Featured Presentations and Workshops
A Century of Bird Identification
Date: Saturday, September 24 at 7 p.m.
Description: Joe Morlan will present a history of bird identification starting withearly pioneers in sight identification, and a personal look back at howbirding and bird identification has changed over the decades. Sightidentifications considered by Ludlow Griscom to be impossible in 1922 are
routine today. Likewise our knowledge of bird distribution has growndramatically since the days of Griscom and other pioneers. But what willfuture generations think of our own conventional wisdom when it comes tobird identification and distribution? Technology continues to advance inthe fields of optics and photography. These advances have been an integralpart of the rapid evolutionary changes in the way we see birds and the wayfuture generations will see them. Join us for this entertaining andthought provoking presentation.
Presenter: Joe Morlan,a long-time California birder and teacher received the prestigious American Birding Association (ABA) Ludlow Griscom Award for 2010, an annual prize "given to individuals who have dramatically advanced the state of ornithological knowledge for a particular region."
Joe Morlan's extensive contributions to Northern California birding span over three decades, during which time he has taught countless birder through his classes at City College of San Francisco, where he is an instructor. He launched, and has maintained, the Northern California Bird Box, a telephone messaging system for alerting birders to rarities in the area. He extended these efforts with his superb website (http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/) devoted to all aspects of birding in California.
Joe served as co-author (with Guy McCaskie, Paul De Benedictis, and Richard Erickson) of the 1979 publication "Birds of Northern California, An Annotated Field List;" he revised the work for the 1988 edition as well. Joe edited "The Birds of San Francisco and the Bay Area by Chris Fisher," in 1996.
He is a well-known contributor to birding publications, an active force in the Western Field Ornithologists (WFO), and a valued member of the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) for over two decades.
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
The Big Year: How Did We Get Here?
Date: Friday, September 23 at 7 p.m.
Description: It's an obsession. It's a pursuit. It's a thrilling "high" and an exhausting chase. Is it birding or a game? It's the title of a book and a forthcoming Hollywood movie starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson, scheduled to be released on October 14, 2011. Angelica Huston plays the part of Debi Shearwater. How did we get here? The concept of a Big Year was more than a century in the making. Join Debi for this illustrated presentation about the history of The Big Year.
Presenter: Debi Shearwater is well known for establishing Shearwater Journeys, a company which has offered one day pelagic trips from California since 1976. Since that first trip, she has shared Monterey Bay with some 60,000 birders and nature lovers. Perhaps, the sight of her first whale - a Blue, set her heart to sea. Nevertheless, she has now traveled to many of the world's most far flung corners, including all seven continents. Along with Les Lieurance, she co-produced a best-selling DVD, "Through the Seasons: An Introduction to the Seabirds and Marine Mammals of Monterey Bay." She has authored several popular articles about seabirds, has worked with EarthWatch on a radio tagging project for Blue Whales, has had some photographic images published in books and magazines, and has worked with studies of various dolphins, humpback whales, killer whales and albatrosses.
Most recently, she successfully chartered an entire expedition ship to take keen birders to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica. Marine natural history has been a major part of her life. Altogether she has logged more than seven years at sea, visiting such places as the Bering Sea, Russian Far East, Aleutian Islands, Iceland, Spitsbergen, Seychelles Islands, Solomon Islands, Galapagos Islands, many Caribbean Islands, Panama Canal, Mediterranean islands, Tasmania, Macquarie Island, Sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand, Tristan da Cunha Islands, St. Helena, Ascension Island, Cape Verde Islands, Juan Fernandez Islands, and of course, numerous voyages to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. She has worked as staff on over 30 expedition voyages.
Debi is a past member of the American Birding Association's Board of Directors. She is a frequent speaker at various birding festivals, a past IFO (Institute for Field Ornithology) instructor and amateur photographer. She has been honored with several awards for community leadership. Retired some years ago from her dental hygiene profession, she lives in the small town of Hollister. Here she enjoys the golden hills where her most favorite bird in the world soar - the Golden Eagle. Currently, she is a volunteer for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, counting nesting albatrosses at Midway Atoll, the world's largest albatross colony. Join her and her crew on a Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary pelagic trip to see outstanding seabirds and marine mammals!
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
"The Names, Namers, and Naming of North American Birds"
Date: Thursday, September 22 at 7 p.m. Description Long before the invention of binoculars, naturalists and explorers
were discovering and naming North American birds. From Linnaeus's workshop to the modern DNA laboratory, we have amassed volumes of avian knowledge, but the translation of this knowledge can cause birders' heads to spin. How often do you see the red belly on a Red-bellied Woodpecker, or the neck-ring on a Ring-necked Duck? Who were Lucy and Grace (of Lucy's and Grace's warblers), and what the heck does "prothonotary" mean?! Join Oregon naturalist and author Steve Shunk as he demystifies the naming of North American birds. Steve will introduce you to Audubon's drinking buddies along with today's scientists responsible for naming birds. He will take you to places that lend their names to birds, and he will share the discoveries and translations of modern ornithology. Come learn the methods behind the madness of bird naming!
Presenter: Stephen Shunk started birding in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989 and moved to Sisters, Oregon, in 1997. For over 10 years, Steve has led birding tours and classes throughout western North America with his company, Paradise Birding. He co-founded the East Cascades Bird Conservancy and served as its first President; he also co-founded the Oregon Birding Trails program and coordinated its flagship project, the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail. Steve currently leads bird surveys in the Central Oregon Cascades, with an emphasis on woodpeckers, and he recently completed the Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America.
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
2011 Featured Workshops
"All About Woodpeckers"
Date: Thursday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m. Description From the western Transverse Ranges north of Santa Barbara to the Laguna Mountains west of Anza Borrego, nine species of woodpeckers hold year-round territories in largely complimentary habitats. Winter also brings an influx of flickers and sapsuckers to the region, when some of the resident species may wander the region. Southern California's local woodpecker populations have developed uniquely specialized lifestyles suited to their preferred islands of habitat, and at least one endemic subspecies inhabits the region's pine forests. Learn about natural history, adaptation, and hybridization among our resident and migratory woodpecker species, as well as potential identification challenges.
More than half of North America's 23 woodpecker species have been documented hybridizing with another member of the Picinae subfamily, also known as the "true" woodpeckers. All four sapsucker species, Golden-fronted x Red-bellied, Ladder-backed x Nuttall's, and Gilded x Northern Flickers are the best known examples of this exciting genetic experimentation. Identifying hybrid individuals in the field can be quite a puzzle, especially when migratory species are away from their nesting grounds, but a little background on these ID challenges can go a long way toward understanding the hybridization phenomenon. What makes a woodpecker species "cross the line," and how does the genetic line get drawn in the first place? Learn about the prehistory of woodpeckers and speciation in action. Don't miss Stephen's Forest of Nisene Marks field trip on Friday.
Presenter: Stephen Shunk started birding in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989 and moved to Sisters, Oregon, in 1997. For over 10 years, Steve has led birding tours and classes throughout western North America with his company, Paradise Birding. He co-founded the East Cascades Bird Conservancy and served as its first President; he also co-founded the Oregon Birding Trails program and coordinated its flagship project, the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail. Steve currently leads bird surveys in the Central Oregon Cascades, with an emphasis on woodpeckers, and he recently completed the Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America.
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
"100 Years of Tracking Condors: From Photography to GPS"
Date: Friday, Sept. 23, 1 p.m. Description Pinnacles National Monument is one of five release sites
for the
critically endangered California Condor. The Monument has been a part of the California Condor Recovery Program since 2003 and now has 23 free-flying
condors released from the park. These condors have integrated with the 21 condors released along the Big Sur coast by Ventana Wildlife Society, forming the central California flock. Condor biologists closely monitor the activities of each bird to increase its chances of survival. In addition to tracking condor movements and habitat use, biologists are researching the impacts of incidental ingestion of lead (Pb) bullet fragments, the influence of other contaminants, and nesting behavior. There are currently five condor nests in Central California - one near Pinnacles National Monument and four along the coast.
Presenter: Daniel George is the Condor Program Manager at Pinnacles National Monument. He has worked for Mt. Rainier National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, and several nonprofit organizations. Most of his work has been with threatened and endangered birds, including Marbled Murrelet inventory, Spotted Owl demography, and current work to re-establish the Condor in Central California. Pinnacles manages over twenty free-flying Condors that have integrated into a single flock of nearly 50 that includes those released and managed by the Ventana Wildlife Society along the Big Sur coast.
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
"Nature/Wildlife Photography"
Date: Friday, Sept. 23, 3 p.m. Description Join professional photographer and naturalist David Rosen for a fast-paced introduction to nature and wildlife photography!
He'll share some "tricks-of-the-trade" with you regarding equipment and techniques, from macro to telephoto.
David will present a whirlwind slide show of his work and discuss the techniques and equipment used to create the images. Much emphasis will be placed on the "ethical" considerations of wildlife photography, as well as "getting to know" your subjects and their behavior. Following the slide show, there will be some time for questions and discussion. David will also have some specialty equipment displayed for you to see and investigate, including photography blinds, camera supports, flash projection setups, remote triggering devices, macro flash brackets, and more.
You can try out some of the techniques you learn at this presentation if you sign up for David's photography field trip offered on Saturday morning.
Presenter: David Rosen has photographed nature and wildlife across North America from Alaska to Florida. He has worked as a naturalist and environmental educator for thirty years with conservation agencies and organizations including National Park Service, California Department of Fish and Game, various county parks departments, and Ducks Unlimited. David is a freelance photographer specializing in nature and wildlife images. He provides reproduction rights to his images, shoots special assignments, and leads field trips to many of California's photographic hotspots and beyond.
David's clients include Audubon, National Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, VIA, Outdoor California, California Parklands, LucasArts Entertainment Co., The Nature Conservancy, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Tamron Inc., Falcon Press Books, John Muir Publications, Grolier Educational Publishing, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and many others. www.wildsidephotography.com
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
"Field Sketching"
Date: Saturday, Sept. 24, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Description Field sketching is both an enjoyable pastime and an aid to identifying birds in the field. Come join us at the workshop looking at mounts and study skins to learn about anatomy, feather tracts and to begin working our sketching. We will take what we learned in the workshop to the field to draw from live subjects. The workshop is for all skill levels, beginner to advanced, and for all interest levels, for better field notes to wildlife art. You'll need to bring a sketch pad, preferable 8X10 or larger, 2B pencil and sharpener (mechanical pencil is OK), binoculars, telescope (not necessary, but helpful), plastic bag or something (camp stool) to sit on if it is wet and you think you might want/need to sit while sketching in the field. Cost: $30Presenter: TBA
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
"Peregrine Falcons In A Changing World"
Date: Saturday, Sept. 24, 1 p.m. Description Falcons in a Changing World is an intimate look
at the inspirational success story of the peregrine falcon recovery following the near extinction of the bird due to DDT contamination of the environment. He will report on the many challenges faced by this apex avian predator, the innovative techniques that were employed during recovery activities, and the participation of Bay Area falcon observers in current research. Glenn Stewart's tame peregrine falcon will accompany him at the talk.
Presenter: Glenn Stewart is director of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group at UC Santa Cruz. He has had a successful career as a conservation biologist conducting research on, or recovering extinct populations of bald eagles, Harrishawks, goshawks, and peregrine falcons. Stewart teaches at UC Santa Cruz and leads volunteer citizen scientists in the collection of baseline population data on Bay Area peregrine falcons. Peregrine falcon nest cameras may be viewed at his web site, www.scpbrg.org.
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers
"Hi-Tech Innovations in Birding"
Date: Saturday, Sept. 24, 3 p.m. Description The Information Age has certainly arrived in birding, and this workshop panel will discuss the latest innovations we have available, from iphone applications to internet record keeping and the evolution of rare-bird alerts and birding list serves. We'll feature some examples of birding software that is available and in use, along with other readily-available "tricks and gadgets" that you can easily incorporate into your bird finding ventures. Presenters: Stevens Creek Software (SCS) has been developing and publishing software for Macintosh, Windows, PalmOS, and now iOS, for 23 years.
SCS currently offers 9 iPhone apps and continues to provide our most popular desktop and PalmOS software. The owners of SCS are longtime birders Deborah Jamison and Steven Patt, both active members of Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. Debi serves on the Environmental Action Committee and works on local conservation issues; Steve puts on the Stevens Creek 50K trail race, now in its 10th year (August 14, 2011), as a fundraiser for the chapter. Both lead birdathon teams and participate in Christmas Bird Counts. The Birdwatcher's Diary web page features a map and list of one of their recent birding trips, produced of course by Birdwatcher's Diary.
Melissa Hero has been teaching high school biology at Carlmont High School for
10 years. She has won numerous awards for her use of technology in the
classroom.
Melissa graduated from UC Davis in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in
Avian Sciences, but just began birding three years ago. She is a volunteer Hawk
Watcher with Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and serves on the Board of Directors
for Sequoia Audubon Society. She avidly uses iPhone birding apps such as Sibley
Birds, National Geographic's Handheld Birds, BirdsEye, birdJam, and
Birdwatcher's Diary. She keeps up to date with the birding world through
reading blogs, Facebook, and list serves. Melissa also actively participates in
citizen science. All of her bird sightings are uploaded to eBird, launched in
2002 by the Cornell Labratory of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. She teaches her students the importance of citizen science and her classes participate in
Cornell University's Bird Sleuth program as well as Carolina's Owl Pellet
database.
Cost: $10
Location: Watsonville Civic Plaza Council Chambers