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Thursday, March 13, 2014- Alejandro Rico-Guevara – “Hummingbird Feeding Mechanics: Implications of Ecology and Evolution” Every animal on earth faces a great challenge every day: It has to find enough food to survive but also because the amount of energy obtained will determine the outcomes of every task it undertakes, from growing to reproducing. In the wild, resources are limited
Thursday, April 10, 2014 – Steve Broker – “Ravens at Their Nest” The Common Raven extended its breeding range into CT in the late 1980s, and it now can be found throughout the state. A breeding pair has been observed closely at West Rock Ridge in Woodbridge since discovery of the nest in 2003. Tonight Steve will discuss raven life
Note: this meeting will be in the 6th floor conference room at the Whitney Center. There will be people at the normal entrance to show you the way. You don’t need to halt your birding adventures just because it gets dark outside. Discover the wonderful world of nocturnal bird migration. Just after sunset every fall, millions of birds take off
Clothes may make the man, but feathers make the bird. Birds sport thousands of feathers that come in myriad shapes and sizes for various uses including flying, attracting a mate, and even carrying water. The diversity of feathers is stunning but it is not always clear how the different feather shapes are produced. Teresa Feo will present her ongoing research
While you are watching birds, the birds are very likely watching you. We often misapprehend our relationship with wildlife, igno- ring warnings, mistaking curiosity for aggression, seeing same- ness when there is difference, difference when confronted with sameness. Above all, we are quick to assume that we are the species in control when the opposite is just as likely to
Artist Sean Murtha is most inspired by the north shore of Long Island Sound where he was raised and still resides. Settling early into the two areas of painting that would remain a lifelong interest—wildlife and landscape—he is dedicated to the land- scapes and birds of the Sound. He sketches birds from life and at tonight's meeting will describe his
How and why did our best known birds get to be so well known? And what are some of the crazy things they make us do? John will share light-hearted stories of birds and birding, from cuisine to cartoons, ornaments to icons, murmurs to murders. You’ll get a whole new look at the avian friends we so admire (and some, not so
Few would argue that the saddest word in a birder’s ID vocabulary is extinction. Yet that’s been the fate of too many avian species in the past and the threat ever grows. At this meeting, Kevin will discuss what is known about the history, biology, and extinction of one such vanished bird, the splendidly colorful Carolina Parakeet, described by some
The Warbler Guide: A New System for Identifying and Learning Vocalizations Identifying warblers and other species singing in the field is one of the most satisfying aspects of birding, but learning and re- membering the important ID points of bird vocalizations can be a challenge. At this meeting, Tom will cover some new techniques that make it easier to identify
No one escapes the weather, least of all birds. Because they basically spend their entire lives outside, weather has a huge influence on their movements and migration. The more that birders understand about the impact of weather on birds, the more productive their birding decisions will be. From something as mundane as knowing to keep feeders full to invite birds
Note: the meeting room has been changed for this meeting to the 6th floor room at the Whitney Center. Staff will help you find the new location. The present is an amazing time to be a birder. For example, Neil Hayward was able to set a new Big Year record in 2013 using modern birding networks, improved taxonomic knowledge, and
Birders often have a favorite “patch,” a birding spot they love to visit again and again. But how do we take care of those beloved haunts, for our own and others’ future enjoyment? Tonight’s speaker has plenty of suggestions and he’s eminently qualified to deliver them. A lifelong and Master Gardener who spent three years at the NY Botanical Garden,
Based on Tom’s book, Reading the Forested Landscape, A Natural History of New England, this program introduces us to approaches that we can use to interpret a forest’s history while wandering through it. Using evidence such as the shapes of trees, scars on their trunks, the pattern of decay in stumps, the construction of stone walls, and the lay of
We have the ability to make things better for shorebirds: We know enough and we are learning more every day, to maintain and rebuild shorebird populations back to healthy numbers. This optimism holds true for shorebirds that nest on our beaches, as well as those that are passing through on their way to and from the Far North. With the
Currently on the Northeast Hawk Watch Board of Directors, Larry is a federally licensed raptor bander who has been banding hawks, falcons, owls, and eagles for more than 30 years, working independently as well as with the CT DEEP and the U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Tonight he talks about owls, those endlessly fascinating birds, and specifically about the owl
Don’t be bashful! Be sure not to miss this opportunity to add another 15 minutes of fame to your birding memoirs. Remember: You’ll be among the best of birding friends. Members’ Night is a chance to share your favorite photos, stories, birding haunts, and memories of birds and bird club activities with an appreciative audience. We will have slide and
Late on a June night, in the middle of a vast Spartina marsh in eastern Maryland, William Burt achieved his longtime goal to photograph the Black Rail, a mythic, red-eyed bird so rare and deftly elusive in the fine grass of its meadow home that few ornithologists had ever even seen it. But the trip was just the first of
Parrots have enchanted us for centuries. We find their plumage breathtaking, their intellectual abilities intriguing, and their antics amusing. Above all, perhaps we’re most fascinated by their ability to talk and by the ways they use words to connect with us. Parrots are highly social by nature, but we usually underestimate their need for attention and interaction when we bring
Artist, photographer, entrepreneur, and Commissioner of Arts, Culture and Tourism for the City of New Haven, Lesley Roy will present a beautiful visual story of birds. She'll share images of her bird artwork, local and migrant birds, compiled from the book Soaring in New Haven and birding trips to Central and South America. She'll tell the amazing story of growing
Recently, in collaboration with Prof. Eric Brown from the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Yale and Prof. Rick Prum from the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Yale, Corey O'Hern has begun investigating the mechanical and structural properties of bird nests. This work was featured in Episode 1 (The Nest) of the PBS Nature documentary, "Animal
See how photographing birds has changed over the years, from film based photography, to digital and now even iPhones! In today's digital world it's become a lot easier, with more and more birders photographing birds as well as watching them. Jim will show lots of photographs of birds we all love so much, recorded in U.S. locations ranging from here
When the sun retreats, owls awaken to go in search of prey. Some say that owls are wise, others that they sparked legends of ghosts. Naturalist Frank Gallo will help uncover the mysteries of these amazing nocturnal hunters, especially those species that co-exist in our area. It’s a hoot! Frank is a leading expert on where to find birds in
Patrick Comins didn’t set out to do a big photo year in 2014, but by mid-January it was game on. The madness didn’t stop until New Year’s Eve 2014 with a trip on a cod boat on a bitterly cold day. By sundown he had captured #308, a Dovekie that landed close to the boat. Along the way Patrick captured
This meeting has been canceled due to the Nor'easter Storm. Stay warm and safe! While most bird talks focus on the obvious - gorgeous plumage, the intricacy of mating calls and dances, and other fascinating aspects of birds' lives, Dr. Shary Siksay's lecture will focus on the "funky feathered feet", going through the morphology, form, and function of avian
This is always a popular evening. We all love it! It's so much fun to share our prized photographs, stories of exciting encounters with wild birds, and descriptions of those special places where we always find the unique migrants. And those of us who are too shy to present sure enjoy seeing the photos, listening to those stories and planning
Note: the yearbook had the wrong date for this talk. April 20th is the correct date. We changed from the usual date to not conflict with religious holidays. Ever since the age of 8 years old, Tom Sayers has spent much of his free time wandering the woods and fields fascinated by the complexity and diversity of the natural world.
Patrick J. Lynch is an author, illustrator, photographer, and artist. Lynch retired from Yale University after 45 years as an interactive media designer, medical illustrator, biomedical and scientific photographer, video producer, a director of media and communications departments, and a designer of interactive multimedia teaching, training, and informational software and Web sites. Lynch is the author or co-author of eight
Steve discusses the five known nest sites of peregrines in Connecticut during the period 1850-1948. He then summarizes his ongoing studies of the peregrines that have been nesting at West Rock Ridge State Park in Woodbridge since his discovery of a pair of falcons there in 1999. Peregrine life history strategies are the focus of these studies: territoriality, behavior, vocalizations,
Dr. Townsend will describe general warbler behavior patterns that have been observed linking climate change to their behavior, fitness, and population trends. Based on a 25-year mark and recapture study, and using climate data from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, she will also specifically present results of her own work with Black-throated Blue Warblers, Setophaga caerulescens. Dr.
While most bird talks focus on the obvious - gorgeous plumage, the intricacy of mating calls and dances, and other fascinating aspects of birds' lives, Dr. Shary Siksay's lecture will focus on the "funky feathered feet", going through the morphology, form, and function of avian feet. All types of avian feet will be discussed in terms of their evolution, how
Moved to 1/11 due to snow storm Due to a full Indoor Program Lecture Schedule, there will be a special session to present the upcoming Connect Bird Atlas Project. The New Haven Bird Club and the state birding community will be called on to conduct surveys for the Connecticut Bird Atlas Project starting in 2018. The project will focus on
Nick Tiberio is the Director of Aviculture at the Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy (LRWC). Nick has over 15 years of professional experience working with avian species, and manages the LRWC flock. In addition to breeding and raising endangered waterfowl species, Nick is a Master Falconer and has worked with a number of birds of prey. Prior to joining the Conservancy,
Mr. Peter Picone, DEEP Wildlife Biologist, will share with us his talk centered around insights on creating and enhancing seasonal wildlife habitat. He will describe his experiences in enhancing habitat both on state land and private land. Listeners will come away with several ideas about how to enhance the landscape on both a small and large scale. Integrated into this
Members of the New Haven Bird Club are part of an extraordinary group of people dedicated to birds and their conservation. The New Haven Bird Club started in 1907 with a few dozen members, including school teachers, prominent citizens, and high school students. Over the last 110 years, there have been ups and downs. Our history includes some of the
In the great halls of science, dogma holds that Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains every branch on the tree of life: which species thrive, which wither away to extinction, and what features each evolves. But can adaptation by natural selection really account for everything we see in nature? Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum—reviving Darwin’s own views—thinks not. Deep in
We'll travel in time through a year in Connecticut and watch our bird life change just as our seasons do. Jim will talk about his photographic techniques and pass on some tips on how to improve your captures. Jim has been photographing birds for over 40 years. Much of that time has been in Connecticut but also includes travels throughout
When one has been an avid student of field-birding for a time, one eventually will "discover" a bird rare to their area. Our speaker has found his share of rarities over the years, including several first records for Connecticut. Many birders have caught the "rarity bug," resulting in some miraculous finds in recent years. Mr. Mantlik will discuss methods to
Join Frank Gallo, author of the new book, Birding in Connecticut, for a virtual journey to a variety of Connecticut’s birding locales, from hot spots to less-known gems. Frank will concentrate on an array of sites statewide that may offer good birding in winter. Frank Gallo is a leading expert on finding birds in Connecticut and has led birding expeditions
Join this group discussing "The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson". The group meets in the WC meeting room at Whitney Center. Call Kris Johnson for questions - 203-288-3087
Great Gull Island lies at the eastern end of Long Island Sound. The former site of an army fort, its overgrown battlements are now defended by the largest concentration of nesting Common Terns in the world (9,500 pairs). The boulders dumped around the edge of the island to stabilize the shoreline, as well as some of the retaining walls of
The Connecticut Bird Atlas aims to map all bird species found in the state during both nesting and non-nesting seasons. From 2018 through 2020, birders are documenting the distribution, abundance, and breeding activities of birds at sites throughout the entire state. The resulting data will be used to document changes since the last comprehensive survey of the state’s birds, held
Sign up with Gail Martino to feature your story for member's night. Each speaker will be allotted ten minutes to show slides or tell a story. The Valentine's Day theme of the night will be "Love Is for the Birds." For those of you participating in the CT Bird Atlas project, this is a great chance to highlight some of
Birds are living dinosaurs. The legacy of their monstrous forebears remains in the way they walk, fly, eat, and think. It remains in their embryos, which assume a dinosaur-like form before they transform into hatchling birds. New fossil discoveries and new information about embryonic development have overturned some of our previous assumptions about the early history of birds. Dr. Bhart-Anjan
Join us as Michael DiGiorgio describes his journey from tracking and observing birds in the wild to learning how to express their beauty—and his feelings about them—in drawings and paintings. Along the way he meets the masters of bird art, finds his voice as an artist, and comes into his own as a nationally-recognized nature artist. The talk also will
Join wildlife photographer Shawn Carey on an adventure into the heart of Tanzania. We’ll take a safari vehicle into the country’s spectacular national parks and see the “Big Five”—African elephant, black rhino, Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard—in all their glory. Along the way, we’ll search for and photograph cheetahs, giraffes, black-backed jackals, and hippos. And we’ll encounter a panoply of
Note: this is starting 30 minutes later than normal meeting time. It seems that owls have always been surrounded by an air of mystery, probably because most are nocturnal and not easily spotted in the wild. This meeting may be your chance to be only a few feet away from two Eastern Screech Owls, a Barred Owl, and a Great-horned
Come on a trip around the world with one of Connecticut Audubon's EcoTravel leaders! Andrew Griswold has been the director of EcoTravel for Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) since 1996. He graduated as an honor student in biology from Hartwick College, where he worked at their biological research station in the Bahamas studying avian ecology. Andy is the original concept creator