On Tuesday, October 10th, the Linnaean Society of New York's 2017-18 Speaker
Program will feature two new presentations.
6:00 pm - The Artist, the Musician, and the Birds of America - Fred
Baumgarten
Anthony Philip Heinrich was a little-known 19th-century American composer
whose life was closely entwined with that of John James Audubon-so much so
that he is buried with the Audubon family in New York City. One persona was
the "American Woodsman"; the other persona, the "Beethoven of America."
Heinrich's music, like Audubon's art, drew inspiration from the wilderness
and wild birds of the continent. Recently, new examples of Heinrich's work
have come to light, including one specifically dedicated to Audubon. Using
images provided by Audubon and music by Heinrich, Fred Baumgarten, a former
staff member of the National Audubon Society and its resident expert on John
James Audubon, will share this astonishing connection between an obscure
19th-century composer and Audubon, and what it tells us about antebellum
culture in America.
** Please note that the Museum's 77th Street entrance will close at 7 pm
that evening. After 7 pm, please enter through the Central Park West
Security Entrance below the main stairs along Central Park West. Go through
the Hall of North American Mammals and Hall of Northwest Coast Indians to
get to the Linder Theater.
7:30 pm - Why Do Birds Sing? How Do They Learn Their Songs? And How Can
Birders Learn
Them Too - Tom Stephenson
It takes energy to sing. So why do most birds spend so much time vocalizing?
What are the different functions of songs and calls? Are songs learned or
innate? And how do we know? Tom Stephenson, author of The Warbler Guide and
several important birding apps, will present an overview of the kinds of
vocalizations that birds make, how they are acquired, and how the
song-learning process unfolds. He'll discuss why you might hear very odd
songs from common species in early spring, and what that tells us about the
singer. Stephenson will also cover the many different kinds of vocalizations
one individual bird might make, what they may mean, and discuss species that
sing only one song across the US compared with other species that have
hundreds of different songs. He'll explore some strategies to use when we
hear a song we don't recognize and see why traditional field guides aren't
much help. Finally, he'll discuss general memorization theory and outline a
simple and very effective technique for memorizing many bird songs.
Both presentations are free and will be held in the Linder Theater on the
first floor of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Again, before 7 pm, enter at West 77th Street between Central Park West and
Columbus Avenue. After 7 pm, please enter through the Central Park West
Security Entrance below the main stairs along Central Park West
All welcome!
Complete details of these exciting presentations and the rest of the
2017-2018 program can be found here:
http://linnaeannewyork.org/calendar-programs-trips/programs2017-2018.html
Richard Fried
The Linnaean Society of New York
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