Surely we can find some number crunchers to transform these and other problems into bona fide equations. Have at it, math geeks……

Jim

How many times in a 1 hour period can your computer freeze, and the power go out?

I have the answer for you even - 2 times each occurrence in a 1 hour period and 3 times for computer freeze and 8 times for power outage in a 12 hour period.

Next equation: How many times in a 12 hour period is it ok for you to forcefully reboot your hard drive without doing permanent damage to your computer?

This one I don’t have the answer too yet, and hope never to have!

I must say however, you sure put a completely different twist on the whole concept of equations. I am finishing here before the power goes out again or the computer freezes!!!

I didn’t see any other comments but perhaps now I have got the ball rolling for your competition!

Good luck to all participants and probably I won’t have a working computer to check anything again so I will never find out who wins!

Regards
Adirec

Alistair

1. Clifton, I.D., Ellis, W. A. H., Melzer, A. and Tucker, G. (2007) Water turnover and the northern range of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Australian Mammalogy 29 85 – 88.

2. Ellis. W. A. H., Melzer, A., and Bercovitch, F. B. (2009) Spatiotemporal dynamics of habitat use by koalas: the checkerboard model. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 63(8) 1181-1188.

3. Melzer A., Carrick F., Menkhorst P., Lunney D. and St John B. (2000) Overview, critical assessment and conservation implications of koala distribution and abundance. Conservation Biology 14 (3) 619-628.

4. Melzer. A., Tucker, G., Hodgon, J. and Elliott, B. (2003) A note on predation on koalas Phascolarctos cinereus by raptors, including Wedge-tailed eagles Aquila audax, in Queensland. The Queensland Naturalist 41(1-3), 38-40.

5. Pfeiffer, A. Melzer, A., Tucker, G., Clifton, D. and Ellis, W. (2005) Tree use by koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) on St Bees Island, Queensland – report of a pilot study. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 112: 47-51.

6. Tucker, G., Melzer, A. and Ellis, W. (2007) The development of habitat selection by subadult koalas. Australian Journal of Zoology. 55 1-5.

See also on line:

Melzer, A. & Ellis, WAH (2008) Koala Research in ST Bees Island National Park; A case study of research informing park management. APAC08 Proceedings; Australian Protected Areas Congress 2008. 24-28 November 2008. Pp 172-174. http://www.asnevents.com.au/ap.....%20web.pdf

Our research results are being progressively, but slowely, published. I’ll place a list of publications on site soon. Post-graduate students Delma Clifton and Gail Tucker have submitted their theses and both have been accepted. Delma graduated earlier this year. Gail is currently adressing a few examiners comments and I would expect her to graduate later this year. Both have recently published a paper from their work too.

I will also post an update on the research program soon. Volunteer field activities have been adverely influenced by the financial problems and concern about travelling in a time of swine influenza. What ever happens we’re committed to keeping this longterm research program running.

This year has brought home the realisation of the terrible state koala populations are in across eastern Australia. The disasterous drought and cataestrophic fires in southern Australia devestated koala populations - along with all wildlife and people. we revisited sites in central Queensland and realised that drought over the last decade has resulted in the collapse of koala habitat and a dramatic collapse in regional koala numbers. Finally, the koala populations in southeastern Queensland have declined 50% over the last few years. On St Bees Island we have seen the death of some of the forest trees due to drought but no obvious decline in the koalas as yet.

It is all so depressing but we are having to learn to accept drastic change as our ecology adjusts to a period of unstable and, at times, extreme climate.

Currently, I think that the koala will survive but its distribution and abundance across Australia is going to look very different to that occurring now. Places like St Bees Island may well become important repositories for this species.

Alistair

http://pulseplanet.com/dailypr.....p?POP=4271
http://pulseplanet.com/dailypr.....p?POP=4272

Sorry for the delay in responding–been very busy. I would recommend cleaning out the nests. It is recommended to clean the nest boxes at the end of the nesting season with water mixed with a small amount of bleach—and rinse thoroughly. Allow them to dry before erecting them. This procedure is to kill any parasites which may have been present during nesting. If you left them up all winter without cleaning them, it may be that the cold temps have killed them. (I am not sure if this is accurate or not). But I would brush them out and perhaps blast them well with water from your hose at the minimum.

The same swallows may return to the same box or it is possible the young raised there may. Off the top of my head I am not sure but will look at my collection of research papers to see. Seems like I remember reading that they can return to the same area.
Wishing you the best this nesting season! Let me know who nests in your boxes.
Joni

I expect the tree swallows will soon return to our nest boxes, here in New York’s Catskill mountains. I’ve seen chickadees checking one of them out, but they don’t seem to have moved in.

Would you recommend cleaning out the nests from last year? Do the same swallows return to the same box? If birds discover a nest in there already, will they avoid the box? If a cleaning is in order, how thorough should it be?

Brett