Speakers

  • The Impact of Artificial Lights At Night on Birds

    A billion birds migrate over the Bay Area every year as they journey from wintering grounds to breeding grounds, and back. Most bird species migrate at night, using the stars to navigate. Artificial lights from our cities and towns cause birds to collide with buildings, veer off course, and tire out, making them vulnerable to predators, starvation, and exhaustion. Learn what you can do to help keep birds safe on their migratory route along the Pacific Flyway.

    About Our Speaker

    Whitney Grover is the Director of Conservation for Golden Gate Bird Alliance. Grover is a life-long coastal Californian, enthusiastic birder, and lover of the Bay Area’s unique ecology. In 2023 she earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco, with a concentration in Ecology. She is a long-time volunteer for Golden Gate Bird Alliance, starting as a Field Trip Leader, later Board Member, and the Chair of the San Francisco Conservation Committee. Before joining the GGBA staff in 2022, she worked in healthcare as a Hospital Pharmacy Buyer and served on the Hospital’s Environmental Action Committee. Whitney is a Master Birder, co-founder of the SF Bay chapter of the Feminist Bird Club, gardener, and film buff.

    Date: Thursday, January 22 @ 7pm

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87377145453?pwd=Jt8aYrFqyD9zTBGl09jH58J5s9gbev.1

    Password: 683020…

  • Listening with Merlin: How Sound ID Works and What It Can (and Can’t) Do

    Merlin Sound ID has made it possible for anyone to identify birds by sound, but how does it actually work, and how should birders use it? In this talk, I’ll give an accessible overview of how Merlin Sound ID listens to audio and turns it into species suggestions. I’ll describe the kinds of recordings that teach Merlin, how the system continues to improve, and where its strengths and limitations lie.

    About Our Speaker

    Grant Van Horn is a machine learning researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where he works on the Sound ID and image-recognition models used in the Merlin Bird ID app. His work focuses on building practical tools that help people engage with nature. Grant received his PhD from Caltech, where he studied how to train and deploy large-scale machine learning models on mobile devices, work that contributed to technologies now used in iNaturalist, Seek, and Merlin. He is currently on leave from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is an assistant professor of computer science. Learn more about Grant’s work here.

    Date: Thursday, February 19 @ 6pm

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87377145453?pwd=Jt8aYrFqyD9zTBGl09jH58J5s9gbev.1

    Passcode: 052289

    …

  • Woodpeckers: the heart of North American Forests

    Explore the lives of woodpeckers in every season: courtship and nest selection in spring; life in the nest during summer; fledging and gaining independence in autumn; and the challenges of surviving the winter. Take a close look at the most important woodpecker habitats in North America and what we can do to protect them.

    This talk draws from Paul’s recently published Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers.

    About Our Speaker

    Paul Bannick photographs birds to inspire education and conservation. He is best known for several best-selling books on owls, Paul is based in the Pacific Northwest, where he serves as director for Conservation Northwest,  We encourage you to visit his websites https://paulbannick.com/

    Date: Thursday, November 20 (7pm)

    Location: 55 Frida Kahlo Way, SF — City College of San Francisco Ocean Campus (Room 140 of the Harry Britt Building)

    Advanced Registration Required. This event only takes place in-person and will not be recorded.

    .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kb-btns67694_d55e7a-a6{gap:var(--global-kb-gap-xs, 0.5rem );justify-content:flex-start;align-items:center;}.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-button{font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;}.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-btn-wrap-0{margin-right:5px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button{color:#555555;border-color:#555555;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{color:#ffffff;border-color:#444444;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button::before{display:none;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns67694_d55e7a-a6 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{background:#444444;}
    ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn67694_857f93-77.kb-button{width:initial;}Register
    …

  • Ocean Beach: Fog, Fauna, Flora

    In this talk, Eddy Rubin delves into the human and natural forces—biological and physical—that have shaped San Francisco’s western shoreline. Through a blend of scientific analysis and personal narrative, he explores the interactions of members of this vibrant coastal ecosystem, with particular emphasis on the birds of Ocean Beach.

    About Our Speaker

    Eddy Rubin is a Berkeley scientist and longtime Ocean Beach enthusiast who, in addition to contributing to the Human Genome Project, has spent decades walking, surfing, and foraging along San Francisco’s western edge. He is the author of Ocean Beach: Fog, Fauna, and Flora, which explores the unique ecology of this sandy Pacific shoreline. His work reflects both a deep love for this coastal habitat and a passion for making science accessible to the public.

    Date: Thursday, August 21 (7pm)

    Location: In-person at the David Brower Center (2150 Allston Way Berkeley, CA) and online via Zoom

    Register to attend speaker series in-person here.

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87367265546?pwd=aDANKzzKy1IZ0RcYO5PD8bmMuH8hGR.1

    Passcode:261212…

  • Avifauna of Hawaii: Birds on the Brink 

    Hawaii is tragically known as the endangered species capital of the world and the archipelago is home to approximately one third of all endangered species in the United States. We will introduce you to Hawaii’s rare endemic birds, from petrels to honeycreepers, share the threats they face, and highlight the conservation initiatives in place to help save them from the brink of extinction. 

    About Our Speaker

    As a tremendous lover of birds and wildlife, Mandy Talpas has dedicated her life to avian conservation. After working in the field with birds in northeastern United States, the remote forests of southeastern Peru, and the islands of Hawaii, she launched Hawaii Bird Tours. She is honored to support Hawaii’s people, culture, land, and wildlife conservation efforts through ecotourism, as Hawaii’s only bird tour operator.

    Date: Thursday, September 18 (7pm)

    Location: Online via Zoom

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84537864022?pwd=ChAnB8cHWE2iWaGbqTq5CGPZyEd3cc.1

    Passcode: 206218

    …