Guest Writers

Gavin Leighton:

Gavin is a PhD student at the University of Miami (in the Searcy Lab) interested in the behavior of Sociable Weavers (P. socius). He is studying these small passerines at the San Diego Zoo and in their natural habitat in southern Africa. The maintenance and evolution of their cooperative behavior is hitherto unexplored and theoretically fascinating.  Gavin graduated from Colgate University in 2009 and from LaSalle College High School in 2005.  He is originally from Philadelphia but has traveled widely.

Gavin wrote: "Socializing with Sociable Weavers" on 12/20/2011"The Why of Fly - the Origin and Evolution of Flight in Birds: Part 1" on 01/08/2012, and Part 2 on 03/17/2012.

See also:
People in the Searcy Lab at U Miami

Dan Lipp:

Dan is a field biologist working who has banded at PRBO's Palomarin field station for nearly eight months.  He has been birding for several years, and has taken several jobs doing point counts for various organizations, including PRBO.  Originally from Midland, Michigan, Dan graduated from Michigan State University in 2009.

Dan wrote: "Molt and Aging Birds" on 4/4/2012.


Ryan is a VMD student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine interested in small animal and avian medicine/surgery.  He has a strong interest in the anatomy and physiology of avian species and how this plays a critical role when adapting medical strategies from mammalian medicine.  He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2010.