Books

Brush, T. 2005. Breeding birdlife of a tropical frontier, the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX. 245 pp.

Manuscripts Submitted

Brush, T. Range expansions and breeding records of birds in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Submitted to Southwestern Naturalist (final review Fall 2007)

Brush, T., and U. Özesmi. Wading bird migration and habitat use in Kayseri Province, central Anatolia, Turkey, Spring 2004. Submitted to Turkish Journal of Zoology (October 2007)

Brush, T. Use of natural and artificial savannas by breeding birds of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Submitted to Bulletin of the Texas Ornithological Society (October 2007)

Recent Presentations Given at Regional and National Meetings

Brush, T., and S. G. Monk. Habitat use and population trends of Audubon’s Oriole in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Presented at 4th International Partners in Flight Conference, McAllen, Texas, February 2008.

Brush, T. European Starlings and other cavity-nesting birds of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Texas Ornithological Society, San Antonio, Texas, April 2007.

Brush, T. Recent changes in ranges of breeding birds in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, invited presentation presented at the North American Ornithological Congress, Veracruz, Mexico, October 2006.

Brush, T. Invasion of Logggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) into the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Texas Ornithological Society, Laredo, Texas, April 2006.

Brush, T. Green Parakeet (Aratinga holochlora) update: South Texas and northeastern Mexico. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Texas Ornithological Society, Weslaco, Texas, April 2005.

Brush, T. and U. Ozesmi. Green Parakeets in South Texas and northeastern Mexico. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Edinburg, Texas, March 2005.

Wading bird migration through central Turkey: 2004 vs. 1988. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Waterbird Society, Portland, Oregon, January 2005.

Brush, T. Birds of central Anatolia, Turkey. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East, London, UK, July 2004.

Brush, T. Conservation status of forest birds in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Presented at the Cooper Ornithological Society Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 2001.

Brush, T. Recent range extensions and recoveries in southernmost Texas. Presented at the Joint Meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union, British Ornithologists’ Union, and Canadian Society of Ornithology, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, August 2000.

Brush, T. and C. R. Hathcock. Effects of Bronzed Cowbirds on Altamira Orioles and other birds in southern Texas, USA. Presented at the Sixth Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, October 1999.

Brush, T. Current status and recent nesting of Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet and Tropical Parula in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Presented at the Second North American Ornithological Congress, St. Louis, Missouri, April 1998.

Brush, T., and M. Bray. Status of Altamira Orioles in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Presented at the American Ornithologists’ Union Annual Meeting, Boise, Idaho, August 1996.

Brush, T., and M. Bray. 1996. Status of Altamira Orioles in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Presented at the Southwestern Association of Naturalists Meeting, April 1996, McAllen, Texas.

Recent Grants and Awards Received

2007 Fellow, Texas Academy of Science, presented at annual Meeting, Waco, Texas, March 2007

2006 UTPA Provost’s Award for International Studies, November 2006

2005 Regional conservation award, Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, Harlingen

2004. Faculty developmental leave, spring semester, University of Texas-Pan American, in support of Fulbright Research Scholarship listed below Fulbright Research Scholarship to study birds of the Sultan Marshes, central Turkey, in cooperation with faculty of Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey ($6,000, plus housing and plane ticket).

2001. Research grant for study of declining birds of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico ($34,018 from U.S Geological Survey)--grant approved Fall 2001, field work to begin Spring 2002.

2000. Research grant for study of Audubon's Oriole distribution and habitat use in southern Texas and northeastern Mexico ($10,000 from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)--grant approved Fall 2000, feild work begun in Spring 2001.

Faculty Research Council grant to study impacts of Bronzed Cowbirds on nesting birds in Belize, Central America ($1,450)--research completed May 2000.

UTPA Scholars Fund Award, Spring Semester 1999 (25% release time).

1998. Research grant for study of Altamira Orioles in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas ($15,000)

1996. Research grant for Bronzed Cowbird parasitism study, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge ($22,500 from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)--ongoing

Research grant for study of breeding Snowy Plovers at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge ($3,000)

1995. Research grant for riparian bird study, Lower Rio Grande Valley ($40,000 from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Other Recent Activities

2005-2006 Conducted pilot study of breeding distribution of Loggerhead Shrike in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

2003-2007 Conducted field work in Tamaulipan Biotic Province of Tamaulipas, Mexico, focusing on changes in breeding bird communities and species in common with South Texas.

1997-2000 Visited Jaguar Creek Environmental Center near Belmopan, Belize, Central America. Assisted with ornithology component of tropical biology course (1997-1998) and taught tropical ornithology course segment (1999). Developed research ideas for continued study and did pilot study (2000).

Current and recent responsibilities include:

1) Comparative Embryology, an advanced course looking at vertebrate and echinoderm development and control mechanisms (regular course, twice/year)

2) Ornithology, an advanced course providing an overview of the field of ornithology and focusing on identification and field projects (regular course, once/year)

3) Subtropical Ornithology, graduate course developed and first taught Spring 2005 (regular course)

3) General Biology (Organismal/Ecological section), an introductory course taken by majors and non-majors (taught regularly until about 2000)

4) I have also supervised undergraduate and graduate research problems and theses of three recent M.S. students (see below).

Graduate Theses Completed Under my Direction 

2003-2004

Monk, Steven G. M.S. thesis, "Breeding distribution and habitat use of Audubon's Oriole in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas."

2000-2001

Gallegos, Tina. M.S. thesis, "Patterns of avian productivity indices at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge (1955-1999)."

1999-2000

Hathcock, Chris. M.S. thesis, "Impact of the brood-parasitic Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus) on host reproduction in the Lower Rio Grande Valley."

1997-1998

Castillo, Charles. M.S. thesis, "Effects of artificial flooding on the vegetation and avifauna of riparian woodlands at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Hidalgo County, Texas."

Rupert, Corinna. M.S. thesis, "Breeding densities and habitat of riparian birds along the Lower Rio Grande, Texas." Now employed by Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Rio Hondo, Texas.

Rupert, Jeff. M.S. thesis, "The brood-rearing habitat, brood home range, and fecundity of the Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) in coastal southern Texas." Now employed as wildlife biologist, Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, Texas.

1996-1997

Gamel, Chris. M.S. thesis, "Habitat selection, population density, and home range of the Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi, at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. Now enrolled in Ph.D. program at Texas A&M University, Galveston, Texas.

Garza, Humberto. M. S. thesis, "Habitat use and activities of the Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus, wintering on South Padre Island, Texas." Now employed in USDA border plant quarantine office, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.

Cantu, Alberto. M. S. thesis, "Using the spot-mapping censusing technique to assess changes in breeding bird communities at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, Texas, 1940-1996." Remains employed as middle school ESL teacher, McAllen, Texas.

Wright, Patrick L. M.S. thesis, "A comparison of secondary successional woody vegetation in two revegetated fields in South Texas and an assessment of habitat use by the Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufuvirgatus" (jointly with Dr. Robert I. Lonard). Now employed as high school science teacher, Lyford, Texas.

1995-1996

Gorena, Roberto. M. S. thesis, "Feeding and nesting ecology of the Great Kiskadee in the Lower Rio Grande Valley."

Recent Professional Service

University activities

Director, Graduate Program in Biology (1999-2005)
Member, Ad hoc Faculty Senate committee,
developmental leave program (2004)
Chair, departmental tenure/promotion committee (2003-2004, 2006-2007)
Chair, Faculty Development Council (2001-2002)
Member of Faculty Senate (1995-1999)

Professional Activities and Community Service

Associate editor, Studies in Avian Biology volume on avian distributional changes in the U.S.-Mexico border region, 2007
Co-chair, Symposium on Avian distributional changes within the U.S.-Mexico border region, to be held October 8, 2006, at the North American Ornithological Congress, Veracruz, Mexico.
Associate editor, birds, Southwestern Naturalist, 2002-2005
Member, Board of Directors, World Birding Center, 2005
Presentation, Nesting birds of a tropical frontier, Museum of South Texas History, Edinburg, TX, November 2005Presentation, Marsh Birds and Underground Cities, Medford Leas Bird Club, Medford, NJ, July 2005
Presentation, Marsh Birds and Underground Cities, sabbatical report given to university community at UTPA student union, April 2005
Presentation, Birds of Turkey, banquet presentation at Annual Meeting, Texas Ornithological Society, Weslaco Texas, April 2005
Presentation, Birds of Turkey, McAllen Great Outdoors Nature Series 2005, Presented by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce & the Valley Nature Center, February 2005
Reviewed manuscripts for various professional journals
Member, Board of Directors, Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, (1999-2002)

American Institute of Biological Sciences
American Ornithologists' Union
American Scientific Affiliation
Association of Field Ornithologists
Cooper Ornithological Society
Ecological Society of America
Native Plant Project
Southwestern Association of Naturalists
Texas Academy of Science
Texas Ornithological Society
Wilson Ornithological Society