2015 Featured Evening Presentations
Keynote Speaker: Jon Young
Topic: What the Robin Knows - How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World
Saturday, September 26, 7 p.m.
In this year’s speaking tour, Jon tunes our ears, eyes and minds into the nearly lost art of bird communication. Ever wonder what our feathered friends are squawking about? Jon reveals how to easily decode their messages and why this is an essential survival skill and a powerful nature connection routine. Many report that training themselves in this ancient discipline gives them an edge in their modern lives, including their perception of complex human interactions, heightened creativity and understanding of entire ecological systems. These talks are part of Bird Language Leaders events in collaboration with the National Audubon Society. This is a must-go event for educators, community leaders, conservationists and anyone who wants to go outside, have fun and connect with nature in your own backyard.
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Jon Young is the author of What the Robin Knows-How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Nature World, The Kamana Naturalist Training Program, Animal Tracking Basics and Coyote’s Guide To Connecting with Nature. As founder of the 8 Shields Institute, Nature Connection Mentoring Foundation, Bird Language Leaders and Wilderness Awareness School, he has pioneered nature connection models for over 30 years.
Kickoff Evening Presentation: Dr. Mike Murray
Topic: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain: Birds at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Thursday, September 24, 7 p.m.
Aquarium Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Mike Murray is a key figure in sea otter recovery efforts from California to the Russian far east. He is also deeply engaged in the aquarium’s Project White Shark exhibit and field research, cares for the aquarium’s living collection, and has worked to support recovery of endangered bald eagles and California condors. As staff veterinarian, he provides routine health care for exhibit sea otters and other animals in the aquarium’s living collection, from shorebirds to giant Pacific octopus. He is the veterinarian for the aquarium’s pioneering Sea Otter Research and Conservation program, which rescues and rehabilitates stranded sea otters for return to the wild, and is a partner in the recovery program for the southern sea otter. Dr. Mike also supports medical and surgical activities for a variety of researchers working with marine mammals.
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Dr. Mike Murray lectures and publishes widely on avian and exotic veterinary subjects, as well as wildlife and conservation medicine. He teaches veterinary endoscopy procedures worldwide, and has helped develop statewide veterinary standards through the California Veterinary Medical Association.
He graduated from Purdue University as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and is licensed to practice veterinary medicine, dentistry and surgery in California and Indiana, as well as by the USDA. He is a Research Associate at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and serves on the Accreditation Commission of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which honored him as Accreditation Inspector of the Year. Prior to entering private practice and subsequently joining the aquarium staff, he worked in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, and at a private zoo and exotic animal practice.
His honors include recognition by the Monterey County Society for the Prevention of Animals as its two-time Humanitarian of the Year, and by his peers in 2002 as Exotic Doctor of Veterinary Medicine of the Year.
Friday Evening Presentation: Greg Meyer
Topic: The Baja Connection
Friday, September 25, 7 p.m.
Many of the birds that we see in Monterey Bay spend part of their year in Baja California. Some of the more common species like Elegant Terns, Brown Pelicans and Hermann’s Gulls, nest on isolated desert islands that hold the future for these iconic seabirds. Other rare birds, such as three species of Murrelets, the Black-vented Shearwater, the endemic Yellow-footed Gull and Black and Least Storm-petrels, also nest there but their populations are smaller and conservation threats are less known. Baja also holds large populations of tropical seabirds such as Red-billed Tropicbirds, Blue-footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds. This talk will feature all these species, discuss the ecological factors that make Baja an important seabird habitat and highlight the remarkable natural history of these birds.
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Greg Meyer has been a professional naturalist since graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz and has traveled to all seven continents in search of birds. He has been working in Baja California for 30 years, watching marine mammals, compiling bird sightings and researching this fascinating area.
Workshop Presenters
Birding Optics Demystifed
Thursday, Sept. 24, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Thinking about buying your first pair of “real” binoculars or upgrading the ones you have? Considering taking the leap to buy a spotting scope? Learn all about binoculars and scopes, and how particular products perform in different birding situations. What’s more, try out a range of products to find out what feels right in your hands and to see the differences for yourself!
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Marilyn Rose, who has been in the optics business for 25 years and owns Out of This World and DiscountBinoculars.com in Mendocino, will demystify birding optics and answer your questions. Her website is OutofThisWorldOptics.com.
Carbon Neutral Cuckoos: Chasing Birds & Planting Seeds
Thursday, Sept. 24, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
California’s first Common Cuckoo was discovered in the Watsonville Wetlands in 2012, and hundreds of birders quickly descended upon a little known patch of recently restored riparian habitat. Thousands of miles were driven or flown by birders in pursuit of the Old World cuckoo, generating a ~40 ton CO2 footprint. Join Scott Smithson, founder of The Green Big Day, as he illuminates the natural connection between birders and habitat restoration through a journey of discovering the ecological impact of his own birding trips. Imagine a future where the rarest bird sightings are coupled with carbon offsetting through support of nearby restoration projects. Learn how to calculate and mitigate the ecological cost of those impromptu mega-rarity birding trips!
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Scott Smithson began birding in hometown Pacifica, CA, after receiving a little blue Golden Guide from his kindergarten teacher. At the age of 9, he met famed birder Gil West on a Sequoia Audubon field trip, and thus began a birder-mentor-friendship that would continue until Gil passed away in 1994. Scott went on to receive his MS in biology from CSU Long Beach, studying the breeding biology of introduced orange bishops and nutmeg mannikins in southern CA. He is interested in finding creative ways to minimize carbon footprint of the birding subculture - see www.greenbigday.org. Scott currently teaches high school AP Biology & Environmental Science at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale.
Pelagic Birds Identification
Friday, Sept. 25, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
This workshop will provide an overview of seabirds off the California coast. It will introduce you to birding at sea and the overall approach to seabird spotting and identification. The focus of this workshop will primarily be on pelagic (offshore) birds, covering species typically encountered offshore in Monterey Bay. You will also learn how to identify more problematic species, such as jaegers, offshore terns, and storm-petrels. In addition, you’ll learn about some of the vagrant seabirds that occur off California.
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Scott Terrill, MS, PHD, has conducted numerous seabird identification workshops for the Western Field Ornithologists and the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. He and his wife, Linda, have been leading pelagic birding trips off central and northern California for Shearwater Journeys for more than two decades, logging hundreds of boat trips in California waters. Scott also is senior ornithologist for H. T. Harvey & Associates, an ecological consulting firm. In addition to contributing to a number of articles on bird identification, Scott was the major contributing author to the three-volume Master Guide to the Birds of North America. He also served for ten years as a regional editor on seabirds for North American Birds, and has been serving on the nine-member California Bird Records Committee for more than 15 years.
Photography Gear and Techniques Lecture and Demonstration
Friday, Sept. 25, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
This lecture will touch on field gear choices, gear purchasing, use of monopods and tripods, hand-holding large lenses, body mechanics, and positioning from standing to lying down for hand-holding.
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Chris Hartzell is an avid birder, photographer, and artist. He and his wife, Ame, offer wildlife photography tours, teach photography, produce informational movies, and work toward global environmental conservation. Chris also is the VP of Monterey Audubon Society and edits its newsletter, The Sanderling. In his other life, Chris is a fire captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Carmel Hill Fire Station.
Photography Field Workflow
Friday, Sept. 25, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
This is an in-field, hands-on workshop for those already shooting with a DSLR and already having an understanding of the basics. This workshop will focus on a realistic workflow for photographing wildlife in different lighting, focusing primarily on what to adjust and when. A short time will be taken to discuss daylight flash use for wildlife.
Pre-requisite: basic knowledge of ISO, F-stop, shutter speed, metering, and their relationship with each other. Equipment needed: your own DSLR and zoom lens.
Held at the Watsonville Nature Center. Meet: 3:15pm at the Civic Center for carpooling or 3:30pm at the site, 30 Harkins Slough Rd.
Chris Hartzell is an avid birder, photographer, and artist. He and his wife, Ame, offer wildlife photography tours, teach photography, produce informational movies, and work toward global environmental conservation. Chris also is the VP of Monterey Audubon Society and edits its newsletter, The Sanderling. In his other life, Chris is a fire captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Carmel Hill Fire Station.
Field Sketching
Saturday, Sept. 26: 9:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This workshop is designed to enhance your bird watching experience. The morning classroom session includes hands-on, step-by-step instruction, using various local bird specimens to study shape, proportion, color, and texture. After a one-hour lunch break, we’ll go to the wetlands for an afternoon of observation and sketching.
What to Bring: Sketchpad, 6B soft pencil, colored pencils, sharpener, and eraser. For the afternoon at the wetlands, bring a folding chair, sun hat, and remember the binoculars!
Held at the Watsonville Wetlands Watch Wetlands Education Resource Center (WERC) at 500 Harkins Slough Road, Watsonville. Meet directly at the WERC, which is located at the top of the uppermost parking lot of the Pajaro Valley High School.
Carol Bennett has enjoyed living and working in Santa Cruz County since 1980. She has an award-winning graphic design business, Carol Bennett Design, and teaches watercolor painting in local elementary schools as an Arts Council of Santa Cruz County Spectra artist. Carol also teaches through Watsonville Wetlands Watch, where she painted a wall mural and helped to create the “Web of Life in the Wetlands” diorama.
Bird Photography Basics
Saturday, Sept. 26: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Nature photography is arguably the hardest field of photography, even for those with years of experience. We will be heading into the field and I will work with you on how to set up your camera and give you feedback as we walk through the area sloughs taking photos. Limit 5-7 participants.
Meet at the Watsonville Civic Plaza to carpool to field location.
Jeff Bleam currently works designing medical devices, but has been taking photos for more than 40 years, first with film and now digitally. Although relatively new to birding, he is a big supporter of eBird and feels that capturing birds in action is where nature becomes art.
What’s That Bird? Merlin and eBird Can Help!
Saturday, Sept. 26: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
This workshop is designed to help bird lovers of all levels explore the applications, and capabilities of Merlin, Merlin Photo ID, eBird, and other digital ornithology resources from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Merlin is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s free iPhone app, which currently offers real-time assistance in bird identification for 400 North American birds. eBird is a free, online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with current and up-to-date data about bird distributions and abundance. Workshop coverage will include details on how to get started with Merlin, Merlin Photo ID, and eBird, as well as how to use eBird’s data visualization tools to explore both the small- and large-scale impacts and capabilities of citizen science.
Held at the Watsonville Civic Plaza
Dr. Brooke Keeney has a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution, and a life-long passion to bring natural history to the general public. She is the managing editor for the Birds of North America Online (bna.birds.cornell.edu), and Neotropical Birds (http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu) websites at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She is a strong proponent of making online education interactive and engaging, has designed courses and educational materials for Pearson Education, and the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies. In the past, Brooke has worked on projects ranging from the neural control of hummingbird flight, to avian malaria in Hawaii. Her favorite bird is the Northern Saw-whet Owl!
