Ruth A. Beck

Year of arrival 1969. Associate Professor, tenured. B.A., Biology, Radford College, 1963; M. Ed., Biology, University of Virginia, 1966. Research interests:

 

Ornithology 

Population dynamics of wading birds and seabirds (terns, herons, gulls and skimmers). Biological monitoring of colonial waterbirds. 

Ecology 

Behavior and population dynamics of Colonial and Solitary Beach Nesting Waterbirds. Biology of endangered and threatened species (Piping Plover, Least Tern and Red-cockaded Woodpecker). 

Conservation Biology 

Distribution, dispersal and decline of neotropical migrants in North America and Central America. Implementing management strategies and evaluating political and economic policies affecting avian endangered and threatened species.

 Publications

 

·        Williams,B., J.W. Akers, M.Beck,R.Beck,J.Via.2001. A Summary of the Twenty-Fifth Annual Beach-Nesting and Colonial Waterbirds Survey of the Virginia Barrier Islands-1999. Raven Vol 72:No1:12-16                     

  • Gordon,C.A., D.A.Cristol and R.A. Beck.2000. Low Reproductive Success of Black Skimmers Associated with Low Food Availability. Waterbirds 23(23):468-474.
  • Williams,B., J.W. Akers, M.Beck,R.Beck,J.Via.2000.. The 1998  Survey   of Colonial and Beach-Nesting Waterbirds on  the Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven. Vol  71: No. 2: 42-45.
  • Williams,B., J.W. Akers, M.Beck,R.Beck,J.Via.1998. Summary of 1997 Beach Nesting and Colonial Waterbird Survey of the Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven. Vol 69: 15-19.
  • Williams,B., J.W. Akers, M.Beck,R.Beck,J.Via.1997.Summary of 1996 Beach Nesting and Colonial Waterbird Survey of the Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven. Vol.68: No.2: 105-109.
  • Williams,B., J.W. Akers, M.Beck,R.Beck,J.Via.1996. The1995 Beach Nesting and Colonial Waterbird Survey of the Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven Vol.67: No2: 79-83.
  • Williams,B., J.W. Akers, M.Beck,R.Beck,J.Via.1995. Summary of 1994 Beach Nesting and Colonial Waterbird Survey of the Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven Vol.66: No1: 40-44.
  • Williams, B., J.W. Akers, R.A. Beck, and J.W. Via. 1994. The 1993 Colonial Beach Nesting and Wading Bird Survey of the Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven  Vol.65: No.1:61-65. 
  • William, J. W., J. W. Akers and R.A. Beck. 1993. The 1992 Colonial and Beach-nesting Waterbirds of the Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven Vol. 64: 25-29. 
  • Williams, B., J.W. Akers, J.W. Via, R.A. Beck, and S. Rottenborn. 1992. The 1991 Virginia Barrier Islands Beach Nesting and Colonial Waterbird Survey. Raven 63: 96-101. 
  • Mitchell, Joseph C. and Ruth A. Beck. 1991. Free-Ranging Domestic Cat Predation on Native Vertebrates in Rural and Urban Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science 43: 197-207. 
  • Williams, B., J.W. Akers, R.A. Beck, and J.W. Via. 1991. The 1990 Beach Nesting and Colonial Waterbird Survey of Virginia Barrier Islands. Raven 62: 49-54. 
  • Beck. R. A., J. W. Akers, J. W. Via, and J. W. Williams. 1990. Status and Distribution of the Least Tern in Virginia 1975-1988. Virginia Journal of Science. Vol. 41: 404-418. 
  • Williams, J. W., R. A. Beck, J. W. Akers, and J. W. Via. 1990. Longitudinal Surveys of the Beach Nesting and Colonial Waterbirds of the Virginia Barrier Islands. Virginia Journal of Science. Vol. 41: 381-388. 
  • Williams, J. W., J. W. Akers, R. A. Beck, K. Terwilliger, and J. W. Via. 1987. The Piping Plover on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science 38: 336-341. 
  • Frohring, P. C. and R. A. Beck. 1978. First Breeding Record of White Ibis in Virginia. American Birds, Vol. 32: 126-128.

Invited and Contributed Papers:

A total of 52 papers presented since 1990 at national, state, and regional meetings. 

Grants and Research Contracts:

 

  • 1994-2002 US Army Corps of Engineers $ 207,000.Monitoring of Threaten and Endangered Avian Species on Craney Island, Portsmouth, VA. 
  • 1992-95 James City County, Virginia $25,000Great Blue Heron Studies  Determination of Nest Locations and Monitoring of
    Colonial Waterbirds on Virginia's Barrier Islands 
  • 1990-92 US Fish and Wildlife Department $25,000. Feeding Areas of Mixed Herons on the Barrier Islands of Virginia

Projects in Progress: 

·         Prey availability and prey selection of The Black  Skimmer, Rynchops niger.

  • The effects of substrate quality on the reproductive success of common terns and Black Skimmers.  
  •  Management of Vegetation at manmade Colonial And Beach Nesting Bird Sites.
  • The effects of gull predation on terns and skimmers on the Virginia barrier Islands. 
  • Breeding Behavior and Productivity of American Oystercatcher In Virginia.
  • Determining habitat parameters of the Great Blue Heron on the major river systems of the Coastal Plain of Virginia. 
  • Long term (28 year) ecological study monitoring Colonial and Beach-Nesting Birds on the Virginia Barrier Islands.

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Last updated 02/6/03
College of William and Mary, Department of Biology
rabeck@wm.edu