Ralph Morris Dept. of Biological Sciences, Brock University

Research Publications :

• Morris, R.D., D.V. Weseloh, F. J. Cuthbert, C. Pekarik, L. R. Wires & L. Harper. 2009. Distribution and abundance of nesting Common and Caspian Terns on the North American Great Lakes. J. Great Lakes Research (in press).
• Morris, R.D. 2009. Colonial nesting waterbirds in the Niagara Region. IN Niagara Birds (J.E. Black and K.J. Roy, Eds.). In press.
• Morris, R.D. 2009. The rise and fall of the Port Colborne (Lake Erie) Common Tern colony: a case study in conservation biology. Bird Trends 10: 38-44.
• Pekarik, C., J.S. Quinn, D.V, Weseloh & R.D. Morris. 2009. Population trends of colonial waterbirds nesting on/near the wildlife islands in Hamilton Harbour 1997-2004. Bird Trends 10: 36-38.
• Morris, R.D., D.V. Weseloh & C. Pekarik. 2008. Colonial nesting waterbirds in the Canadian and U.S. waters of Lake Superior: patterns in colony distribution and breeding population numbers (1976-2000). Pp. 583-624 IN State of Lake Superior. Ecovision World Monograph Series (M. Munawar and I.F. Munawar, Eds). Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.
• Moore, D.J., R.D. Morris and D.V. Weseloh. 2007. First nest records of the Great Black-backed Gull on Lake Erie. Ont. Birds 25: 124-133.
• Morris, R.D. 2006. Ecological and behavioural research with the colonial nesting waterbirds of Hamilton Harbour. Pp. 497-522 IN Birds of Hamilton and Surrounding Areas. (R.W. Curry, Ed.). Hamilton Naturalists' Club, Publ.
• Moore, D.J. & R.D. Morris. 2005. The production of second clutches in Common Terns (Sterna hirundo): proximate effects of timing and food supply. Waterbirds 28: 458-467.
• Morris, R.D., D.V. Weseloh & J.L.Shutt. 2003. Distribution and abundance of Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) pairs nesting on the North American Great Lakes, 1976-2000. J. Great Lakes Res. 29: 400-426..
• Somers, C.M. & R.D. Morris. 2002. Bird damage to wine grapes: foraging activity causes small scale patterns in single wineyards. J. Applied Ecol. 39: 511-523
• Morris, R.D., C. Pekarik, D.V. Weseloh & J.S. Quinn. 2001. Progress toward colonial waterbird population targets in Hamilton Harbour (1998-2000). Ontario Birds 19: 12-25.
• Hatch, J.J., K.M. Brown, G.G. Hogan & R.D. Morris. 2001. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo). In The Birds of North America, No. 553 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc. Philadelphia, PA.
• Moore, D.J., T.D. Williams & R.D. Morris. 2000. Mate provisioning, nutritional requirements for egg production, and primary reproductive effort of female Common Terns Sterna hirundo. J. Avian Biol. 31: 183-196
• Chardine, J.W., R.D. Morris, J.F. Parnell & J. Pierce. 2000. Status and conservation priorities for Laughing Gulls, Gull-billed Terns, Royal terns and Bridled Terns in the West Indies. In Status and Conservation of West Indian Seabirds (E.A. Schreiber & D.S. Lee, eds). Society of Caribbean Ornithology Special Publ. No. 1.
• Chardine, J.W., R.D. Morris & R.L. Norton. 2000. Status and conservation needs of Brown Noddies and Black Noddies in the West Indies. In Status and Conservation of West Indian Seabirds (E.A. Schreiber & D.S. Lee, eds). Society of Caribbean Ornithology Special Publ. No. 1.
• Barbour, D., R.D. Morris & D.J. Moore. 2000. Egg and chick fates of Common Terns in areas of high and low nest density. J. Field Ornithol. 71: 34-45.
• Haney, J.C., D.S. Lee & R.D. Morris. 1999. Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus) In The Birds of North America No. 468 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
• Blanchard, L. & R.D. Morris. 1998. Another look at courtship feeding and copulation in the Common Tern. Colonial Waterbirds 21: 251-255.
• Brown, K.M. & R.D. Morris. 1996. From tragedy to triumph: renesting in Ring-billed Gulls. Auk 113: 23-31.
• Chardine, J.W. & R.D. Morris. 1996. Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) In The Birds of North America No. 220 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
• Quinn, J.S., R.D. Morris, H. Blokpoel, D.V. Weseloh & P.J. Ewins. 1996. Design and management of bird nesting habitat: tactics for conserving colonial waterbird diversity on artificial islands in Hamilton Harbour, Ontario. Can. J. Fish. & Aquatic Sci. 53: (Suppl. 1): 45-57.
• Morris, R.D. & J.W. Chardine. 1995. Brown Noddies on Cayo Noroeste, Culebra, Puerto Rico: what happened in 1990? Auk 112: 326-334.
• Brown, K.M. & R.D. Morris. 1995. Investigator disturbance, chick movement, and aggressive behavior in Ring-billed Gulls. Wilson Bull. 107: 140-152.
• Brown, K.M., M. Woulfe & R.D. Morris. 1995. Patterns of adoption in Ring-billed Gulls: who really is winning the intergenerational conflict? Anim. Behav. 49: 321-331.
• Burness, G.P., R.D. Morris & J.P. Bruce. 1994. Seasonal and annual variation in brood attendance, prey type delivered to chicks, and foraging patterns of male Common Terns (Sterna hirundo). Can. J. Zool. 72: 1243-1251.
• Brown, K.M. & R.D. Morris. 1994. The influence of investigator disturbance on the breeding success of Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis). Colonial Waterbirds 17: 7-17.
• Chudzik, J.M., K.D. Graham & R.D. Morris. 1994. Comparative breeding success and diet of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls on South Limestone Island, Georgian Bay. Colonial Waterbirds 17:18-27.
• Quinn, J.S., L.A. Whittingham & R.D. Morris. 1994. Infanticide in skimmers and terns: side effects of territorial attacks or intertgenerational conflict? Anim. Behav. 47: 363-367.
• Burness, G.P. & R.D. Morris. 1993. Direct and indirect consequences of mink presence in a Common Tern colony. Condor 95:708-711.
• Morris, R.D., H. Blokpoel & G.D. Tessier. 1992. Management efforts for the conservation of Common Terns: two case histories. Biol. Conserv. 60: 7-14.
• Burness, G.P. & R.D. Morris. 1992. Shelters decrease gull predation on chicks at a Common Tern colony. J. Field Ornithol. 63: 186-189.
• Morris, R.D. & J.W. Chardine. 1992. The breeding biology and aspects of the foraging ecology of Brown Noddies nesting near Culebra, Puerto Rico 1985-1989. J. Zool. (London) 226: 65-79.
• Morris, R.D. & G.P. Burness. 1992. A new procedure for transmitter attachment: effects on brood attendance and chick feeding rates by male Common Terns. Condor 94: 239-244.
• Morris, R.D. 1991. Whither Colonial Waterbirds: into the decade with a wing or an anvil? Colonial Waterbirds 14: 85-91.
• Morris, R.D., M. Woulfe & G.D. Wichert. 1991. Hatching synchrony, chick care and adoption in the Common Tern: can disadvantaged chicks win? Can. J. Zool. 69: 661-668.
• Morris, R. D. & J. W. Chardine. 1990. Costs of parental neglect in the Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus). Can. J. Zool. 68: 2025-2027.
• Morris, R. D. & J. Siderius. 1990. A treatment for prevention of hatching in field-incubated Ring-billed Gull eggs. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 54: 124-130.
• Chardine, J. W. & R. D. Morris. 1989. Sexual size dimorphism and assortative mating in the Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus). Condor 91: 868-874.
• Morris, R. D. 1988. Parent-offspring conflicts in Common Terns: the tactics of time-dependent winning. Proc. XIX Inter. Ornithol. Congress: 1254-1264.
• Wiggins, D. A. & R. D. Morris. 1988. Courtship feeding and copulatory behaviour in the Common Tern Sterna hirundo. Ornis Scand. 19: 163-165.
• Morris, R. D. 1987. Time-partitioning of clutch and brood care activities in Herring Gulls: a measure of parental quality? Studies in Avian Biology 10: 68-74.
• Wiggins, D. A. and R. D. Morris. 1987. Parental care in the Common Tern Sterna hirundo. Ibis 128: 2116-2122.
• Quinn, J. S. and R. D. Morris. 1986. Intra-clutch egg-weight apportionment and chick survival in Caspian Terns. Can. J. Zool. 64: 2116-2122.
• Wiggins, D. A. and R. D. Morris. 1986. Criteria for female choice of mates: courtship feeding and paternal care in the Common Tern. Amer. Natur. 128: 126-129.
• Morris, R. D. 1986. Seasonal trends in courtship feeding rates of male Common Terns. Can. J. Zool. 64: 501-507.
• Morris, R. D. and D. A. Wiggins. 1986. Ruddy Turnstones, Great Horned Owls, and egg loss in Common Tern clutches. Wilson Bull. 98: 101-109.
• Morris, R. D. and J. W. Chardine. 1986. A device for measuring the volume of eggs: description and field evaluation. Ibis 128: 278-282.
• Morris, R. D. and J. W. Chardine. 1985. The effects of ice cover over the colony on reproductive activities of Herring Gulls. Can. J. Zool. 63: 607-611.
• Morris, R. D. 1984. Breeding chronology and reproductive success of seabirds on Little Tobago, Trinidad. Colonial Waterbirds 7: 1-9.
• Blokpoel, H., R. D. Morris and G. D. Tessier. 1984. Field investigations of the biology of Common Terns wintering in Trinidad. J. Field Ornithol. 55: 424-434.
• Richards, M. H. and R. D. Morris. 1984. An experimental study of nest site selection in Common Terns. J. Field Ornithol. 55: 457-466.
• Schoen, R. B. and R. D. Morris. 1984. Nest spacing, colony location and breeding success in Herring Gulls. Wilson Bull. 96: 483-488.
• Wiggins, D., R. D. Morris, I.C.T. Nisbet and T. W. Custer. 1984. Occurrence and timing of second clutches in Common Terns. Auk 101: 281-287.
• Chardine, J. W., and R. D. Morris. 1983. Herring Gull males eat their own eggs. Wilson Bull. 95: 477-478.
• Chardine, J. W., and R. D. Morris. 1983. Nocturnal desertion patterns: influence on hatching synchrony in Ring-billed Gulls Larus delawarensis. Ibis 125: 389-396.
• Morris, R. D., H. B. Blokpoel and B. Ramdial. 1982. Common Terns in Trinidad. Trin. Naturalist 2: 31-38.
• Morris, R. D., and M. J. Bidochka. 1982. Mate guarding in Herring Gulls. Colonial Waterbirds 5: 124-130.
• Blokpoel, H., R. D. Morris and P. Trull. 1982. Winter observations of Common Terns in Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam. Colonial Waterbirds 5: 144-147.
• Morris, R. D., M. C. Benkel, A. Biernacki and J. M. Ross. 1981. A new transmitter package assembly for adult Herring Gulls. J. Field Ornithol. 52: 242-244.
• Morris, R. D., and J. E. Black. 1980. Radiotelemetry and Herring Gull foraging patterns. J. Field Ornithol. 51: 110-118.
• Morris, R. D., I. R. Kirkham and J. W. Chardine. 1980. Management of a declining Common Tern colony. J. Wild. Mgmt. 44: 241-245.
• Kirkham, I. R. and R. D. Morris. 1979. Feeding ecology of Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) chicks. Can. J. Zool. 57: 1086-1090.
• Morris, R. D. 1978. Seabirds of Little Tobago. Living World 1977: 2-6.
• Morris, R. D. 1978. Methods for the collection of seabird breeding data. Living World 1977: 7-8.
• Morris, R. D., and G. T. Haymes. 1977. The breeding biology of two Lake Erie Herring Gull colonies. Can. J. Zool. 55: 796-805 (and Erratum: Can. J. Zool. 55: 1766).
• Haymes, G. T., and R. D. Morris. 1977. Brood size manipulations in Herring Gulls. Can. J. Zool. 55: 1762-1766.
• Morris, R. D. 1976. The birds of Paradise Island. Trin. Natur. 1: 29-36.
• Morris, R. D. 1976. The significance of biological data to the question of toxicant load in seabirds. Conf. Proc., Fish-eating birds of the Great Lakes, Ottawa, pp. 38-51.
• Morris, R. D., R. A. Hunter and J. F. McElman. 1976. Factors affecting the reproductive success of Common Terns on the lower Great Lakes during the summer of 1972. Can. J. Zool. 54: 1850-1862.
• Morris, R. D., and R. A. Hunter. 1976. Factors influencing desertion of colony sites by Common Terns. Can. Field Natur. 90: 137-143.
• Morris, R. D., and R. A. Hunter. 1976. Monitoring incubation attentiveness of ground-nesting colonial seabirds. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 40: 354-357.
• Gilbertson, M., R. D. Morris and R. A. Hunter. 1976. Abnormal chicks and PCB residue levels in eggs of colonial birds on the lower Great Lakes. Auk 93: 434-442.
• Hunter, R. A., and R. D. Morris. 1976. Nocturnal predation by a Black-crowned Night Heron at a Common Tern colony. Auk 93: 629-633.

• Morris, R. D. and P. R. Grant. 1972. Experimental studies of competitive interaction in a two-species system. IV. Microtus and Clethrionomys species in a single enclosure. J. Anim. Ecol. 41: 275-290.
• Morris, R. D. 1972. The effects of endrin on Microtus and Peromyscus. II. Enclosed field populations. Can. J. Zool. 50: 885-896.
• Morris, R. D. 1971. Biocides and mammals. Blue Jay 29: 136-140.
• Grant, P. R. and R. D. Morris. 1971. The distribution of ,i>Microtus pennsylvanicus within grassland habitat. Can. J. Zool. 49: 1043-1052.
• Morris, R. D. 1970. The effects of endrin on Microtus and Peromyscus. I. Unenclosed field populations. Can. J. Zool. 48: 695-708.
• Morris, R. D. 1969. Competitive exclusion between Microtus and Clethrionomys in the aspen parkland of Saskatchewan. J. Mammal. 50: 291-301.
• Morris, R. D. 1968. The effects of endrin feeding on survival and longevity in the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. Can. J. Zool. 46: 951-958.
• Morris, R. D. 1968. A comparison of capture success between Sherman and Longworth live traps. Can. Field Natur. 82: 84-87.
• Morris, R. D. 1967. A note on the homing behaviour of Peromyscus maniculatus osgoodi. Can. Field Natur. 81: 225-226.
• Morris, R. D. 1967. Unusual earless deermice. Blue Jay 25: 132-133.