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on March 19
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #18Spring update
Post CommentHi Folks,
Sorry it has been three months since our last update! In that time, Jen Gee has returned to Alamos and successfully located areas of symmetry between Elegant and Gambel's quail. She has also started documenting behavioral differences between the two species.
I was thrown a curveball in the form of a contract to teach a full time program (creative writing and American literature) at Evergreen. I am just now surfacing and starting to focus back on the quail. I continue to revise the fairly slow moving book manuscript (it's coming, I promise!). We are also working on the Elegant quail species account using the data that we gathered on the trips to Mexico that you funded!
In looking over these data, it is clear how fortunate we have been in receiving your help and support. Thank you so much for making this possible!
with great regards,
JC (and JG)
PS. Just a reminder--check out our official website at thequaildiaries.com, follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/thequaildiaries) and like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Quail-Diaries/155683541197397)
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on December 22
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #17Final Rewards, JenG in Mexico and Upcoming NBC Appearance
Post CommentDear Backers--
Happy Holidays and 1 year anniversary of our fund drive! Your contributions have made such a difference in our work, allowing two field trips to Alamos for each of us and the direct collection of important but not previously known information about the Elegant quail. Dr. Gee is currently in Mexico and will be blogging for Scientist At Work--follow her progress here: http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/.
The final rewards (excluding the book) were sent out this week--you should be receiving them soon if you have not yet discovered them in you mailbox!
Finally, our project, as the first successful attempt by scientists to raise money for scientific research using crowdfunding (thanks to YOU!) has attracted a surprising amount of media attention. On Monday December 26 at 10 pm NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams will air a piece about Kickstarter that includes our project as one of the four highlighted in the segment. It should be streaming online the following day http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/. Hopefully some of the beautiful quail we were working with on that morning in Deep Canyon will be included in the piece!
Thanks again for your support!! We really could not have done it without you!
We'll be working on the book (or more likely books...more on that later) in the New Year and will be heading back into Mexico to collect more data on these amazing birds!
We'll continue to post updates here-- but feel free to add your name and email to the mailing list at our new website: http://thequaildiaries.com for more frequent reports on our work.
Yours
JC and JG
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on November 27
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #16The Quail Diaries NEW WEBSITE!!
Post CommentThe Quail Diaries has a new website: http://thequaildiaries.com--created by the innovators at Put on the Glasses Design!
We are migrating all content to this website, including Quail Diaries Blog posts.
Check it out when you have a moment!
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on November 17, 2011
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #15In Mexico--
Post CommentDear Supporters--
I've been in Mexico a little over a week--I've been taking observations of the birds and also starting to look at how they occupy different local habitats. While I'm currently not blogging at The Quail Diaries, I am blogging at The New York Times Scientist at Work--three posts are up: http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/. (The final post has images of the trading cards that will be winging your way as soon as I can get them in the mail...).
More details/posts will show up over the next week at the New York Times and then The Quail Diaries when I'm home. I'll keep you all updated!
Also, if you are interested, you can "like" The Quail Diaries at Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Quail-Diaries/155683541197397
yours
jdc
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on November 6, 2011
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #14Headed to Mexico--Your remaining Gifts!
Post CommentDear Supporters--
It has been a long time since we've updated you--and longer still since this pledge drive occurred. Your remaining gifts (apart from the book) are waiting to be mailed and will be sent out when Dr. Calkins returns from Mexico.
Dr. Calkins is heading back to Mexico today--her posts will be up at thequaildiaries.wordpress.com. She will also be blogging for the New York Times Scientist at Work http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/. Dr. Gee will head to Mexico at the end of December.
In the wake of the New York Times article that touched on this project, we've received additional media attention. We will be included as part of a segment on crowdfunding on an upcoming Rock Center with Brian Williams http://www.nbc.com/brian-williams/. This episode will air either 11/14 or 11/21 at 10 pm on NBC. We'll let you know when and where when we know!
This attention, along with our own struggles to create stable professional careers, slowed our work on the remaining rewards. (Neither of us is particularly comfortable in the eye of the media). However, all (except the book) will be coming soon and we deeply apologize for the delay.
Part of what has taken our attention is work on our website (speeded up because of the NBC appearance). Within the next few weeks The Quail Diaries will have its very own website http://www.thequaildiaries.com. POTG Design is graciously offering its fantastic services to the design of the site http://www.putontheglasses.com/. We will let you know when the site is up and running--there will be information abot the projects and places for you to give us feedback on the work.
We will continue to update you here but, if you have a Twitter account, you can follow The Quail Diaries on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/TheQuailDiaries.
Again,
Thanks so much for your support!
JC and JG
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on July 20, 2011
jennifer calkins
backed a project
I'LL DROWN MY BOOK, Conceptual Writing by Women by Les Figues Press
I’ll Drown My Book, the first-ever collection of conceptual writing by women, to be published by Les Figues Press.
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222% funded $8,904 pledged
- 180 backers
- Funded Aug 24, 2011
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on July 11, 2011
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #13New York Times and Current Field Work
Post CommentDear Supporters--
Our project is currently profiled in the New York Times Science Section (for July 12, 2011 but posted today). Follow the link below to read about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/science/12crowd.html?emc=eta1
Also, for those interested, JDC is blogging current research in San Diego at http://thequaildiaries.wordpress.com
All best to all of you!
JC and JG
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on June 14, 2011
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #12Tardiness, Project Summary
Post CommentHello Supporters,
First, please forgive our tardiness in getting your t-shirts and other paraphernalia out to you. We've been swamped by both of our new jobs, as well as working up our various quail projects.
I've finished teaching, however, and the shirts and postcards will go out this week. Other gifts will be a bit slower coming.
Similarly, blog posts will pick up now that my time has opened up. We still have a variety of experiences to document as well as fantastic photos of quail to share.
The Project
I wanted to give you a summary, however, of what your donation has purchased so far. Both Dr. Gee and I were able to travel to Alamos Mexico in March, locate and trap several elegant quail (males and females) and collect some basic measurements as well as blood samples. We also were able to identify good field sites and have chosen to initiate a longer term study on a ranch northwest of Alamos. This is a particularly interesting site because both elegant and Gambel's quail are resident. In the hour we toured the ranch, we saw several elegant quail coveys.
We are also working to identify the best genetic approach towards resolution of the evolutionary relationships among the four Callipepla species and potentially among all of the north American new world quail species.
We were very lucky in the support we received in Alamos and we have enough money left from your pledges to travel back to Mexico in fall. We will be traveling at separate times, overlapping some but working to maximize our time in the field. We are hoping to gather behavioral and ecological data, including more solid information about group size and habitat selection.
Thanks again for your support, and patience!
With regards
JC (and JG)
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on March 26, 2011
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #11Home from Alamos, SON, Mex
Post CommentWe have returned and are posting blog entries at http://thequaildiaries.wordpress.com. Via the blog or this link: http://vimeo.com/21512130 you can also see video of a stretch of road between Alamos and Navajoa. We were travelling to explore one possible field site.
Thanks again for your support--
jdc and jg
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on March 20, 2011
jennifer calkins
Posted project update #10Alamos
Post CommentDear Backers--Thanks to your support, we are in Alamos Sonora. I will be posting updates at http://thequaildiaries.wordpress.com when I have access to wifi. We have seen and trapped banded and released some absolutely gorgeous Elegant quail.
Thanks for all of your help!
JenC
jennifer calkins
Seattle, WA
Jennifer Gee and Jennifer Calkins are evolutionary field biologists with extensive expertise in the study of quail. They have, in their individual capacities as scientists, conducted field work in temperate, desert, tropical and island habitats and la... view more
