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Iraq: Birding from the
Trenches
May 7
11 a.m. - Noon
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor
Center
Presented by Major Randel Rogers
Registration required.
FREE
 Be
amazed at the variety and abundance of wildlife
occurring on the edge of Iraq’s western
desert! Major Randel Rogers will discuss the
birds and other wildlife he observed during his
recent assignment in Iraq. While stationed at
Al Asad Airbase, Major Rogers encountered 124
species of birds, and many of the region’s
mammals, including the elusive jungle cat.
Photos and videos of some of these encounters
will be shown. He also interacted with Nature
Iraq, the non-governmental organization
responsible for surveying and protecting Iraq’s
wildlife and natural habitat, and will highlight
their efforts and what birders can do to help.
Around the World in 80
Blogs
May 9
11 a.m. - Noon
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Presented by Mike Bergin
Registration required.
FREE
 Did
you know about the incredible wealth of amazing,
free web content waiting for you on birding and
nature blogs around the world? Do you even know
what a blog is? Let notorious bird blogger Mike
Bergin take you on a tour of the best birding
and nature blogs of North America, and beyond!
Shade-grown Coffee
Tasting and Discussion
May 10
11 a.m. - Noon
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Join Paul Baicich for a shade-grown coffee
tasting and discussion. Learn why it is
important to drink shade-grown coffee.
The Ten Most Important
Things You Can Do For Birds
and Bird
Conservation
May 11
11 a.m. - Noon
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Presented by Paul Baicich
Registration required.
FREE
 Doomsday predictions and personal self-denial
are not necessarily the best approaches to
addressing our modern bird-conservation
problems. To save birds you are not required to
slash your wrists. In this talk, Paul Baicich
will identify the five most serious threats to
birds today and then outline ten modest - but
highly effective - things we can all do that
will help birds, their habitats, and,
ultimately, their future... as well as our own.
Connecting Our Youth to Nature: the Future of
Birding and Environmental Conservation
May 12
11 a.m. - Noon
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Presented by John C. Robinson
Registration required.
FREE
One random interaction between an
influential adult and an inquisitive child is
all it takes for that child to become hooked on
nature for the rest of his or her life. Yet, in
less than a generation, it is probable the
majority of the US population will lack a
passionate interest in nature or spending time
outdoors. That is, unless we are willing to do
something about it! Join award-winning author
John C. Robinson as he explores the top five
ways that birding can be used to re-introduce
our youth to nature and bring environmental
conservation itself back from the brink of
extinction.
Who Keeps
Changing My Field Guide?
May 13
11 a.m. - Noon
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Presented by Dr. Andy Jones
Registration required.
FREE
Not only is your local bookstore brimming with
field guides by many authors and publishers, but
existing field guides are constantly being
updated and sold as new editions, forcing
birders to spend more money to stay on top of
changing names and identification techniques.
But this isn't a conspiracy by the field guide
publishers! Instead, field guides
are being
updated to capture the changing worldsof
identification and, particularly, taxonomy in
ornithology. This talk will highlight several
major reasons for why the common and scientific
names of the birds are not the same today as
when you first started birding (remember the
Rufous-sided Towhee, the Slate-colored Junco,
and the Northern Oriole?). The talk will also
cover some of the prospects for future changes.
Movements, Habitat Use, and Stopover Duration of
Migratory Songbirds
in the Western Lake Erie Basin of Northern Ohio
May 14
11 a.m. - Noon
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Presented by Ashley Buchanan
Registration required.
FREE
 Migration
is often considered the most energetically
demanding and stressful period during the life
cycle of migratory landbirds. Because migrating
birds spend the majority of their time in
stopover habitats rather than in flight, it is
important to our understanding of migration
ecology to examine spatial and temporal patterns
of bird movements during stopover
periods. Stopover habitats are important because
they provide migratory birds a place to rest,
refuel, and avoid predators. Ashley used radio
telemetry to quantify local movements, stopover
duration, habitat selection, and patch residence
times for two species of landbird migrants,
Yellow-rumped Warbler and Red-eyed Vireo. The
goal of her research was to evaluate movement
behavior and habitat selection of forest patches
by migrant songbirds during spring stopover in a
highly fragmented, agriculturally dominated
landscape. Her specific objectives were to
assess patterns of movement by migratory
landbirds within and among forest patches,
determine how local-level (patch area, habitat
type) and landscape-level (habitat connectivity)
attributes influence movement rate and patch
residence time, and examine factors influencing
stopover duration.
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