As with previous 91亚色 Circle Lecture & Lunch events, organizers have planned a full day of inspiring lectures by some of the University鈥檚 leading thinkers. For full details, download a PDF of the 91亚色 Circle schedule.

In her聽lecture, 鈥淭he Bird Detective: Investigating the Private Lives of Birds鈥�, 91亚色 Professor Bridget Stutchbury (left), Canada Research Chair in Ecology and Conservation Biology, will explain why some birds readily divorce their partners, why females sneak out to have sex with neighbouring males and why some mothers sometimes desert their babies. Based on her book (2010), this lecture promises to raise the blinds on the secret lives of birds.

On a more serious note,聽Stutchbury will examine聽whether聽bird behaviour can help species adapt to the drastic changes humans are making to the environment. Since the 1980s,聽Stutchbury has studied the ecology and conservation of migratory songbirds. In addition to The Bird Detective, she is聽author of the book (2007)聽鈥� a聽finalist for a Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award.

"The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, the African, and the Abolition of the British Slave Trade" is the intriguing title of the presentation by 91亚色聽history Professor聽Paul Lovejoy (right), Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History and聽director of the聽. In his聽lecture,聽Lovejoy will explore the pivotal role of Gustavus Vassa, better known by his African name, Olaudah Equiano (c. 1742-1797), in advancing the abolition of the British slave trade. Many scholars consider William Wilberforce (c. 1759-1833) and Thomas Clarkson (c. 1760-1846)聽to be聽the pioneers of the British abolitionist movement, but Lovejoy posits that it was Equiano who was聽the聽seminal influence聽in advocating the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of those in slavery.

Lovejoy聽is a member of the executive committee of the UNESCO 鈥淪lave Route鈥� Project, co-edits African Economic History and Studies in the History of the African Diaspora 鈥� Documents (SHADD), and is research professor and associate fellow of the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation at the聽University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

Acclaimed Canadian poet and 91亚色 Professor (left) will discuss her experiences as Canadian Athletes Now Fund鈥檚 first poet-in-residence during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games. In her lecture, which is aptly titled, "My Gold Medal Experience: Olympic Poetry", Uppal聽will describe聽how she聽celebrated with the Canadian athletes and their families by writing poetry about winter sports, the games, and the personalities and performances that captured a nation鈥檚 imagination.

How she designed and then 鈥渢rained鈥� for her position, how the athletes responded to daily poetry readings, and other initiatives she鈥檚 undertaken to bridge the sometimes separate worlds of sport and art, will all be addressed. In addition, Uppal will read a short selection of the some of the 50 poems written at the games and recently collected in the book Winter Sport: Poems (2010).

"A World of Suburbs? Finding the Heart of the Urban Century in the Periphery" with 91亚色 environmental studies Professor Roger Keil (right) will offer 91亚色 Circle members insights into urbanization. The 21st century has been heralded as an urban century. Indeed, urbanization is now the most tangible shared experience of humanity. Keil will explore what is behind the story of the "urban revolution". He will uncover聽an important and perhaps astonishing truth: Most urban dwellers now live in the periphery. From the squatter settlements of the Global South to the wealthy gated communities of North America, from the tower block peripheries of Europe or Canada to the newly sprawling cities of Asia, a common theme emerges: where cities grow, they grow at the margins.

Keil is the director of the City Institute at 91亚色 and professor聽in the Faculty of Environmental Studies.聽Among his publications are In-Between Infrastructure: Urban Connectivity in an Age of Vulnerability (2010) and The Global Cities Reader (2006). Keil鈥檚 current research is on global suburbanism and regional governance.聽He is the co-editor of the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research and a co-founder of the International Network for Urban Research and Action.

This free series includes two events annually 鈥撀爄n the spring and fall each year聽鈥� and provides opportunities for learning and networking in a relaxed environment.

Lecture & Lunch events are open to members of the 91亚色 Circle and their guests, each of whom are offered a complimentary lunch sourced from 91亚色 Region as part of the day.

The 91亚色 Circle receives generous support from 91亚色's Alumni Office (program partner) and the Toronto Community News and Metroland Media Group 91亚色 Region (print media sponsors).

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Two pairs of purple martins, known for the purple-black feathers of mature males, are cohabiting in a colony house on the south edge of Grenadier Pond.

The birds are rare in southern Ontario, where populations have decreased by 46 per cent in the last 20 years. They feed on flying insects, and even one period of cold wet weather, when insects don鈥檛 fly, can lead to adult starvation in large numbers, says Bridget Stutchbury, Distinguished Research Professor in Biology in 91亚色's Faculty of Science & Engineering, who studies North American songbirds and did her thesis on purple martins.

Stutchbury says it鈥檚 rare for the species to move into a new colony house because they usually return to one where they鈥檝e previously nested and prefer to live with other pairs. The social nature of the bird could mean that more pairs will move into High Park. 鈥淭he idea that they鈥檇 be able to repopulate, I think it鈥檚 exciting,鈥� she says.

Although the creatures are admired for many reasons, there is one misconception about the species, says Stutchbury. The belief that martins have a voracious appetite for mosquitoes is a myth. 鈥淭hey might snatch the odd mosquito, but they鈥檇 much rather eat a nice juicy dragonfly,鈥� she says. They also favour moths and butterflies. 鈥淪ome people might think that they鈥檙e good insect control, but they鈥檙e mostly eating the kind of insects we might admire.鈥�

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91亚色鈥檚 , is the author of . It describes her journeys through forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book, published by April 16, also explains how understanding birds鈥� behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

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A at 91亚色, Stutchbury says the Canadian bird population has been declining by one to two per cent a year since the mid-1960s. She cited pesticide use and deforestation as a couple of the problems, and singled out the practice of forest clearing for coffee plantations as one of the primary concerns 鈥� another reason to support shade-grown coffee.

But far-off coffee plantations aren't the only problem. The same day the story on Stutchbury ran, NB Power advertised its 2010 herbicide application program on its transmission line rights-of-ways.

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鈥淏oth at the provincial level, and even at the national level, you have dozens of species of songbirds that are in serious decline,鈥� says Bridget Stutchbury, author of Silence of the Songbirds and : Investigating the Secret Lives of Birds.

Stutchbury, in 91亚色鈥檚 , was scheduled to be in Fredericton on Thursday to deliver a public lecture on the severity and the impact of the province鈥檚 songbird decline.

Stutchbury said the causes for the decline are plentiful. Pesticide use and deforestation are two. Coffee is one of the biggest culprits in the case of migratory birds, she said, because forests are cleared to make way for the coffee plantations, pushing the birds out of their refuges. 鈥淭he sun-grown coffee is grown the way we would grow corn, completely out in the open in these massive fields. Row after row after row of coffee plants and not a tree in sight,鈥� Stutchbury said.

Switching from sun-grown coffee to shade-grown coffee that鈥檚 grown in the forest would be a step in the right direction, she said. Reducing pesticide use and encouraging sustainable logging practices are other ways to stop the decline.

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The video is and runs for 2:20.

Stutchbury also took part in a phone-in show about local birds on CBC Radio鈥檚 鈥淢aritime Noon鈥� May 12 where she answered callers' questions about their backyard visitors.聽 The segment begins at the 4:20 mark and runs to the end of the program. The .

Her efforts to use the book to promote conservation of bird habitats was also covered on

A rapid decline in the number of songbirds across North America should serve as a wake-up call about what is being done to the environment, a Canadian biologist warned Friday.

Bridget Stutchbury, Canada Research Chair in Ecology & Conservation Biology in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering, said a growing number of bird species will be at risk unless immediate action is taken to protect large natural areas that serve as breeding grounds.

鈥淭he facts can be shocking, and so shocking they are almost hard to believe,鈥� Stutchbury said in Fredericton. 鈥淲hen you talk about biodiversity loss, very realistic forecasts are that in the next 100 years we are going to lose 10 to 15 per cent of the world鈥檚 birds in terms of species.

Stutchbury said the decline is the result of a loss of habitat due to clear-cutting and urban sprawl, not climate change. She said Canada鈥檚 boreal forest serves as a bird nursery for the continent and must be protected to, in turn, protect birds.

鈥淯nless something radical is done in terms of setting aside protected areas for wildlife and plants, it鈥檚 all going to unravel because there are dozens of species on a straight-line trajectory to zero,鈥� she said.

It was also covered in :

Bridget Stutchbury was at Fredericton鈥檚 Conserver House on Friday to speak about the decline of the songbird population in Canada and what can be done to save them.

The 91亚色 scientist and author of Silence of the Songbirds, which was nominated for a Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award for Non-Fiction, recently authored a new book called The Bird Detective: Investigating the Secret Lives of Birds.

Stutchbury stressed the impact the drastic decline in the songbird population will have on biodiversity in the province.

Conservation Council of New Brunswick executive director David Coon and Stutchbury agreed there are simple things individuals can do to protect the environment and the birds鈥� habitat.

Stutchbury suggested buying local and organic products, recycled paper and shade-grown coffee. She said the issue is hitting close to home, as there are several New Brunswick songbirds on the list of declining species. 鈥淭he bird decline is so widespread, it affects all Canadians, no matter where you live,鈥� Stutchbury said. 鈥淏ut in the area of the Acadian Forest (in New Brunswick), we are seeing more.鈥�

Stutchbury鈥檚 comments were also reported on radio stations in Chatham, Owen Sound, Ottawa and Belleville, Ont. and Calgary, Alta., and in Bathurst and Fredericton, NB, and Bridgewater, NS.

Last but not least, her book was :

Reading these essays is almost as good as seeing the birds ourselves. The same is true of The Bird Detective, by Bridget Stutchbury.聽An ornithologist at 91亚色, she has accumulated a wealth of knowledge on bird behaviour from her own research and that of other biologists, and lets us in on the secret lives of both birds and ornithologists.

Here is the rare academic who can make research accessible to the public without dumbing it down. But Stutchbury does more than that: she makes it exciting. Her description of birds鈥� sexual adventures, combined with Stutchbury鈥檚 ornithological adventures, propel the book forward, and made me wish I could travel along with her in the field.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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In her latest novel, The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood invents new animals to entertain us and get across her concerns about environmental and social collapse.

. . .

In The Bird Detective: Investigating the Secret Lives of Birds, Bridget Stutchbury, Distinguished Research Professor of Biology in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering and author of the Governor-General鈥檚 Literary Award-nominated Silence of the Songbirds, also uses animals to illustrate the effect humankind is having on nature. And she does it very effectively without Atwood鈥檚 black wit and disturbing scenarios.

The Bird Detective, in fact, is a cheery little book. Stutchbury delights readers with hundreds of amazing facts and stories about birds, mostly songbirds, which serve to make it all the more tragic that climate change, habitat loss, pesticide use, long-line fishing and other environmental sins are mixing up extraordinary behaviours that have evolved over thousands of years.

The complete review is .

The book was also reviewed by May 7:

As the outdoor reading season opens, Bridget Stutchbury鈥檚 new, informal work on bird behaviour, The Bird Detective: Investigating the Secret Life of Birds, just begs to be read under a backyard tree. The book could serve as beach reading too; marine birds such as the albatross and rhinoceros auklet put in appearances. But Stutchbury, a biologist in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering, has done much of her research on songbirds, and tales of their behaviour form the heart of the book.

Stutchbury examines big issues in the family life of any species 鈥� courtship, kids, infidelity and so on 鈥� and describes relevant research projects. Some examples come from her own work with her husband, evolutionary biologist Gene Morton, and some from other scientists.

Behind-the-scenes details set the book apart from typical wildlife guides. In one vignette, Stutchbury recalls conveying nestlings to and from weighing sessions by climbing ladders while clenching paper bags of baby birds in her teeth. The book takes a conversational approach to research, yet Stutchbury packs in a good number of intriguing findings while presenting the science clearly.

The complete .

The Bird Detective was published by April 16.

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In , Stutchbury roams forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book was published by April 16.

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91亚色鈥檚 , also explains how understanding birds鈥� behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Figuring out bird habits are all in a day's work for Stutchbury. Montreal-born, Toronto-raised, she is an internationally renowned researcher and author. Her previous book, , was a finalist for the . Among her achievements, she and colleagues were the first to figure out how to track songbirds as they migrate, by fitting them with tiny backpacks containing sensors weighing less than a dime.

With her husband, fellow ornithologist Gene Morton, Stutchbury adventures around the world tracking birds. She's hacked her way through a tropical forest with a machete. Attacks by killer bees are part of her job description.

"There are many events in my life that, I have to confess, are a bit unusual," she says.

We tracked her down at her university office in Toronto to find out more about life as a bird detective.

Her Daily Routine

She wakes up at dawn, a childhood habit and a very good trait in an ornithologist. During the winter, she teaches at the university and keeps a routine typical of many working mothers. But the summer is anything but typical. The family relocates to their farm/laboratory in Pennsylvania where she spends her days stalking birds through the forest for hours at a time, carrying a long net and wearing a radio attached to her belt.

Her Kids' Reaction To Her Work

"They've been hearing (about birds' sex lives) since they were born. Even before they could walk, they've been dragged along on various expeditions. . . . As they become teenagers, they are probably a little embarrassed about it, but they understand the tongue-in-cheek aspects. My kids know from hearing me talk to my husband that when we get talking in scientific terms, it can be deadly dull."

Advice For Would-Be Ornithologists

Invite birds into your yard, small as it may be. The key? Pay attention to the little things.

"I'm always looking and listening," she says.

Her Thoughts On Climate Change

Climate change, overuse of pesticides and increasing urbanization are hurting birds and they are changing their habits to survive. For instance, warmer temperatures are throwing migration patterns out of whack, threatening the survival of some species.

She cites one study that found a 2.8 C increase in surface temperature would result in 500 land bird extinctions by 2100, with two thousand species at risk of extinction.

But she takes an optimistic view about the future:

"I do believe that a green revolution is underway and that the tide has turned in the last five to 10 years," she says. "I think we've hit and passed the tipping point when it comes to people's attitudes on environmental sustainability."

Her Conservation Tips

"Reduce, reuse, recycle. Use paper products from post-consumer recycled material. Ensure that your papers and wood products have FSC certification (a labelling system that indicates products come from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources). I'm a big fan of consumers taking action because you can see the results of your efforts right away."

On Coffee

She recommends buying organic, fair-trade coffee from traditional small coffee farms. These farms refrain from pesticides and support preservation of tropical trees. In future, as researchers learn more about bird migration, we might be able to buy our coffee from South American farms that are known to be the winter homes of Canadian songbirds.

The complete article is available on the .

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wrote:

It鈥檚 not all love in the avian world, where divorce, child abandonment and marrying up are part of everyday life.

, to be published in Canada this week, dispels the lovebird myth that birds pair up for life, and paints a picture instead that includes adultery and the pursuit of comfort.

鈥淚n terms of top 10 myths about birds, the permanent pair bonds that we think about, that does occur for some birds, but for most of the little songbirds that we studied, no,鈥� said Stutchbury.

The book draws on 20 years of research from radio tracking and DNA testing and shows male Acadian flycatchers fertilizing females far away from their home nests, and female blue-headed vireos premeditating divorce by checking out new mates before they abandon their young.

Stutchbury, who has studied dozens of songbird species in Canada, the United States and Panama, said shorter summers may drive females to leave their nests before their young are fully fledged so they can quickly find new mates and lay more eggs. That leaves the males to feed the hungry chicks on their own.

Males can triple or quadruple their reproductive success by fertilizing neighbouring females, but only 鈥渕ates鈥� care for the young, and some are none the wiser. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 tell when the egg hatches whether it鈥檚 theirs or not,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have no way to know.鈥�

Divorce is surprisingly common among birds, and most live with one partner for only a few months or years. Divorce rates range from 99 per cent in the greater flamingo to zero in the wandering albatross.

The wrote:

Who knew birds could be so bad?

A new book from Bridget Stutchbury shows they cheat on each other, and their relationships often end in divorce. As well, some parent birds favour one offspring over another. 鈥淭here are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,鈥� Stutchbury said in a release about her book The Bird Detective.

鈥淥ne hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.鈥� Another theory is birds, like humans, realize they can do better: One initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

The 91亚色 biology professor 鈥� who was a 2007 Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award for Non-Fiction finalist for her book Silence of the Songbirds 鈥� and post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden looked at how female Acadian flycatchers were being fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away.

鈥淲e had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,鈥� Stutchbury said.

Stutchbury, who is among 91亚色's Distinguished Research Professors, is a faculty member in the in 91亚色鈥檚 . She holds a .

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In , Bridget Stutchbury roams forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book, published by , hits shelves April 16.

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering, also explains how understanding birds鈥� behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

Using radio-tracking technology, Stutchbury and 91亚色 post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden solved a mystery that had puzzled biologists: how were female Acadian flycatchers getting fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away?

鈥淲e had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,鈥� Stutchbury says.

Divorce is a regular part of life for almost all birds; most live with one partner for only a few months or years, depending on the species. Annual divorce rates range from 99 percent in the Greater Flamingo to zero in the Wandering Albatross.

鈥淭here are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,鈥� Stutchbury says. 鈥淥ne hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.鈥� Another theory is that birds, like humans, realize they can do better: one pair member initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

Left: Bridget Stutchbury

As in humans, divorce can take its toll on offspring, creating a situation where one partner is left to care for eggs or young. 鈥淚n the worst-case scenario, birds may abandon the breeding attempt and leave the offspring to die in favour of starting over with a new, better partner,鈥� Stutchbury says.

Birds are also known to exhibit favouritism when it comes to their young. They must invest more effort into raising sons, as males are larger and require more food.

鈥淲e see birds providing extra food and care to one gender of offspring over another, depending on environmental circumstances,鈥� says Stutchbury. In ye

ars where food is plentiful, some birds may raise male hatchlings exclusively.

In The Bird Detective, Stutchbury also gives a first-hand account of how she and her team became the first researchers in the world to track migratory songbirds from breeding to wintering grounds. Last winter, she published a paper in the journal showing the tiny birds鈥� astonishing speed in migration, finding that they fly three times faster than previously suspected.

Stutchbury emphasizes that these aspects of behaviour aren鈥檛 mere curiosities: they鈥檙e crucial puzzle pieces that will help researchers protect birds from threats like climate change, habitat destruction, and other environmental concerns.

鈥淭here鈥檚 truly a pressing need for behavioural research 鈥� otherwise there鈥檚 no way for us to know how to best protect species.鈥�

A book launch for The Bird Detective will take place Thursday April 29, at 7:30pm at .

Stutchury is also the author of , which was a finalist for the .

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer, with photos courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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