RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Fink, R. D., C. A. Lindell, E. B. Morrison, R. A. Zahawi, and K. D. Holl.  In press.  Patch size and tree species influence the number and duration of bird visits in forest restoration plots in southern Costa Rica.  Restoration Ecology.

Lindell, C. A.  2008.  The value of animal behavior in evaluations of restoration success.  Restoration Ecology 16:197-203

Lindell, C. A., D. G. McCullough, D. Cappaert, N. M. Apostolou, and M. B. Roth.  2008.  Factors influencing Woodpecker Predation on Emerald Ash Borer.  The American Midland Naturalist 159:434-444.

Lindell, C. A., S. K. Riffell, S. A. Kaiser, A. Battin, M. L. Smith, and T. D. Sisk.  2007.  Edge responses of tropical and temperate birds.  The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 119:204-221.

Kaiser, S. A. and C. A. Lindell.  2007.  Effects of distance to edge and edge type on nestling growth and nest survival in the Wood Thrush.  The Condor 109:288-303.

Lindell, C. A., W. H. Chomentowski, J. R. Zook, and S. A. Kaiser.  2006.  Generalizability of neotropical bird abundance and richness models.  Animal Conservation 9:445-455.

RECENT PROJECTS
The value of restored pasturelands in southern Costa Rica to resident and migrant birds.  Deforested areas of the tropics are often abandoned, leaving large areas of degraded land that provide little useful habitat for resident and migrant bird species.  Dr. Lindell is working with Dr. Karen Holl of the University of California at Santa Cruz and Dr. Zak Zahawi of the Organization for Tropical Studies to restore abandoned pasturelands in southern Costa Rica and to investigate the numbers and types of resident and migrant birds that use the restored lands.  Along with graduate student Emily Morrison, we are also investigating the foraging and anti-predation behavior of birds in restoration sites.  The project involves educating local residents about effective restoration strategies. 

   San Gabriel plantation treatment, 2006    San Gabriel plantation treatment, 2007            

Birds and cherry loss in Northwest Michigan. Cherries play a large role in Michigan's economy and culture.  Sales of cherries generated nearly $54 million in 2006.  An important problem for cherry growers is losses to birds that forage on the fruit.  The P.I. is currently developing a project with collaborators Nikki Rothwell and Erin Lizotte of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station to investigate ways to limit bird damage to cherry crops.  The first objective of the project is to quantify the behavior of birds in orchards to assess the contributions of different bird species to cherry loss and to suggest the control techniques that are most likely to be successful.

Interactions between woodpeckers and the invasive emerald ash borer in Michigan.  Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an insect pest that threatens billions of ash trees across North America.  This introduced species, first identified in the U.S. in 2002 and originating in Asia, has not coevolved with North American ash tree species nor with parasitic or predatory species that could potentially provide some regulation of EAB population sizes.  Woodpeckers are the most important source of EAB mortality identified to date in the U.S.  Yet, our information about patterns of woodpecker predation on EAB is extremely limited.  In a recently completed project, in collaboration with Dr. Deb McCullough and Dr. Dave Cappaert, we investigated factors that could potentially influence woodpecker predation rates on EAB.  Identification of such factors could suggest strategies that would enhance woodpecker predation on EAB. 

Woodpecker damage on an EAB-infested tree