Novel test methods and measurement techniques motivated by experience in the physical sciences and electrical engineering are utilized both to verify known avian behaviors and, increasingly, to acquire new learning. Emphasis is placed on non-invasive, non-intrusive approaches. Initial focus is on studying the response of non-migrating and migrating species to step changes in DC and RF magnetic fields, bioacoustics for bird song indentification, optical and infra-red experiments to investigate aspects of behavior and physiology at different life cycle stages, and non-intrusive technique of measuring body weight of songbirds.
Experiments using bird feeders are situated in Mark Ketchen's backyard in Massachusetts, many miles from the phenology study ‘patch’.
