Chris Elphick,  a conservation biologist working primarily on birds in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, will talk about his lab group's ongoing research on the ecology, behavior and conservation of saltmarsh nesting sparrows.  More information can be found at http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/people/birdlab/index.html. Laurie Sanders' interview with Dr. Elphick can be heard at http://www.wfcr.org/field_notes/animals/index.html (scroll down to "Birds" and click the Sharp-tailed Sparrow link ).

Biography

Elphick grew up in England and began birding when he was big enough to hold a pair of binoculars. His research focuses on the conservation ecology of birds, especially in agricultural settings and wetlands.  Along with David Sibley and Barny Dunning he edited the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior and wrote the syndicated newspaper column Sibley on Birds.  He is also a co-author of the recently published Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Nevada.