Parent-young behavioural interactions

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I study parent behaviour in biparental (both parents share care of offspring) species of birds and mammals.  The Sandpiper Video Probe System (small camera attached to long flexible cable) allows observations of parent-young interactions to be made in small nesting cavities.  I will use this system to study parent-young interactions in a burrow-nesting seabird (Atlantic puffin) to determine what cues parents use to assess the condition of their chick and the parental contribution of their mates.  I will also use the system to observe parent-young interactions of rodents when they return to the nest to attend their pups (e.g., latency to arch-backed nursing) to determine what components of parental behaviour are affected by enclosure size and hormonal manipulations.  I will use the Noldus EthoVision and Event Recording System to record and analyse behavioral observations of cliff-nesting seabirds (common murres) and the away-from-nest foraging behaviour of rodent parents.