Meetings/Programs: All meetings available through ZOOM only. Time: 7:00pm

October 10: Tammy and David McQuade’s Birding Hawaii   Tammy and David are Florida-based national champion birders who run the SW Florida Bird Alert Facebook group and serve the American Birding Association.  David on the board and Tammy on committees.

November 14: What U.S birders do for bird conservation in the U.S.  Idaho ornithologist Terry Rich shares his survey of birders and the actions they are taking for birds. Since retiring from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where he coordinated the international bird conservation partnership Partners in Flight, Terry is pursuing a Ph.D. in public policy to examine the woeful state of funding for avian conservation.

December 12: Save our Seabirds (SOS) “Rescue, Rehabilitate, Release.”  CEO Aaron Virgin will update us on the history through to current future plans for one of the biggest bird rescue facilities, wild bird learning centers and living museums in Florida. Self-described “Bird Guy” Virgin has an extensive background in wildlife and environmental issues for non-profits including his tenor as philanthropy office for Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.

January 9: When Song Began: What Dinosaurs, Australian birds, and South America Have in Common   Australian field biologist and environmental consultant Tim Low will talk from Brisbane Australia on the subject of  his high-acclaimed seventh book published by Yale University Press.

February 13: Avian Scent: The Secret Perfume of Birds  Danielle Whittaker will talk about her research and new book on “The untold story of a stunning discovery: not only can birds smell, but their scents may be the secret to their world.”  She is an, evolutionary biologist and managing director of the COLDEX Center for Oldest Ice Exploration, an NSF Science & Technology Center at Oregon State University.

March 13: Protecting Our Nesting Shorebirds  Sarasota native Kylie Wilson has worked as the Shorebird Monitoring and Stewardship Coordinator with Audubon Florida since March 2018. Her job includes monitoring our local beaches for imperiled beach-nesting species such as Snowy Plovers, Black Skimmers and Least Terns as well as coordinating volunteers to educate beachgoers about these species and prevent disturbances.

April 10: More than you thought possible about Cabbage Palms, Florida’s State Tree  Jono Miller, author of The Palmetto Book:  Histories and Mysteries, retired former Director of the New College of Florida Environmental Studies Program, his undergraduate alma mater. He is a natural historian and activist with 49 years experience in Southwest Florida.

May 8: The Florida Keys Hawkwatch  Mariah Hryniewich  & Luis Gles will talk about their work at this southernmost hawk migration monitoring site in the continental United Sates. Located in the Keys at Marathon, this hawkwatch has played an important role for more than a decade towards understanding raptor populations by continually tracking the movement of birds as they prepare to cross the Florida Straits and Gulf of Mexico into the Caribbean

 

Monitor SAS eBlasts and The Brown Pelican for additional special Zoom presentations.