AVECOL

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Useful messages from AVECOL

(scroll down for useful pdfs related to collecting and collections)

Defense of collecting specimens

• Cooper's Hawk predation (Ned Johnson)

• Collecting handout (Sievert Rohwer)

• graph of mortality sources in birds (thanks to Gary Shugart)

(scroll down for useful pdfs related to collecting and collections)

Supplies

• absorbents (Steve Rogers, Pete Capainolo, Marko Rakovic, Bob Dickerman, Andy Johnson, Matt Miller, Kevin Winker, Janet Hinshaw, Sam Sumida, Brian Schmidt)

• auxiliary barrels (Kevin Winker, Gerald Braden, Matt Carling)

• cabinets (Andy Johnson, James Dean)

• cabinet paper (James Dean, Kevin Winker)

• cotton (Walt Sakai, Janet Hinshaw, Cindy Ramotnik, René Corado, Brian Schmidt, Paul Sweet)

• egg boxes (Janet Hinshaw, John Gerwin, Sam Sumida)

• scales (James Dean)

• shot (Brian Schmidt, Steve Cardiff)

• skeleton boxes (Thomas Labedz, James Dean, Jean L. Woods, Laura Abraczinskas, Kevin Winker)

• specimen tubes (John Gerwin, Tom Erdman, Chris Wood)

• thread (Janet Hinshaw, James Dean, Paul Sweet, Tom Erdman)

• tray lining (Mark Robbins)

Logistics/Techniques

• drying large skins (Scott Cutler, Thomas Labedz, James Dean, Steve Rogers)

• freezing specimens to kill pests (Brian Schmidt, Janet Hinshaw)

• moving a collection: from Sam Sumida (WFVZ)

• moving a collection: from Tony Irwin

• photographing specimens (Sam Sumida)

• relaxing skins/mounts (Steve Rogers)

• repairing old and damaged skins (Johannes Erritzoe, Katrina Cook, Gary Shugart, Sam Sumida, Irene Torres)

• side-incision skinning (Town Peterson, Walter Wehtje)

• skeleton prep techniques (James Dean, Janet Hinshaw, Sergei Drovetski, Steve Rogers

• tying vs. gluing bills shut on study skins (Thomas Labedz, Steve Rogers, Gary Stiles, Steve Cardiff, Brian Schmidt, Van Remsen)

Misc.

• World Anatomical Inventories (from 1980s)

• Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research (The Ornithological Council)

• arsenic on old skins (Angelo Capparella, James Dean, Brian Gill)

• freeze-drying (Tony Irwin)

• "no pest" strips (Sam Sumida)

• West Nile Virus (David Mindell)

• When is a specimen not worth keeping? (Kevin Winker, Paul Sweet)

• Index to Zimmer's "Studies of Peruvian Birds" (by Morris Williams, courtesy Paul Sweet)

 • response to American Bird Conservancy anti-collecting propaganda. No response was ever received from anyone at American Bird Conservancy.

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Useful papers in pdf form relevant to collections and their importance

(further contributions welcomed)

Defense of collecting specimens and importance of research collections:

• Winker et al. paper (1991) Loon (pdf)

• Remsen (1991) Ecología en Bolivia [defense of collecting, in Spanish] (pdf)

• Remsen (1993) Birding [on collecting vagrants] (pdf)

• Remsen (1995) Bird Conservation Intl. (pdf)

• Winker (1996) Conservation Biology (pdf)

• Winker et al. on vouchers (1996) Ibis (pdf)

• Sheldon & Dittmann on tissue collections (pdf) [SHELDON, F. H., & D. L. DITTMANN. 1997. The value of vertebrate tissue collections in applied and basic science. Pp. 163-174 in K. E. Hoagland and A. Y. Rossman (eds.), Global Genetic Resources: Access, Ownership, and Intellectual Property Rights. Association of Systematics Collections, Washington, D.C.]

• Winker (1997) Conservation Biology (pdf)

• Remsen (1997) Bird Conservation Intl. (pdf)

• Cotterill (1999) Taxon (pdf)

• Cotterill (2002) Simposio (pdf) [COTTERILL, F.P.D. (2002) The future of Natural Science Collections into the 21st Century. Conferencia de Clausura. Actas del I Simposio sobre el Patrimonio Natural en las Colecciones Públicas en España (Vitoria, 25 - 27 Septiembre 2001). Departamento de Cultura, Diputación Foral de Alava. Vitoria. pp. 237-282.]

• Sheldon (2001) on tissue collections (pdf)

• Payne & Sorenson (2003): "Museum collections as sources for genetic data," Bonner zool. Beitr. (pdf)

• Cuervo et al. (2006) Ornitología Colombiana (pdf)

• Gaunt et al. (2005): "New directions for bioacoustic collections," Auk (pdf)

• Kiff (2005): "History, present status, and future prospects of avian eggshell collections in North America," Auk (pdf)

• Winker (2004): "Natural history museums in a postbiodiversity era," BioScience (pdf)

• Winker (2005): "Bird collections: development and use of a scientific resource," Auk (pdf)

• Corado (2005): "The importance of information on specimen labels," Ornitologia Neotropical (pdf)

• Winker & Withrow 2013, “Small collections make a big impact “ [Google Scholar Index], Nature 2013 (pdf)

Museum techniques etc.

• specimen preparation (Winker 2000 JFO) (pdf)

• Ildiko Szabo’s website at Beatty Biodiversity Museum, UBC (for all sorts of great stuff on preparing and using specimens)

• many useful topics from the Collections Workshop at the 2012 NAOC meeting in Vancouver from Ildiko Szabo:

Beaty Biodiversity Museum is pleased to announce that the Workshop held in Conjunction with the North American Ornithology Conference V (NAOC) August 2012 is now available on line:

Using and Contributing to Avian Collections:

• Part 1 - What are avian collections good for?  (Mark B. Robbins)

• Part 2 - It's a match! Forensic ornithology  (Dr. Pepper Trail & Chris M. Milensky)

• Part 3 - Whole Specimen Package: Alternative preparation types and media in modern Avian collections  (Dr. Kim Bostwick & Dr. Edwin Scholes III)

• Part 4 - Mobile web Resources (Ildiko Szabo & John Wieczorek)

• Part 5 - How to make bird study skins (Chris M. Milensky & Mark B. Robbins)

• Part 6 - How to salt bird skins  (Jonas Lai)

• Part 7 - How to wash and dry bird skins..(Wan-Chih Yang)•

• Part 8 - How to make decoy wire mounts (Stella Ramey)

• Part 9 - How to prepare anatomical specimens (pickles) (Dr. Kim Bostwick)

• Part 10 - How to make spread wings and skeletons (Ildiko Szabo)

These videos can be accessed via:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7_GnRI3mdtq2i9ZwBAPXPmNKielUQ9Zq

or by going to:   http://beatymuseum.ubc.ca/research/birds

and scrolling down to  "Resources" and clicking on the first video listed.