Tuesday, October 24th, 2023 @ 7pm ET
Program Meeting
In Person and via Zoom
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
University of North Carolina - Asheville
1 University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804
Rules of the Roost: Into the Chimneys with Swifts!
with Dr. Andrew Laughin
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Swifts are a unique group of aerial acrobats that can eat and even sleep on the wing. In eastern North America, Chimney Swifts form huge communal roosts in urban chimneys during their fall migration. Andrew Laughlin, along with undergraduate research students from UNC Asheville, studied the local roosts during the fall of 2020 and found that these chimneys serve different roles throughout the autumn roosting season: some chimneys were active throughout the season, while others were only active part of the time. This talk will explore the natural urban phenomenon of Chimney Swift roosting behavior and make the case for the importance of urban chimneys to preserve this unique phenomenon.
Dr. Andrew Laughlin is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at UNC Asheville. Dr. Laughlin teaches Principles of Ecology and Field Biology, Avian Ecology and Conservation, Wildlife Ecology and Management, and Urban Ecology. His research interests include movement and migration ecology, and animal responses to environmental change, with a focus on birds. Dr. Laughlin attended UNCA in 2004 as a post-baccalaureate student and began a research project on Hermit Thrushes. Following that, he did research on Hermit Thrush and Veery habitat associations, and a study on Tree Swallow ecology. In 2015, Dr. Laughlin began work in UNCA’s Environmental Studies Department where he teaches and conducts his current research.
Did you miss any of our 2021/2022 online program meetings?
Watch them here on our Facebook page.
(A Facebook account is not required.)
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All Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter programs are free and open to everyone.