This weekend at the Virginia Society of Ornithology's annual meeting
banquet, the winners of the 2005 J. J. Murray Research Award were
announced. This student award of $1000 is granted annually for research
conducted on the birds of Virginia. Proposals are judged for their
scientific merit, and the likelihood that the work will make a
meaningful contribution to our understanding of Virginia avifauna. For
the third year, the VSO was able to grant two such awards, thanks to the
generosity of the Northern Neck Audubon Society, which supplied a
matching grant for the award.
One of this year's awards went to Caitlin Kight for research on the
effects of human disturbance on the breeding success of cavity-nesting
bird species. Caitlin is a Master of Science student at the College of
William and Mary, and is working under Dr. John Swaddle of the
Department of Biology.
The other winner this year is Brian Arquilla for work on the effects of
predator reduction on productivity of American Black Ducks and other
birds nesting on barrier islands in the mid-Atlantic Coast. Brian is
also a Master of Science student at the College of William and Mary, and
is working under Dr. Bryan Watts of the Center for Conservation Biology.
We congratulate Caitlin and Brian, and wish them well on their projects
this year.
Thanks are also due to the three individuals who served as judges in the
evaluation of proposals this year. This year's judges were Paul Bedell,
whose responsibilities include serving as a councilor for the Virginia
Natural History Society, Dr. Paul Callo, assistant professor of biology
at Mary Baldwin College, and Dr. Doug Shedd, Thoresen professor of
biology at Randolph-Macon Woman's College. These judges had to make
difficult decisions in choosing two winners from among the excellent
proposals we received again this year. We owe them thanks for their
help in this effort to support research in Virginia that both
contributes to our basic understanding of Virginia's avifauna and aids
conservation efforts.
The VSO's J. J. Murray Research Award is supported by an endowment fund,
and contributions to this fund are a way individuals can play a role in
supporting this worthwhile endeavor. If you would like more information
feel free to contact me off line.
Gene Sattler
Lynchburg
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