Hello Cayuga Birders
Happy almost-fall to all. The Lab of Ornithology is pleased to continue the
Monday Night Seminar series this semester. We are kicking off the season
with a special talk by John Fitzpatrick. Hope to see you there!
*September 15, 7:30pm*
*Martha’s Question: “Have You Learned Anything From My Passing?”
Reflections on the Tragic Centenary of the Last Passenger Pigeon*
*John W. Fitzpatrick, director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology*
To this day the Passenger Pigeon story represents the most famous
human-caused extinction in history. Fitzpatrick will review the remarkable
biology and the tragic disappearance of the Passenger Pigeon, once the
world’s most abundant bird species. He will explore how and why a bird
could achieve such spectacular numbers, and the multiple forces that led to
its catastrophically rapid population collapse. The very last Passenger
Pigeon, named Martha, died in the Cincinnati Zoo in September 1914.
Fitzpatrick asks the question that Martha might ask if she could do so
today: Have we humans yet learned to respect abundance in nature? The
seminar will explore important lessons we can take from the world’s
fisheries and some emerging conservation success stories in this
bittersweet tribute to Martha and her lost species.
*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
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. *
*UPCOMING MONDAY NIGHT SEMINARS:*
*September 29*
*Hawaii’s Birds: Past, Present and Future*
*Speaker: Jack Jeffrey, wildlife biologist and photographer*
Over 5 million years ago, a small flock of Asian finches arrived on an
isolated volcanic archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean. Through
adaptive radiation and ecological opportunity, over 60 species of Hawaiian
Honeycreepers (Drepanidinae) evolved an amazing array of bill forms, color,
and specialized feeding behaviors. These and numerous other forest birds
inhabited the Hawaiian Islands until human contact over one thousand years
ago. Since first contact, humans have triggered an extinction process
through habitat destruction, agricultural practices and the introduction of
alien species including large herbivores, mammal predators, invertebrates,
diseases, and invasive plants. These introductions have caused, and
continue to cause, extinction and endangerment of many native forest bird
species throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Today, conservation efforts are
attempting to reverse this trend through habitat protection, forest
restoration, reforestation, alien species prevention and control, captive
propagation, and public awareness and education. Join Jack Jeffrey,
photographer and wildlife biologist, in an entertaining, informative, and
humorous program about Hawaii’s wonderful forest birds, their problems, and
the extensive efforts being made to protect these amazing forest creatures
from further decline and extinction.
*October 6*
*Birds in Flight: the Art and Science of How Birds Fly (seminar and book
signing)*
*Speaker: Carrol Henderson, wildlife biologist, photographer, and author*
Carrol Henderson has long been captivated by the phenomenon of birds in
flight. During this seminar, he will take you through the stages of an
“Avian Flight School 101.” Learn about the physics-based miracles of flight
ranging from “Bernoulli’s effect” to the “secret of the alula,” the
venetian blind effect, dynamic soaring by albatrosses, and the amazing
process by which hummingbirds hover—all illustrated with photos taken by
Henderson in the course of his international travels. Henderson's book,
Birds in Flight, will be available for purchase and signing.
*October 13*
*CAYUGA BIRD CLUB MEETING*
*The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds (seminar and book
signing)*
*Speaker: Julie Zickefoose, writer/artist*
Doors open at 7:00 p.m., Cayuga Bird Club meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.;
seminar begins after the meeting at approximately 8:00 p.m.
Join writer/artist Julie Zickefoose for an evening exploring the
intersection of birds and spirituality in our lives. Can a bird become a
demigod to some? Can certain species achieve the level of a totem or spirit
guide? Are there phenomena that occur between human and nature that cannot
be explained by conventional means? These are concepts that have surfaced
over a lifetime of helping broken birds and mothering those who are
orphaned, and in so doing coming to know birds from the inside out. A
scientist at heart, Julie has lately found herself wondering more than
knowing. This talk will help you keep your spirit “open to the thrust of
grace,”
