Hello Cayuga Birders: Please join us on *Monday, March 2* at *7:30 *for the next Monday Night Seminar at the Cornell Lab. As always, these seminars are free and open to the public. The doors open at 7:00. This coming Monday, we will be streaming the seminar live. Be sure to bookmark http://dl.allaboutbirds.org/cornelllab-monday-night-seminars for quick access on Monday evening. And if you missed them, you can also watch the archived versions <http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1579> of the previous live-streamed lectures. Hope to see you there! Marc
*Dr. Anastasia H. Dalziell, postdoctoral associate, Cornell Lab of Ornithology* *The Talented Superb Lyrebird* *Host: Mike Webster* Australia’s Superb Lyrebird is famous for the male’s remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of sounds, from the songs of other bird species to chainsaws, camera shutters, car alarms, and more. Dr. Anastasia Dalziell will share research results showing that the vocal mimicry by male lyrebirds is even more spectacular and bizarre than previously thought. Males also coordinate their songs with elaborate “dance moves” on carefully constructed dance platforms to attract a mate. Female lyrebirds have unexpectedly complex displays as well. You’ll hear recordings and see videos of behaviors previously undescribed in this fascinating species. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Monday Night Seminars: *March 9 Cayuga Bird Club Meeting* *Suan Yong, Cayuga Bird Club member; nature enthusiast* *Vacation in Antarctica* Suan and two friends traveled to Antarctica in January 2013 for what they call “the most incredible vacation of a lifetime.” Suan will share photos and information about the last continent and the nature tourism industry that has made it more accessible than you might think. *March 23* *Seminar and book signing* *Dr. Andrew L. Mack, executive director, Indo-Pacific Conservation Alliance* *Uphill Struggles: Of Cassowaries, Seeds, and Conservation* *Host: Ed Scholes* Cassowaries, the third largest species of bird, are the closest things living to dinosaurs. They are secretive denizens of the rugged island of New Guinea, the third largest remaining rainforest (after the Amazon and Congo Basins). Dr. Andrew Mack has spent years living deep in these forests, working with indigenous Pawai’ia trackers, undertaking the first field studies of cassowaries in New Guinea. He devoted considerable effort to the study of the droppings of these giant frugivores, more specifically the seeds within the droppings. Despite their reclusive nature, these birds play a keystone role in the overall rainforest ecology. Witnessing the demise of rainforests everywhere led Mack to shift from researcher to focusing on New Guinea conservation. He will speak about his adventures with cassowaries and discoveries deep in the tropical rainforests of New Guinea. His book, *Searching for PekPek: Cassowaries and Conservation in a New Guinea Rainforest*, will be available for signing after the presentation. *April 6* *Seminar and book signing* *Dr. Stephen W. Kress, Director, Audubon Seabird Restoration Program* *Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg Rock* Host: Miyoko Chu After 42 years, Project Puffin has achieved international acclaim for pioneering methods that are helping endangered seabirds worldwide. But there is much to this story that has never been told. Join us as project founder Dr. Stephen Kress recounts how his childhood experiences in landlocked Columbus, Ohio, ignited his lifelong passion for puffins on the Maine coast. Hear about the challenges of working on remote islands, and how persistence helped him succeed when a nemesis almost halted the project in its infancy. Join us for the first public debut of Kress’s new autographical book, which will be available for signing after the presentation. *April 13* *Cayuga Bird Club Meeting* *Greg Budney, Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab* *Their World of Sound: An Exploration of Bird Sounds* Birds make some of the most compelling sounds heard in nature--from the stunningly beautiful to the bizarre, from drumming to mimicry, from the Common Nightingale to the Musician Wren. During this presentation you'll hear sounds that birds use to communicate and learn what these sounds reveal about their complex lives, via sound recordings from the Cornell Lab’s Macaulay Library, the world's largest archive of bird sounds. *May 4* *Seminar and book signing* *Laura Erickson, author; and Marie Read, author and wildlife photographer* *Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds * This new book from author Laura Erickson and wildlife photographer Marie Read documents every stage in the family lives of birds. The authors will talk about these rare glimpses into the lives of the birds we thought we knew—everything from dramatic courtship to nest construction, egg-laying, and first attempts at flight by the young. Copies of the book will available for signing after the presentation. *May 11* Cayuga Bird Club Meeting Dr. Ron Rohrbaugh, Assistant Director, Conservation Science, Cornell Lab Program TBA Marc Devokaitis Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
