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"Elphick, Jonathan"
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The atlas of bird migration : tracing the great journeys of the world's birds
Explanation of flight techniques, navigation, feeding and biology of migrating birds as well as environmental threats to migrating species and conservation initiatives. Maps trace migration routes of over 100 species of birds divided by geographic regions and a supplementary catalogue details the route of 500 additional species.
Book
A passion that takes flight Birdwatching is an ideal family hobby, and high summer is the right time to start, explains Jonathan Elphick
At a time when foot and mouth restrictions are still blocking access to parts of the countryside, for those who want to venture further afield, it makes sense to head for one of the RSPB's nature reserves - out of the total of 150 or so, only a handful currently remain closed (ring the RSPB or consult its website for latest information; details given right). Along rocky shores, seabirds such as dapper, chocolate-and-white guillemots and comical, clownlike puffins still provide a stunning spectacle at their breeding colonies at reserves such as South Stack near Holyhead, Anglesey, and Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire: the latter is the best place in England to see breeding seabirds - over 200,000 of them, including spectacular gannets. Equally exciting, birds of prey are busy feeding their young. It is possible to enjoy stunning views of red kites in central Wales at the RSPB's Ynys-Hir reserve, Carmarthenshire; birds from the reintroduced population can be seen at Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve, Stokenchurch, Oxfordshire, or at North Kessock Tourist Information Centre, near Inverness. Binoculars (referred to by most birdwatchers as \"bins\") are a must if you are to see birds properly, but don't be tempted by your nearest high-street shop or bargain mail-order adverts - the models they sell are rarely of good enough quality for birdwatching. Look in one of the birdwatching magazines for a specialist dealer near you, and pay dealers a visit so you can try out different models to make sure you are happy with them. Failing that, there is always mail- order (talk to knowledgeable birdwatching friends first).
Newspaper Article
The handbook of bird families
\"This ultimate handbook contains a comprehensive survey of the world's birds, reflecting the latest classification changes to the Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. It includes an introduction to each of the bird orders and a detailed account and concise fact panel for every one of the 234 families. It details the appearance, behaviour and lifestyle of the family members, while a glossary, further reading list and an index ensure easy reference.\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Obituary: Sarah Gainham
This work (the first part of a trilogy which included A Place in the Country, 1968, and Private Worlds, 1971) overshadowed not only the several novels that followed, but also [Sarah] Gainham's highly regarded journalism in such magazines as The Spectator, The Economist, Encounter and Atlantic Monthly. The novel was remarkably successful, managing somehow to catch the mood of the time - especially in the United States, where it remained top of the New York Times bestseller list for several months - and it was translated into many languages. All bar one of the dozen novels that Gainham wrote were set in central Europe, a region she knew intimately, having moved to Vienna in 1947 - initially to work with the Four Power Commission - never to live in England again. She also lived at various times in Berlin, Bonn and Trieste before returning to Vienna. Such experiences were invaluable when, in urgent need of earning her own living after the collapse of her marriage in 1956, Gainham became the Central and Eastern European correspondent for The Spectator, largely due to the efforts of Cyril Ray - whose plea that she needed the money became a catchphrase in the office. Whilst the success of Night Falls on the City ensured that Gainham was financially secure for life (\"It is vital to have money,\" she would shout. \"I know, I've been poor!\"), her emotional and private lives were far less satisfactory. Gainham had immense sex appeal, was highly flirtatious - skittish, even - and well aware of the appeal that she had for the opposite sex. She once remarked in late middle age: \"I know that I am no great looker, but I've always had a magnificent pair of tits.\" Indeed, until well into her eighties she would wear dresses with heroically plunging necklines.
Newspaper Article
Quantifying the Economic Impact of Supply Voltage Magnitude on Consumers
Increasing penetration of distributed energy resources is manifesting as voltage regulation challenges in many LV networks. Appropriate regulation of supply voltage magnitude is essential to ensure efficacy and efficiency in the operation of electricity supply networks and consumer equipment. While the theoretical impacts of supply voltage magnitude on the performance of consumer equipment, which include additional energy consumption and decreased equipment lifespan as voltage magnitude increases, are relatively well known, this has not been translated into quantitative impacts. This paper applies the outcomes of previous impact of supply voltage magnitude studies by the authors, in conjunction with domestic load models, to develop algorithms to estimate the quantitative impacts of supply voltage magnitude on consumers. The paper then applies these algorithms to calculate quantitative economic impacts that can be associated with the magnitude of the supply voltage. The outcomes of this research suggest that the per-annum impact of supply voltage magnitude on consumer equipment loss of life is potentially an order of magnitude greater than the resultant increased energy consumption based on case studies using Australian data.
Journal Article
Quantifying the importance of geographic replication and representativeness when estimating demographic rates, using a coastal species as a case study
Demographic rates are rarely estimated over an entire species range, limiting empirical tests of ecological patterns and theories, and raising questions about the representativeness of studies that use data from a small part of a range. The uncertainty that results from using demographic rates from just a few sites is especially pervasive in population projections, which are critical for a wide range of questions in ecology and conservation. We developed a simple simulation to quantify how this lack of geographic representativeness can affect inferences about the global mean and variance of growth rates, which has implications for the robust design of a wide range of population studies. Using a coastal songbird, saltmarsh sparrow Ammodramus caudacutus, as a case study, we first estimated survival, fecundity, and population growth rates at 21 sites distributed across much of their breeding range. We then subsampled this large, representative dataset according to five sampling scenarios in order to simulate a variety of geographic biases in study design. We found spatial variation in demographic rates, but no large systematic patterns. Estimating the global mean and variance of growth rates using subsets of the data suggested that at least 10–15 sites were required for reasonably unbiased estimates, highlighting how relying on demographic data from just a few sites can lead to biased results when extrapolating across a species range. Sampling at the full 21 sites, however, offered diminishing returns, raising the possibility that for some species accepting some geographical bias in sampling can still allow for robust range-wide inferences. The subsampling approach presented here, while conceptually simple, could be used with both new and existing data to encourage efficiency in the design of long-term or large-scale ecological studies.
Journal Article
High uncertainty over the future of tidal marsh birds under current sea-level rise projections
Sea-level rise (SLR) is projected to increase dramatically with profound effects on tidal marshes, yet uncertainty stemming from underlying climate change scenarios, model specifications, and temporal scale is a major hurdle to conservation planning. We compared likely effects of SLR for 2030 and 2050 under static inundation and dynamic response model predictions for the northeastern USA, where tidal marshes experience elevated rates of SLR compared to global averages. Static inundation and dynamic response models of SLR, which differ in how they incorporate uncertainty associated with local processes and biophysical feedbacks, have historically been applied at different scales, and generally differ in spatial and temporal predictions of marsh vulnerability. We used population estimates for five tidal marsh bird species of conservation concern to predict patterns of population change for each SLR model and examined how uncertainty affects planning decisions for these species. Static inundation and dynamic response models differed markedly in their predictions for 2030, yet both models predicted with reasonable certainty that only 10–15% of tidal marsh in northeastern USA is likely (> 66% chance; as defined by the IPCC) to remain by 2050. Most (85–90%) of the marsh is predicted to be as likely as not (33–66% chance) to disappear, representing high potential for the loss of habitat for > 85% of current populations of four of the five bird species. We propose a planning approach using guidelines established by the IPCC to categorize uncertainty associated with marsh loss due to SLR and apply it to prioritize key sites for preservation.
Journal Article