power lines are some parts of an urban setting that cause disturbance to these creatures. Other vulnerabilities include habitat destruction, limited food availability and human killings to prevent preying on livestock. Some conservation techniques that are successful in managing Golden Eagle populations around the world include the use of bird sensitivity maps and the implementation of adaptive-management frameworks during community planning. Sensitivity maps are formulated taking into account foraging range, collision risk and sensitivity to disturbance (Bright et al., 2008), while adaptive-management frameworks limit recreational activities near known nesting areas (Fackler et al., 2010). By implementing and adapting strategies put in place in countries like Ireland and around the world we hope to reintroduce a sustainable population of Golden Eagles in Ontario, specifically within the Kingston area. This can be achieved through donation of Golden Eagle chicks from areas in Canada in which this bird is common.

18. A Risk Assessment of Wind Farming On Amherst Island

Amherst Island is an internationally renowned sanctuary for raptors and is home to 34 avian species at risk. In addition to providing critical habitat for migrating birds, Amherst Island also supports a variety of other taxa including reptiles, amphibians, bats, and butterflies, some of which are endangered. Located in eastern Ontario, the island has been ranked second in biodiversity significance by Islands of Life and has been internationally recognized as an Important Bird Area. Amherst Island gained attention in recent months following a proposal by Windlectric Inc. to install and operate up to 36 wind turbines on Amherst Island as part of the Government of Ontario’s renewable energy initiatives. Despite clear energy and economic benefits, negative impacts of wind turbine installation have also been well documented. Risks associated with wind farming include habitat fragmentation and destruction, increased road traffic, and bird and bat strikes.With the help of contacts at the Association to Protect Amherst Island, Kingston Field Naturalists, and Windlectric Inc., we plan to develop an unbiased risk assessment using data from primary literature and existing wind farms as case studies. We will place special focus on species of concern while weighing potential environmental disturbance against benefits of the green energy movement in Ontario. Our project is intended to act as a holistic, nonpartisan assessment of the benefits and potential concerns involved with the wind turbine project, and where appropriate, we hope to provide recommendations for mitigating damages associated with installation and operation.

Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club President's Report

Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club President's Report

Weather for Field Naturalists: Ian Bell

Weather for Field Naturalists: Ian Bell

Alfred Russel Wallace, Extraterrestrial Life, Mars, and the Nature of the Universe

Alfred Russel Wallace, Extraterrestrial Life, Mars, and the Nature of the Universe Robert W. Smith (bio) Alfred russel Wallace is now generally remembered as one of the great field naturalists of the nineteenth century; the co-discoverer, with Charles Darwin, of the theory of evolution by natural selection; a prolific author on a range of topics to do with natural history; and a vigorous participant in public debates on various scientific, social, and political subjects. The part that Wallace played and the positions he adopted in the often intense and hard-fought debates on extraterrestrial life in the decade of the 1900s, including on the matter of life on Mars, however, have drawn relatively little attention from scholars.1 Wallace reckoned that the only life in the solar system was found on earth. Further, he dismissed the possibility of intelligent life of the same order as human beings anywhere else in the universe and in this paper I will focus on Wallace’s arguments against this possiblity. Wallace wrote in 1903, I submit that the whole of the evidence I have here brought together leads to the conclusion that our earth is almost certainly the only inhabited planet in our solar system; and, further, that there is no inconceivability—no improbability even—in the conception that, in order to produce a world that should be precisely adapted in every detail for the orderly development of organic life culminating in man, such a vast and complex universe as that which we know exists around us, may have been absolutely required. (Man’s Place 1st ed., 306) Throughout Wallace’s lifetime, it was widely accepted by British astronomers and science popularizers that the universe was populated by extraterrestrial life.2 In this paper, then, the main question we will address is, Why did Wallace reject the idea of extraterrestrial life so emphatically and come to regard human beings as, in his words, “the unique and supreme product of this vast universe,” and to believe that “‘the universe was actually brought into existence’ for this very purpose”? (Man’s Place 1st ed., 315). Wallace was prompted to develop a fully worked-out answer to the question of extraterrestrial life by serious financial concerns and the prospect of securing substantial article and book royalties. But once he had started [End Page 151] down this road, he was both energetic and relentless in applying a carefully reasoned mix of scientific and spiritual ideas to address it so that his mature synthesis, what Martin Fichman has termed his “teleological evolutionary cosmology” (Elusive Victorian 1), encompassed nothing less than the nature, structure, and development of the entire universe and the occurrence and evolution of life therein. Key here, we will see, is Wallace’s profound sense of teleology, which was shaped by his conception of human evolution and his deep commitment to spiritualism. I will argue too that Wallace’s acute sense of place—a topic also examined by Andrew Berry in this special issue—was at the heart of the development of his cosmology. In particular, Wallace emphasized the position of earth with respect to the sun, the position of the sun within what was known as the solar cluster of stars, and the position of the solar cluster within the wider stellar universe, which put the sun very close to or at the centre of the universe. If earth had been located elsewhere, intelligent life, in Wallace’s view, could not have developed. We will see that Wallace’s views on human evolution were fundamental to his views on life beyond earth. A review of these views will therefore form the first section of the paper, before we turn to Wallace and astronomy, the extraterrestrial life debate, and Wallace’s own connected argument on extraterrestrial life. wallace on human evolution Darwin and Wallace were united from the late 1850s onwards about the enormous importance of natural selection for explaining the diversity of nature, but there were nevertheless to be many later disagreements between the two on evolutionary matters. The biggest public split came in 1869. In that year, Wallace reviewed two new editions of geological works by Charles Lyell. In so doing, he broke...

Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club, Inc. President's Report for 2013

Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club, Inc. President's Report for 2013

A New Border Zone in Science. Collaboration and Tensions between Modelling Ecologists and Field Naturalists

Modelling ecologists have entered ecology labs. They need large quantities of data to improve their models and are eager to collaborate with field naturalists. This modifies existing relationships between these two groups of natural scientists who have different ways of knowing. We observed how a new border zone was being opened up between modelling ecologists and field naturalists working in a National Botanical Conservatory in France. After an arduous start, due to the initial reluctance of the field naturalists, the modelling ecologists and the field naturalists performed several activities together: they transformed existing data, produced new data, interpreted all these data, articulated research questions and hypotheses. They also created a hybrid database, mixing data from different sources, and they co-authored papers. This clearly changed the professional status of the field naturalists, who felt they were finally treated as genuine research partners. Yet, the modelling ecologists and the field naturalists remained as two distinct groups, with their specific practices, aims, skills and identities. Although collaboration was considered a clear success from both sides, there were some lingering tensions. The field naturalists were still somewhat wary of being downgraded to the status of mere data providers. They were therefore determined to see to it that their work and way of knowing would receive due recognition in the long run.