Speakers

Islands play a key role in both the evolution of new avian species and the extinction of others. Because islands are isolated land masses, species which arrive on islands evolve separately from their parent group and through genetic drift eventually become unique. At the same time, because island species are restricted to small areas and have small populations, they are also susceptible to chance events like hurricanes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and rising sea levels – and human-caused pressures. This talk focuses on issues unique to islands and how we might protect island species.

About Our Speaker

Bob has taught birding classes in the Bay Area for over 25 years, and loves to travel, especially to islands in search of birds. He is a board member of the Farallon Islands Foundation, created to foster life on islands. He has been to many of the larger islands populated with unique species, including Madagascar, Borneo, Hawaii, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Cuba.

Date Thursday, March 21 @ 7pm

Location: Zoom

Zoom Info:

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We’ve all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the
ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While
working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the
varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this
eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of
Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she’ll share some
surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding
migration is so crucial for bird conservation.

About Our Speaker

Rebecca Heisman is an award-winning science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and
has worked with organizations including the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy,
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first
book.

Date Thursday, April 18 @ 7pm

Zoom Info:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81714254369?pwd=mdTTm-c1zBMU2RGWEOP26J2BokCvTA.g7uMXht3Ns1gqqFI
Passcode: 939980…

Date: Thursday, January 4 @ 7pm

Location: Zoom

Description

Our presenter will be Chubzang Tangbi, owner and head guide for Langur Eco Travels. Bhutan is the only country to
enshrine “Gross National Happiness” into its constitution. It’s roughly the size of Maryland but it boasts nearly 600 species of birds. Join us for Chubzang’s presentation in which he’ll discuss the Bhutan’s natural and cultural riches.

After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, we were able last spring to offer our first two tours to Bhutan with Langur Eco Travels, which were highly praised by our participants. We have two more scheduled this year; one is full, but the second trip still has spaces available.

Zoom Info:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86071475318?pwd=rg70Z_XSTkR0wb_wueJXyTDEdIvphg.BqD30C24qDYCfiBf
Passcode: 643296

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To attend this speaker event in-person please register here!

When we contemplate how bird diversity has changed, we often focus on the handful of species we have lost entirely. But while we have yet to lose a single bird species to our rapidly changing climate, birds and other creatures are currently adapting and responding in myriad ways. Integrating field research and citizen science over decades to centuries, the research presented in this talk demonstrates the complex ways that species are responding to a changing climate.