Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of Connecticut
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 |
Assistant Professor in Residence |
1998-2003 |
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 (
PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES
American Ornithologists' Association of Field Ornithologists British Ecological Society British Ornithologists' Cooper Ornithological Society Ecological Society of |
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
Courses
General Ecology (Instructor)
Field Ecology (Instructor; including 2 week field trip
to
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
Field Methods in Ornithology (Instructor)
Avian Ecology and Management (Teaching Assistant, Guest
Lecturer)
Natural Resource Management (Guest Lecturer)
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
Martha Ellis. 2003.
Population ecology and dispersal behavior of mute swans. Funded through
OTHER PROFESSIONAL
ACTIVITIES & SERVICE
2003-present |
Member,
Student Affairs and Media Committees, Society for Conservation Biology |
|
|
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 |
|
Technical
editor/peer review for report: Great
Captain’s Island Heron and Egret Study (August, 2002; Audubon |
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. |
$ 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
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
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
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
Books
Floyd, T., C.S.
Elphick, K. Mack, R. Elston, G. Chisholm. 2004.
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
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
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
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.
Elphick, C.S.
1999. Consequences of observer bias for trend estimation: preliminary results
of a simulation model. Report to Manomet Observatory.
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.
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.
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.
Eadie, J.M., C.S. Elphick, and F.A. Reid. 1999. The value of rice fields as
habitat for water birds. Temperate Rice Conference,
Elphick,
C.S. 1997. Conservation implications of flooding
rice fields during winter in California. Waterbirds
and Flooded Agriculture (Symposium), Annual meeting, Colonial Waterbird
Society,
Elphick, C.S.
1996. Shorebird habitat use in rice fields.
Rice straw management workgroup,
Agronomy and Range Science Continuing Conference, Davis, California,
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
Elphick, C.S.
1994. The value of experiments to shorebird management. Conservation and Management of Shorebirds in the
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’
Gjerdrum,
C., C.S. Elphick, and M. Rubega.
2003. Molt in Ammodramus sparrows:
differences among species, sexes and sites. (Poster) Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’
Rubega,
M., J. Boster, and C.S. Elphick.
2003. What do students learn about birds when they study ornithology? (Poster) Annual meeting, American Ornithologists’
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’
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’
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,
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
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,
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,
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,
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,
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,