|
The Kirtland’s Warbler: An Extraordinary Bird,
Extraordinary People
Presented by the book’s author,
Bill Rapai
Date:
Friday, May 4
Time:
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: $10
Registration required
Proceeds benefit the songbird research of Black
Swamp Bird Observatory
The story of the Kirtland’s Warbler is
unquestionably dramatic as it came close to
extinction as recently as 25 years ago. But the
people who preserved the Kirtland’s Warbler are
every bit as compelling. In “The Kirtland’s
Warbler: An Extraordinary Bird, Extraordinary
People,” Bill Rapai tells the story of how a
physician, a dentist, a business executive, an
anatomy instructor, a penguin biologist and a
notorious murderer all played important roles in
preventing the warbler from going extinct.
Bill will sign books directly after his program.
Praise for the Book
"Small, rare, and not often seen without a
special effort, Kirtland's Warbler has still
managed to capture the imaginations of countless
people. This story of its close brush with
extinction, and the struggle to pull it back
from the brink, reads like an adventure novel,
except that it's all true. Bill Rapai has woven
a fascinating and memorable account of the bird
and of the many people who have worked to rescue
it."
—Kenn Kaufman, Kaufman Field Guides
“I loved reading this book and found it a
valuable and unique contribution to natural
history literature. Besides exhaustively
recounting the human and natural history of an
extraordinary bird, Rapai has crafted a rare
combination of easily accessible prose,
scientific literacy, and human passion, together
with the mystery and drama of endangered species
management. The Kirtland’s Warbler is poised to
join the Peregrine Falcon as globally
significant examples of how scientific
understanding, effective management policy,
public-private partnerships, and citizen-science
can be integrated to recover a species.”
—John Fitzpatrick, Director, Cornell Lab of
Ornithology
Patterns of Bird Migration in North America
Presented by
Kenn Kaufman
Date:
Saturday, May 5
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: $10
Registration required
Proceeds benefit Black Swamp Bird Observatory’s
Ohio Young Birders Club
We can’t help being fascinated by the phenomenon
of migration – in fact, that migration is the
reason we’re all here at this season, and the
migration is what makes the Biggest Week so
big. But where are all these birds coming from,
and where are they going? The answer is
surprisingly complicated. We may think of birds
as going north in spring and south in fall, but
there are hardly any birds that follow such a
simple pattern.
In fact, there is some bird migration going on
in North America practically every day of the
year, and some birds are traveling in every
direction imaginable. In this program, richly
illustrated with maps and pictures, Kenn will
unravel some of the most interesting and unusual
patterns of migration on (and off) this
continent, to explain where the birds are going,
when, and even why they undertake such
strange travels.
Tales with Tails: The Lighter Side of Birding
Presented by
Adrian Binns
Date:
Sunday, May 6
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: $10
Registration required
Mis-worded signs, semi-naked people and
curious predicaments are just a few of the
things encountered while birding around the
globe. This light-hearted presentation features
plenty of laughs, tall tales, and wildlife
images too! Join me while I share observations
and stories laced with a sometimes-twisted but
always generous sense of humor when it comes to
leading worldwide birding tours.
A Feather of a Different Color - Why Diversity
Matters Beyond the Birds
Presented by
Dr. Drew Lanham
Date:
Monday, May 7
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: $10
Registration required
This will be a presentation about how birds
and nature viewed through the lens of race and
ethnicity can have an impact on birding and
conservation. Drew will offer personal
perspectives on why color should be a
consideration in how we move forward to make
sure that the conservation conversation is as
diverse as the audience that it needs to serve.
Biggest Week Taste of the Region
(see Social Time page for
details)
Date:
Tuesday, May 8
Time: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: FREE
No registration required and all are welcome!
Uncommon Facts About Common Birds
Presented by
Laura Erickson
Date:
Wednesday, May 9
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: $10
Registration required
For over a quarter of a century,
Laura Erickson has been producing a radio
program about birds, continually amassing
interesting information about every-day birds.
Did you know that chickadees replenish many of
their brain neurons every fall, essentially
deleting files they no longer need so their tiny
brain can continue to process and remember
important new information during a lifespan that
can last longer than a decade? Why do many owls
have crooked ears, one lower and more forward
than the other? And if you have questions about
the birds and the bees, you'll find out why
Laura has been called the "Dr. Ruth of
Ornithology."
Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Greg Miller
Birding,
and the Ohio Young Birders Club present...
A Night at the Movies: A special viewing of the movie
The Big Year!
Date:
Friday, May 11
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: $10
Registration required
Proceeds benefit the Ohio Young Birders Club!
 In 2001, birders around the country
celebrated the fact that birds & birding made it
to Hollywood’s Big Screen when the book, The
Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl
Obsession, by Mark Obmascik became a
full-length feature film! Directed
by David Frankel, the movie stars Steve Martin,
Jack Black and Owen Wilson. Ohio native Greg
Miller was portrayed in the book and played by
Jack Black in the movie. Greg will be here with
us to share his experiences on the movie set,
what it was like to watch the movie for the
first time in the theater, and life AFTER being
portrayed in a Hollywood movie.
Pride in the Name of Birding
Presented by
Kenn Kaufman
Date:
Saturday, May 12
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference
Center
Fee: $12
Registration required
Proceeds benefit the Donate The Guía
Conservation Program
To learn more about the Donate the Guia program,
click
HERE.
If you’re reading this, you probably know
already that birding is exciting, fun,
challenging, endlessly rewarding, and cool. But
you may have noticed that the general public
thinks of birding in terms that are exactly the
opposite.
As a rabid kid birder, Kenn learned to ignore
that public image. But now he has a new
suggestion: don’t just ignore that negative
image, challenge it! This isn’t just a matter
of self-esteem. We live in an age when birds
and their habitats need all the friends they can
get. And many people won’t take up birding
because they’re scared away by that dorky
stereotype. To build support for the survival
of birdlife, it’s time to exercise Birder
Pride.
We have good reason to be proud. Did you know
that Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Socrates,
and Napoleon were all birders? That Marco Polo,
Robert Frost, and Lewis and Clark were all
birders? Did you know that birding played a
role in the development of mathematics,
philosophy, computer science, and rock & roll?
Come along on Kenn’s fast-paced review of the
world according to birders, and he promises that
you’ll end up with a new sense of pride in our
birding heritage. |
