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“Birding the World”
 A presentation by Keith Barnes from
Tropical Birding
Friday,
May 7
7 - 8:45 p.m.
At
OurGuest Inn & Suites, Port Clinton
Tuesday, May
11
7 – 8:45 p.m.
At
Ottawa NWR Visitor Center
Sunday, May 16
7 – 8:45 p.m.
At OurGuest Inn &
Suites, Port Clinton
Founder and professional Tropical Birding tour
leader Keith Barnes will be talking on how you
can make your buck work best for you when
planning to build a respectable world list.
Keith will discuss which countries and areas are
best suited for the budget you have to ensure
you can build the best world list within your
resources, based on the current political
climate. Historical perspectives will be given
on which areas are or have become safe now to
bird and which areas are protected and those
which need to be visited as a mater of urgency
due to little protection plans in play. The
results and suggestions may just surprise you.
*Please note
that there will be a fifteen break during the
talk.
“The Biggest Twitch:
A Manic One Year Birding Race Around the World”
 A
presentation by Alan Davies and Ruth Miller
Saturday, May 8 & 15
7 – 8:30 p.m.
At
Ottawa NWR Visitor Center
In
2008 Alan and Ruth sold their house in Wales
(UK) and went on a mission: to see more birds in
a year than anyone had before. They crisscrossed
the globe visiting 6 continents and over 30
countries on this insane mission. This is their
fascinating and often very funny story
(involving only minimal amounts of screaming and
tears), of how they ended up getting well over
3,500 bird species during the year, and setting
an unbeatable world record in the process. Don’t
wait for their book, this talk tells some of the
hidden stories behind their ambitious project.
"Ethiopia - Birding the
Roof of Africa"
A presentation by Christian Boix from Tropical
Birding
Sunday, May 9,
7 – 7:45 p.m.
At
Ottawa NWR Visitor Center
Christian, co-author of a new
site guide to this remarkable alpine country
dispels the many myth's of this ancient and
incredible land. Ethiopia is Africa's mainland
version of the Galapagos. A remarkable form of
orthodox Christianity that prevents persecution
of animals results in one of the tamest
avifaunas on Earth. The combination of the
Afro-tropical highlands with dancing wolves,
Rift Valley with flamingo-encrusted lakes and
deep southern deserts with a white crow make for
a diverse and adventurous journey through a land
that is misunderstood and poorly represented in
the western press. No flies, no lies!
“Crown Jewels of the Incas: Ecuador’s
Hummingbirds”
 A presentation by Sam Woods from Tropical
Birding
Sunday, May 9
7:45- 8:30 p.m.
At
Ottawa NWR Visitor Center
Wednesday, May 12
7 – 7:45 p.m.
At OurGuest Inn & Suites,
Port Clinton
Sam first became hooked on hummingbirds when
studying them in the high Andes just a stones
throw from the Colombian border in 1997. He
jumped at the chance to return there as a
Tropical Birding leader five years ago. Here Sam
talks through the top five sites for seeing
hummers in Ecuador and also through the
extraordinary variety of colorful “colibris”
that call the Andes of Ecuador their home.
"Madagascar: Tales from the Red Island"
 A
presentation by Josh Engel from Tropical Birding
Monday, May 10
7 – 7.45 p.m.
Friday, May 14
7:45 – 8:30 p.m.
At
OurGuest Inn & Suites,
Port Clinton
Birders who flock to Madagascar often find the
birds less absorbing than the myriad of
otherworldly creatures that roam this unique
island. While guiding there for Tropical Birding
Josh has become an avid follower of the odd and
freaky characters that lurk in the Malagasy
forests. From strange, giant aquamarine
chameleons, to cute, fluffy pint-sized primates,
to the world famous dancing Sifakas, Madagascar
is the home of the strange. While talking on the
almost wholly unique birdlife that exists there
Josh will also take you through the overwhelming
variety of other odd living things that reside
there.
“When Too Much Birding is Barely Enough –
Birding Eastern Australia”
 A presentation by Iain Campbell from Tropical
Birding
Monday, May 10
7:45 – 8:30 p.m.
At
OurGuest Inn & Suites,
Port Clinton
Birders often strangely overlook Australia when
they first get the world birding bug. However,
when they eventually get there they are so
overwhelmed by the huge variety of new families
and colorful and crazy Antipodean species that
call Oz home, they return time and again. Many
even move there. Eastern Australia seemingly has
it all from giant Cassowaries that roam the
sweaty Queensland jungles, psychedelic parrots
that feed gently out of peoples hands,
birds-of-paradise that display by the half light
of dawn, bold bowerbirds that construct fancy
stages to impress their dowdy mates, and that’s
just the birds. The mammals bounce, some of the
birds call like cats, and others bark like dogs,
It’s a strange, strange continent. Iain Campbell
grew up down under and will take you through how
you can see two thirds of Australia’s birds in
18 beers and 6 meat pies (Australia’s national
dish), and the odd kangaroo or koala too.
“The Baboons Ate My Lunch: Birding the Bottom of
Africa”
A presentation by Christian Boix from Tropical
Birding
Wednesday, May 12,
7:45 p.m.
at
OurGuest Inn & Suites,
Port Clinton
Christian, one of the bird guides for Tropical
Birding abandoned his native Spain and headed
for Southern Africa over twenty years ago. The
lure of big birds and even bigger game was just
too much. Here Christian explains the thrills
and spills of birding the bottom end of Africa
and why he has never looked back since moving
there in the 1980s.
“The Neotropical Waves
of Spring Migration along Lake Erie's Southwest
Shore”
 A presentation by Mark Shieldcastle with
Black Swamp Bird Observatory
Thursday, May 13
7 - 7:45 p.m.
At Ottawa NWR Visitor Center
In this presentation, Mark Shieldcastle, one
of North America’s leading authorities on
passerine migration, will delve into the science
that makes bird migration so intriguing, and
explore the seemingly magical way that these
feathered marvels move through our universe.
Mark has been studying migration in the Lake
Erie Marsh Region for more than 30 years. He
pioneered the “wave theory” that has become a
way of thinking among birders visiting Ohio’s
north coast. The three “waves” of Neotropical
migrants will be brought to life through vibrant
imagery, and the timing of their passage through
this area mapped out with surprising precision.
If you have a nemesis, or just one species that
is special to you, come find out when and where
it’s best to look for “your” bird.
“Refuge Management 101”
A presentation by Ottawa NWR Manager,
Douglas Brewer
Thursday, May 13
7:45 - 8:30 p.m.
At Ottawa NWR Visitor Center
How does the refuge decide which units to drain?
Why are water levels in some refuge units kept
deeper than others?
Why isn't shorebird habitat always available on
the hiking trails?
What is the refuge doing about the invasive
plants in the wetlands?
Does the refuge really hide all the good birds
in closed areas?
Why are some areas closed?
And how do people gain access to closed areas?
What are the ultimate goals of the refuge and
the refuge system?
Doug Brewer, Refuge Manager, will answer all of
these questions and more.
Here is
your chance to ask him the questions you've been
pondering for years. Or if you have recently
been introduced to the refuge, to learn why they
do what they do.
“Taj, Tandooris, and Tigers:
Birding Northern
India’s Mughal Empire”
 A presentation by Sam Woods from Tropical
Birding
Friday, May 14
7 – 7:45 p.m.
At OurGuest Inn & Suites,
Port Clinton
India is a far away and exotic land, full of
rich spices, magnificent architecture, striking
mammals and home to an abundance of tame and
colorful bird species. It is a land of wonderful
contrasts from the wide open Gangetic plains to
the rugged snowy-topped peaks of the Himalayas.
It is also the land of the Bengal Tiger. The
most beautiful, deadly, and impressive of all
the cats. While living in England Sam developed
the British fad for Indian cuisine, that has now
become the national food of the United Kingdom,
and since leading tours to northern India has
fallen for India’s wonderfully abundant
birdlife, and vibrant hindi culture. Sam will
talk you through the rich birding possibilities
on offer in northern India, and of course the
amazing opportunities to encounter one of the
most impressive and famous animals on the
planet, the endangered Bengal Tiger. An
encounter with this boldy-striped feline only
leaves you longing for more, and looking to
return to India again one day.
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