A pod cast in this english class is geared towards presenting a problem and a solution to that problem about a topic under our subject area.

I am struggling to come up with a topic that will provide 4-5 minutes of pod cast time.  I feel like I am covering a lot of topics in my webtext that could be further split up and be covered individually, though I don't really want to split them up.  I want to save birds being hit by cars for the slide show presentation, and I can't really think of another big topic to make my pod cast about.  Should I take the loss of natural areas portion out of my webtext and have that be the topic of my pod cast?  I don't have a very solid research base for it yet.  Then my webtext would just be about birds and the city and how people can help with safe migration.

What do you think would be best?

Topic Definition Statement and Key Words


Key words and Phrases

• Bird migration
• Great Lakes
• Stop over
• Over-wintering sites
• Windows
• Lights
• Habitat loss
• Nocturnal migration
• Conservation plans
• Navigation
• Migration pattern
• Collisions
• Detours
• Ecological Barriers

 Background Information


Large numbers of birds die every year during migration, and it is mostly from the effects of urbanization and habitat loss. The great lakes area is a critical stop over point for many migrating birds and consideration needs to be given to preserving the remaining natural areas to facilitate their migration.

Purpose of the Project

My paper will thoroughly review the impacts humans have on birds and their migration and how we can alleviate those impacts.


Working Title


Bird Migration: can humans be part of a solution rather than a problem?


Questions to Answer

How can people assist birds in having a safe migration in the great lakes area?

What conservation issues are effecting bird migrations in the great lakes area?
What issues are effecting bird migration that are man made?

 Bibliography Entries

Alerstam, T. (2001) Detours in Bird Migration. J. Theor. Biol. pp. 319-331

Summary:  This paper reviews the energy costs of migration birds and how often they make stops and take detours during migration.  It also touches upon how birds deal with ecological barriers.
Assessment:
Authority: written by a faculty member of Lund University, and published in a scientific journal
Accuracy:  It is a peer reviewed article
Currency: Some information may have changed in the last 10 years since it was published, but it is otherwise current.
Objectivity: It is very objected since it is a scientific publication.  All of the statements are backed up with scientific evidence.
Reflection:  This article may yeild some useful information, but it is not entirely related to my topic.

Hill, G. E. (2004) A Head Start for Some Redstarts. Science. Vol. 306, Issue 5705. Summary: This article examines the different times that Red Starts Molt, and how they can have different chemical components in their feathers based on what latitude they live.  It also discusses the consequenses of molting before, after , or during migration.
Assessment:
Authority It was published under Science journal.
Accuracy: It is a paper about a scientific study.
Currency: Published in 2004, so it is relatively current.
Objectivity: It is a scientific publication so all statements and speculation are backed up with scientific evidence.
Reflection:  This paper isn't necessarily applicable to my paper, but it does discuss the energy costs of migration and how that is an essential part to a successful trip.

Original Question:

How do humans impact North American seasonal bird migration?

Broadened Questions:

How do humans effect animal migration world wide?

How do humans impact the lives of birds?

Narrowed Questions:

How do humans negatively effect bird migration around the great lakes?

How does industry and business impact travel for birds along the mississippi flyway?

Subject Area: North American Birds

Topic I: Human Impacts on Bird Migration

Previous Knowledge:
-birds often collide with windows and die
-City lights disturb migration patterns
-Birds need rest stops
-Bird feeders help birds get through migration
-Fewer natural areas effect migration

Questions:
-What are the greatest human causes of bird mortality during migration?
-How can people help ease the stress of our impacts on bird migration?
-What are more issues that cause birds difficulty during migration?

Interest and Connection:
I voulnteer at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center where every spring and fall close to 5,000 birds are brought in to the rehabilitation center having collided with buildings downtown Chicago and have either been stunned, suffered an injury, or have died from the impact.  I am curious about how else humans affect their migratory journey, and how we can alleviate some of our impacts.

Audience:
Bird watchers, conservationists, and nature enthusiasts

Topic II: Wild Bird Rehabilitation

Previous Knowledge:
-Raising baby birds
-treating wounds and broken bones
-Requirements to being a wildlife rehaber
-The value of treating avian wildlife
-housing avian wildlife patients
-Feeding birds while they are being treated

Questions:
-What are the survival rates of released rehabed birds?
-How does rehabilitation effect the native populations?
-What are the requirements for releasing a bird?
-What are the requirements for keeping a wild bird in captivity?

Interest and Connection:
At Willowbrook Wildlife Center I volunteer working side by side with the staff veterinarian treating injured
wildlife; the majority of which are birds.  I have always been interested in birds and they face extra obstacles
surviving in a peoples world because of their ability to fly.  Because they can fly they suffer from injuries that
other animals don't, making them unique patients to treat. I would like to expand my own knowledge about treating wild birds in the rehab setting.

Audience:
Wildlife rehabers, people interested in helping injurted wildlife, and bird enthusiasts

Topic III: The impact of West Nile Virus on North American birds, and population recovery

Previous Knowledge:
-West Nile Virus affected bird populations in the Chicago area
-Crows and Blue Jays were particularly hit hard by the virus
-Populations are beginning to recover
-The virus effects some birds neurologically
-Spread by mosquitoes

Questions:
-Why did the virus cause birds to die?
-How are populations recovering?
-Why are birds susceptible to the virus?

Interest and Connection:
Crows have always been my favorite birds, and when West Nile Virus was new to the area I noticed a sharp decrease in the number of crows I saw around my house.  Even now, many years later, I see more crows but it seems to be a very slow recovery process. I would like to know more about the nature of the disease and how the populations are making a come back.

Audience:
Bird watchers and enthusiasts, Ecologists, Wildlife Biologists, and Ornithologists