Chris S. Elphick

 

Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

University of Connecticut

75 North Eagleville Road  U-43

Storrs   CT 06269-3042

U.S.A.

Tel:  (860) 486-4547

Fax:  (860) 486-6364

E-mail: elphick@uconnvm.uconn.edu

Web site: http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/people/Elphick/

 

 

EDUCATION

 

1992-1998

University of Nevada, Reno, USA

Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology

 

1989-1990

University of California, Irvine , USA

(B.Sc., Exchange year.)

 

1987-1991

University of East Anglia, England

B.Sc. (First Class, with Honors) in Biological Sciences (Ecology program)

 

 

Academic positions

 

2003-present

University of Connecticut, USA

Assistant Professor in Residence

 

1998-2003

University of Connecticut, USA

 Research Scientist

 

 

ACADEMIC PRIZES & AWARDS

 

1998 Southwood Prize for best applied ecology paper by a young scientist (British Ecological Society)

1997 Marcia Brady Tucker Travel Award (American Ornithologists’ Union)

1997 Graduate Student Association Student Paper Award (University of Nevada, Reno)

1996 Annual Meeting Travel Award (British Ecological Society)

1996 Jay Dow Sr. Scholarship (University of Nevada, Reno)

1996 Marcia Brady Tucker Travel Award (American Ornithologists’ Union)

1992 Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Research Fellowship (University of Nevada, Reno)

1989 Bernard Matthews Scholarship (University of East Anglia)

1988 Birds Eye Scholarship  (University of East Anglia)

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

 

American Ornithologists' Union

Association of Field Ornithologists

British Ecological Society

British Ornithologists' Union

Cooper Ornithological Society

Ecological Society of America

Pacific Seabird Group

Society for Conservation Biology

Waterbird Society

Western Shorebird Group

Wildlife Society

 


RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

 

1998-present

 

Population ecology of rare, threatened and invasive species; landscape-scale conservation planning; wildlife management, especially in agricultural and wetland ecosystems; behavioral ecology of dispersal; effects of population biology and survey techniques on ecological monitoring.  Funded projects in California, Nevada, Connecticut and Hawaii.

 

1992-1998

Ph.D. research, Sacramento Valley, California. Avian ecology, management and conservation in agricultural wetlands.  Determined effects of habitat treatments at multiple scales and examined habitat quality via demographic indicators. Habitat use experiments, large-scale population surveys, behavioral studies, prey sampling, landscape analysis of distributions.

 

1996-1998

Collaborator (with Dr. J.M. Reed). Life-history and population viability of Hawaiian stilts. Simulation modeling of population dynamics.

 

 

Collaborator (with Dr. C. Thompson). Effects of hormones on plumage maturation in house finches. Trapping and blood collection for hormone and genetic studies.

 

1996

Research Associate (with L. Tibbitts). Alaska, USA. Breeding ecology and behavior of yellowlegs and Hudsonian godwits.

 

1991

Field Assistant (with Dr. B. Stutchbury). Quintana Roo, Mexico. Behavioral ecology of hooded warblers: experimental manipulations of plumage color, playback experiments.

 

1990,

1991

Field Assistant (with Dr. M. Rubega). Mono Lake, California. Foraging ecology of phalaropes: experimental examinations of the effect of prey type and density on feeding behavior in laboratory and field.

 

1990

Management plan coordinator, Pensthorpe Waterfowl Park, Norfolk, England.

 

 

Field Assistant (with Dr. D. Irons). Prince William Sound, Alaska. Foraging and breeding ecology of black-legged kittiwakes: behavioral experiments, radio tracking at sea.

 

 

Member, CALCOFI oceanographic cruise (with Dr. R. Veit).  Northeast Pacific Ocean. Bird and mammal observations; assistant at sampling stations.

 

 

Field Assistant (with Dr. F. Smith). Baja California, Mexico. Ecological studies of desert woodrats: trapping and marking, vegetation analysis.

 

1989 -

1990

Undergraduate research project at UC Irvine (with Dr. G. Hunt). The distribution of pelagic seabirds at sea in the Chirikov Basin, Alaska.  Data management and analysis.

 

1989

Undergraduate expedition to El Triunfo, Chiapas, Mexico. Bird and plant surveys of montane area proposed for Biosphere Reserve status.

 

1980 -

1989

Many volunteer surveys for British Trust for Ornithology and local naturalist and ornithological societies. Including: breeding bird atlases, wintering bird atlas, dragonfly atlas, monthly counts of estuarine bird populations, single-species breeding surveys, winter surveys of shorebird use of agricultural fields, migration banding, mute swan banding, etc.

 

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 

Administration

 

Coordinator of Joint Bachelors/Masters Degree in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of Connecticut. 

 

Courses

 

University of Connecticut, Storrs (1998-present)

General Ecology (Instructor)

Field Ecology (Instructor; including 2 week field trip to Carolinas)

Introduction to Conservation Biology (Instructor)

Ornithology Lecture (Instructor)

Ornithology Laboratory (Instructor)

Biology of Invasive Species (Instructor, Graduate Seminar)

Behavior and Conservation Biology (Instructor, Graduate Seminar)

Conservation Biology (Guest Lecturer)

Topics in Modern Biology (Guest Lecturer)

Graduate student committee memberships

Ad hoc reviews for graduate student dissertation proposals

 

University of Nevada, Reno (1992-1998)

Field Methods in Ornithology (Instructor)

Avian Ecology and Management (Teaching Assistant, Guest Lecturer)

Natural Resource Management (Guest Lecturer)

 

Manomet Center for Conservation Science (2003)

Shorebird Ecology and Management (3-day workshop for Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; invited guest lecturer and co-leader)

 

Undergraduate Research Advisees

 

Selena Humphreys.  2003.  What determines nest construction variability in saltmarsh-sharp-tailed sparrows.  Funded through University of Connecticut Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship ($3,500).

 

Martha Ellis. 2003.  Population ecology and dispersal behavior of mute swans.  Funded through University of Connecticut Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship ($3,500).

 


OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES & SERVICE

 

2003-present

 

Member, Student Affairs and Media Committees, Society for Conservation Biology

 

 

 

Interim Connecticut State Ornithologist.

 

2003

Member, Peer review panel for US Fish and Wildlife Service Delaware Bay shorebird-horseshoe crab assessment report.

 

 

Technical editor/peer review for report: Protecting Connecticut’s Grassland Heritage: A report of the Connecticut Grasslands Working Group (April, 2003; Audubon Connecticut)

 

 

Technical editor/peer review for report: Great Captain’s Island Heron and Egret Study (August, 2002; Audubon Connecticut).

 

2002- present

Member, Connecticut DEP’s Endangered Species Advisory Committee for Avian Species.

 

 

Member, Connecticut Ornithological Association, Scientific Advisory Committee.

 

2001-present

Member, Connecticut Grassland Conservation Working Group.

 

 

Member, Canada-US Shorebird Monitoring and Assessment Committee.

 

2000–present

 

Member, Editorial board of Journal of Applied Ecology.

1997–present

Scientific advisor to Great Basin Bird Observatory for Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas project.

 

 

Member, Nevada Bird Records Committee.

 

1997-2001

Research consultant and technical editor. National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Chanticleer Press/Knopf.

 

1997–2000

Member, United States Shorebird Conservation Plan, Research and Monitoring Working Group. Chosen as member of subcommittee to write national monitoring plan.

 

1996

Member, Expert Panel on Waterbirds.  Columbia River Basin Assessment.  USFS.

 

1993–present

Peer-reviews for: Animal Conservation, Auk, Biological Conservation, Bird Populations, Condor, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Great Basin Birds, Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal of Wildlife Management, Southwestern Naturalist, Waterbirds, Western Birds, Wilson Bulletin, EarthWatch Institute and Rice Foundation competitive grants program, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network nominations.

 


GRANTS

 

Total extramural funding awarded to date: $746,971

 

$138,895

 

 

2003. Determining the causes of area-sensitivity: a prerequisite for saltmarsh bird conservation and restoration. Connecticut Sea Grant (Co-PI, with Dr. M. Rubega and C. Gjerdrum). Award notification received.

 

$  23,225

 

 

2003. Assessing the impact of mute swan grazing on LIS eelgrass beds.  CT DEP - OLISP. (Co-PI, with M. Huang and Dr. M. Rubega.)

 

$  24,635

2002. Effects of artificial lighting on beach-nesting waterbirds: integrating experimental and observational studies. CT DEP - OLISP. (Co-PI, with Dr. M. Rubega.)

 

$  24,434

2002. Saltmarsh-breeding sparrows in Long Island Sound marshes: testing the status of globally important populations. CT DEP - OLISP. (Co-PI, with Dr. M. Rubega.)

 

$102,874

2002. Saltmarsh-breeding sparrows in Long Island Sound marshes: status and productivity of globally important populations. EPA. (Co-PI, with Dr. M. Rubega and P. Comins.)

 

$  12,779

2002. Saltmarsh-breeding sparrows along the Connecticut coast: status and productivity of globally important populations. CT DEP Endangered Species Income Tax Fund. (Co-PI, with Dr. M. Rubega.)

 

$205,130

2000. Rice production and water bird sustainability in California: integrating agronomic and wildlife benefits of alternative rice management practices.  Rice Foundation. (Co-PI with 11 others.)  Award notification received.

 

$  36,000

1999. Predicting breeding bird distributions in Nevada. Great Basin Bird Observatory.

 

$    2,500

1999. Evaluating shorebird monitoring schemes using simulation modeling. Manomet Observatory.

 

$  20,000

1999. Bird conservation planning in the Great Plains. The Nature Conservancy.

 

$  63,485

1997. Assessing the conservation value of agricultural lands. STA/NSF International Research Fellow Award: Japan Program. (Awarded by NSF, but declined.)

 

$  20,000

1996. Wetland management on private lands: effects of the “Ricelands/Habitat Project” on birds. Ducks Unlimited, Inc. C. Elphick, Co-PI, Primary Grant Writer and Research Director (Dr. L. Oring, Principal Investigator).

 

$  42,000

1994. Wetland management on private lands: effects of the “Ricelands/Habitat Project” on aquatic birds. Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research Doctoral Fellowship.

 

$  31,014

1992. Effects of the "Ricelands/Habitat Project" on  nongame species: an experimental study. Nature Conservancy.  C. Elphick, Co-PI, Primary Grant Writer and Research Director (Dr. L. Oring, Principal Investigator).

 


PUBLICATIONS

 

Peer-Reviewed Publications

 

Elphick, C.S. In press. Assessing conservation trade-offs: Identifying the effects of flooding rice fields for waterbirds on non-target bird species.  Biological Conservation.

 

Elphick, C.S., and L.W. Oring. 2003. Effects of rice field management on winter waterbird communities: conservation and agronomic implications. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 94:17-29.

 

Elphick, C.S., and J. Klima. 2002. Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). The Birds of North America, No. 629 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

 

Elphick, C.S., J.M. Reed, and J.M. Bonta. 2001. Correlates of endangered species recovery goals. Conservation Biology 15:1285-1291.

 

Elphick, C.S. 2000. Functional equivalency between rice fields and seminatural wetland habitats. Conservation Biology 14:181-191.

 

Elphick, C.S., and L.W. Oring. 1998. Winter management of California rice fields for waterbirds. Journal of Applied Ecology 35:95-108. (Winner of the Southwood Prize for best paper by a young scientist.)

 

Elphick, C.S. and T.L. Tibbitts. 1998. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca). The Birds of North America, No. 355 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

 

Reed, J.M., C.S. Elphick, and L.W. Oring. 1998. Life-history and viability analysis of the endangered Hawaiian stilt. Biological Conservation 84:35-45.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1997. Experimental approaches to shorebird habitat management. In Conservation and Management of Shorebirds in the Western Great Basin (J.M. Reed, N. Warnock, and L.W. Oring, eds.). International Wader Studies 9:20-28.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1997. Correcting avian richness estimates for unequal sample effort in atlas studies. Ibis 139:189-190.

 

Elphick, C.S., and M.A. Rubega. 1995. Prey choices and foraging efficiency of recently-fledged California Gulls at Mono Lake, California. Great Basin Naturalist 55:363-367.

 

Elphick, C.S., and G.L. Hunt. 1993. Variations in the distributions of marine birds with water masses in the northern Bering Sea. Condor 95:33-44.

 

 

Software

 

Reed, J. M., N. Fefferman, C. S. Elphick, and M. D. Silbernagle. 2004. MESHH: Managing endangered species habitat in Hawaii.  Prototype in revision.

 


Books

 

Floyd, T., C.S. Elphick, K. Mack, R. Elston, G. Chisholm. 2004. Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas. University of Nevada Press. Accepted for publication; in revision. 

 

Elphick, C.S., J.B. Dunning, and D.S. Sibley (eds.). 2001. National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf. 608 pp. (New York Times best seller list.)

 

 

Manuscripts available

 

Gjerdrum, C., C.S. Elphick, and M. Rubega. Molt in Ammodramus saltmarsh sparrows:  differences among species, sexes and sites.  Submitted to Auk.

 

Elphick, C.S., and N. LaFleur. Demographic data limitations for bird conservation.  Intended for Journal of Field Ornithology.

 

Elphick, C.S. Influence of landscape features on waterbird densities in California rice fields. Intended for Waterbirds.

 

 

Invited Chapters, Conservation Reports, and Other Publications

 

Eadie, J.M., C.S. Elphick, K.J. Reinecke, and M.R. Miller. Accepted. Wildlife values of North American ricelands.  In: Conservation in Ricelands of North America (M. Petrie, S. W. Manley, and B. Batt. eds.).

 

Warnock, N., C.S. Elphick, and M.A. Rubega. 2001. Biology of marine birds: shorebirds. Pages 581-615 in Biology of Marine Birds (J. Burger and B.A. Schreiber, eds.). CRC Press.

 

Cech, R., J.B. Dunning, C.S. Elphick, and M. Rubega. 2001. Flight, form and function. In: National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf. pp. 15-38.

 

Cech, R., J.B. Dunning, and C.S. Elphick. 2001. Bird behavior.  In: National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf.  pp. 51-79.

 

Cech, R., D.S. Sibley, C.S. Elphick and J.B. Dunning. 2001. Habitats and distribution.  In: National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf. pp. 80-106.

 

Reed, J. M., and C.S. Elphick. 2001. Populations and conservation. In: National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf. pp. 107-120.

 

Sibley, D.A., and C.S. Elphick. 2001. Jacanas.  In: National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf. pp. 271-272.

 

Elphick, C.S.  2001. A comprehensive revision of the Nevada Bird Records Committee review list. Great Basin Birds 4:  13-18.

 

Elphick, C.S. 2000. Recommendations for bird conservation planning in the Great Plains. Report to The Nature Conservancy.

 

Howe, M., J. Bart, S. Brown, C. Elphick, B. Harrington, C. Hickey, G. Morrison, S. Skagen, and N. Warnock, eds.  2000.  A Comprehensive Monitoring Program for North American Shorebirds.  Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.  124 pp. http://www.Manomet.org/USSCP/files.htm

 

Elphick, C.S. 1999. Consequences of observer bias for trend estimation: preliminary results of a simulation model. Report to Manomet Observatory.

 

Elphick, C.S. and G. Chisholm. 1999. Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas: Annual Report 1998. Great Basin Birds 2:52-55.

 

Baepler, D., D. Crowe, C.S. Elphick, L. Hoskins, L. Neel, F. Ryser, Jr., and J. Eidel. 1999. Report of the Nevada Bird Records Committee for 1997. Great Basin Birds 2:72-74.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1998. Waterbird conservation and ecology: the role of rice field management in habitat restoration. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Nevada, Reno.

 

Oring, L.W., and C.S. Elphick. 1994. Review of: Helmers, D.L. 1992. Shorebird Management Manual. Auk 110:672-674.

 

Coffin, J., J. Dutton, C.S. Elphick, C. Graham, and E. Rekowski. 1990. Report of the 1989 “UEA Expedicion Bosque Tropical” to Chiapas, Mexico. University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.

 

 

Newspaper Columns

 

Sibley, D., C. S. Elphick and J. B. Dunning. Weekly, Aug 2002 to present. Sibley on Birds.  Nationally syndicated newspaper column, distributed by New York Times Special Features.

 

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

Invited Symposium Talks

 

Eadie, J.M., C.S. Elphick, K.J. Reinecke, and M.R. Miller. 2002. Wildlife values of North American ricelands. Annual meeting, Wildlife Society, Bismark, North Dakota, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1999. Prioritizing research on how we monitor shorebird populations: results from a simulation model.  United States Shorebird Conservation Plan Conference, Bodega Bay, California, USA.

 

Eadie, J.M., C.S. Elphick, and F.A. Reid. 1999. The value of rice fields as habitat for water birds.  Temperate Rice Conference, Sacramento, California, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1997. Conservation implications of flooding rice fields during winter in California. Waterbirds and Flooded Agriculture (Symposium), Annual meeting, Colonial Waterbird Society, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1996. Shorebird habitat use in rice fields.  Rice straw management workgroup, Agronomy and Range Science Continuing Conference, Davis, California, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1995. Habitat creation on private lands: bird use of flooded rice-fields in winter. Second Biennial Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research Symposium, Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1994. The value of experiments to shorebird management. Conservation and Management of Shorebirds in the Western Great Basin. (Symposium). Reno, Nevada, USA.

 

 

Invited Research Seminars

 

Canadian Wildlife Service – Delta Field Office; Linnaean Society of New York; Louisiana State University; Natchaug Ornithological Association; Simon Fraser University; Trinity College; University of California – Davis; University of Connecticut; University of Delaware; University of Minnesota; University of Nevada – Reno, University of New Orleans, University of Southern Illinois.

 

 

Presentations at Professional Meetings

 

Elphick, C.S., T. Floyd, G. Chisholm, R. Elston. 2003. How accurately can one predict species distributions with simple models and sparse data? Annual meeting, Society for Conservation Biology, Duluth, Minnesota, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S., C. Gjerdrum, P. Comins, and M. Rubega. 2003. Point counts accurately reflect sparrow abundance, but not breeding success. (Poster) Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union, Champaign, Illinois, USA.

 

Gjerdrum, C., C.S. Elphick, and M. Rubega. 2003. Molt in Ammodramus sparrows: differences among species, sexes and sites. (Poster) Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union, Champaign, Illinois, USA.

 

Rubega, M., J. Boster, and C.S. Elphick. 2003. What do students learn about birds when they study ornithology? (Poster) Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union, Champaign, Illinois, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S., C. Gjerdrum, P. Comins, and M. Rubega. 2002. What do point counts tell us about the size of breeding saltmarsh sparrow populations? Preliminary results.  (Poster) Animals of tidal marshes symposium, Laurel, Maryland, USA.

 

Gjerdrum, C., C.S. Elphick, P. Comins, and M. Rubega. 2002. Conservation of saltmarsh sparrows in Long Island Sound marshes. (Poster) Animals of tidal marshes symposium, Laurel, Maryland, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S., J.M. Reed, and J.M. Bonta. 2001. Correlates of endangered species recovery goals. Annual meeting, Society for Conservation Biology, Hilo, Hawaii, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S., and N. LaFleur. 2000. Data limitations for demographic modeling in bird conservation. Annual meeting, Society for Conservation Biology, Missoula, Montana, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1999. The influence of landscape features on waterbird densities in California rice fields during winter.  Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union, Ithaca, New York, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S., and L.W. Oring.  1999. Measuring the conservation value of rice fields for waterbirds. Annual meeting, Society for Conservation Biology, College Park, Maryland, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1998. A multivariate analysis of the factors affecting foraging behavior of shorebirds and egrets. Annual meeting, Association of Field Ornithologists, Eastham, Massachusetts, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1997. Trade-offs in conservation biology: effects of flooding rice fields for waterbirds on non-target species. Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1997. Are flooded rice fields and semi-natural wetlands functionally equivalent foraging habitats for waterbirds? Annual meeting, Society for Conservation Biology, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

 

Elphick, C.S., and L.W. Oring. 1997. Effects of water depth on winter bird use of rice-paddies in California. Annual meeting, Cooper Ornithological Society, Hilo, Hawaii, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1996. Effects of agricultural flooding on winter bird populations. Winter meeting, British Ecological Society, Durham, UK.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1996. Management  of private lands for birds: experiments in the California rice-fields. Joint meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union and Raptor Research Foundation, Boise, Idaho, USA.

 

J.M. Reed, C.S. Elphick, and L.W. Oring. 1996. Population viability analysis of Hawaiian stilts: implications for management and future research. Joint meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union and Raptor Research Foundation, Boise, Idaho, USA.

 

J.M. Reed, C.S. Elphick, and L.W. Oring. 1996. Population viability analysis of Hawaiian stilts. Annual meeting, Society for Conservation Biology, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1995. Effects of winter management regimes on waterbird use of rice-fields. Joint meeting, Colonial Waterbird Society and Pacific Seabird Group, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1995. Does the total number of shorebirds at a site effectively characterize its conservation value? Annual meeting, Cooper Ornithological Society meeting, La Paz, Mexico.

 

Elphick, C.S. 1994. Effects of different rice-field management regimes on winter use by aquatic birds in the Sacramento Valley, California. (Poster) Joint meeting, American Ornithologists’, Cooper Ornithological Society, and Wilson Ornithological Society, Missoula, Montana, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S., and G.L. Hunt. 1993. Seabird community structure in the northern Bering Sea: importance of patch scale and definition. Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’ Union meeting, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.

 

Elphick, C.S., and M.A. Rubega. 1993. Prey choices and foraging efficiency of juvenile California gulls at Mono Lake. Annual meeting, Pacific Seabird Group meeting, Seattle, Washington, USA.