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 -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --