In-person programs meet at the Seacoast Science Center, Odiorne Point State Park, 570 Ocean Boulevard, Rye. Join us for refreshments and conversation at 7:00; the programs begin at 7:30 pm.

Zoom programs begin at 7:00 pm. 

Contact: Dan Hubbard, 603 978-0218, danielhubbard@peoplepc.com

Zoom Program: Radar Ornithology: Tracking Migration Under the Cover of Darkness

Wednesday, February 12

Earth's lower atmosphere is a critical ecological habitat. Trillions of organisms live, forage, and migrate through this medium, yet rarely is this space considered a primary habitat for ecological or conservation prioritization. For this reason, it is among the least studied habitats, though it serves as a global conduit for the transfer of biomass, weather, and inorganic materials. Airspaces are increasingly polluted and populated with structures. Fundamental research is necessary to address core questions of population and community ecology. Presenter Dr. Kyle  Horton's seminar will overview advances from the Colorado State University Aeroecology Lab, highlighting insights into bird stopover mapping, migration timing, and r quantification of the aerial niche. 

Bio: Kyle Horton, Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator at the Aeroecology Lab, has a B.S. in Biology from Canisius College, an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Delaware, and a PhD. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Oklahoma. In his free time, he likes birding, photography, listening to podcasts, watching Marvel and Star Wars series, and relaxing with family. 

Sign up to attend this online program.  Start time is 7:00 PM.

Where the Beagle has Landed: American Tourists in Darwin's Shadow

Wednesday March 5

Note that March program is on the 1st, not 2nd Wednesday of the month.

Bio: In the summer of 2023, Kurk Dorsey and his family joined a tour of the Galapagos islands. In this illustrated lecture, we will see some of the highlights of that trip, learn some of the evolutionary history associated with the islands, and hear about how he lost a wedding ring and found a rare bird, almost at the same time.

Bio: Kurk Dorsey aspires to lead North America in submissions rejected by eBird moderators, a skill that he has taken to several other countries. When he is not confused by species that really should not be that tricky, he serves as the president of the New Hampshire Rare Birds Committee and the chair of the History Department at the University of New Hampshire, where he teaches environmental history among other things.

A Passion Project: Thirty-five Years of Migration Research at the Shoals Marine Lab

Wednesday April 9

Since 1990, Sara Morris has been the lead bander at the Appledore Island Migration Station, which operates during both fall and spring migration. The station is focused on studying songbird migration and stopover ecology, the short breaks during migration when birds rest, refuel, and wait for favorable weather to continue migratory flights. The team that contributes to this research has added additional studies to help increase our understanding of migration in the annual cycle of birds as well as other aspects of bird biology and birds' roles in community ecology.  

Bio: Sara Morris is currently the Executive Director of the Shoals Marine Lab, an educational field station on Appledore Island, Maine, jointly operated by the University of New Hampshire and Cornell University. Her connection to Appledore and the Shoals Marine Lab dates back to 1990, when she began her studies of bird migration as a graduate student at Cornell University. She received her PhD. in 1996 and joined the faculty at Canisius College that year. At Canisius, she taught a variety of courses including ornithology, vertebrate zoology, field ecology, evolution and ecology, and anatomy and physiology of plants and animals. After more than 27 years at Canisius, including the last nine in academic administration, she retired from Canisius in 2024, received the honor of emeritus status, and immediately accepted the passion project of leading the Shoals Marine Lab. Sara also has enjoyed teaching ornithology at the National Audubon Society's Camp in Maine each summer since 1990. Sara has served as the President of the Wilson Ornithological Society, was elected as a Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union, and currently serves as President of the American Ornithological Society.

Hornbills: A Unique Old-World Family of Birds

Wednesday, May 14

Dana and Bob Fox are excited to present this talk about the family of birds called Hornbills. Hornbills are an Old-World family of birds which first evolved in Africa over 60 million years ago and then one species radiated to Asia. Today half of the 64 species in the world live in Africa including two land loving species and half in Asia where new species have evolved as far east as the Solomon Islands. As their name suggests, they have massive bills which are integrally attached to their skulls, and some have an additional special horny crown like protrusion called a casque above their bills. In 1758, Linnaeus bestowed the name Buceros on the family, Latin for "having ox's horns." Another unique feature of most members of this family involves their nesting behavior. Females of almost all species make unique nests in tree cavities using their bills to wall themselves in with a plaster made of mud, droppings, chewed wood and bark and other detritus. They leave only a slit narrow enough to deter predators but sufficiently wide for the male to present food from the outside. The tree hornbills have become very important distributors of tropical fruit seeds. Come hear Dana and Bob's tales of seeing these marvelous birds and see stunning pictures taken by Tim Layman, the intrepid, talented photographer.

Bio:Dana and Bob Fox both began birding in their youth. They have birded the US (list 750 species) and the world (6500 species) visiting 6 continents and over 40 countries. They have given numerous talks in New England about the birds of countries they have visited and on crows, loons and most recently hummingbirds.

Dana joined the South Shore Bird Club (SSBC) in 1951 when she was 12 years old. She has spent most summers in Tuftonboro, NH where she became fascinated by loons. The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) presented her with their Spirit of the Loon Award. She is a past Secretary of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Past President of the Merrimack Valley Bird Club and frequent speaker. She has written articles on birding and crows in the American Birding Association's Birding magazine and one on the Lawrence Crow Roost in Bird Observer. Dana coordinates the Tin Mountain Conservation Group's Loon Monitoring Project for LPC and helps to train the LPC summer biologists on interacting with volunteers.

Bob, as a student at Harvard and living in Quincy, MA, was an early leader of the SSBC. With Allan Keith, a former member of the SSBC, he co-authored, Birds of New Hampshire, a 477 page book describing the status and distribution of birds known from NH (2013). He has published in Auk and Wilson Bulletin, written species accounts for the first MA Breeding Bird Atlas as well as articles in publications of both NH and Mass Audubon Societies. His MA species list is 451. In the past, Bob collected specimens for five museums including the Museum of Comparative Zoology. In addition, he helped found Manomet Bird Observatory, and is past President of South Shore Bird Club. He received the Goodhue-Elkins Award (2014) from NH Audubon for "contributions to the ornithology of NH."

Identifying Trees and Shrubs and Their Ecological Role as Habitat for Birds

Tuesday, June 10

This program will be from 8:30-11:30 am at Burley Farm in Epping. The program will be limited to 15 participants. This event will be held entirely outdoors and will be held as long as it is not raining. Participants should bring their binoculars and clothing appropriate for the weather conditions at the time of the event.

This program, by Matt Tarr of UNH Cooperative Extension, will teach you how to identify the most common native and non-native shrubs that comprise many bird habitats in NH. We will identify each shrub species, discuss how each species functions as bird habitat, and which shrubs you want to encourage on your land to benefit birds. We will also be looking and listening for birds (of course!) and sharing our tips for how to identify the birds we encounter during the trip. 

Bio: Matt Tarr is Extension Professor and State Wildlife Habitat Specialist for the University of NH Cooperative Extension. Much of Matt's research and work is focused on determining how non-native shrubs function as habitat for songbirds and on how birds respond to land-use and habitat management practices at different landscape scales. Matt is an avid birder who enjoys photographing and recording birds.

Missed some of our recent online programs?  You can access them below:

Zoom Program: Wildlife of the White Mountains

December 2023

Watch the recording

Wildlife viewing is a favorite activity of White Mountain residents and visitors. This illustrated program, by David Govatski, US Forest Service retiree, features the natural history of many of our iconic species that we might see along the trail including black bear, moose, snowshoe hare, bobcat, Canada lynx and American marten. We will also learn about interesting and unusual insects, reptiles, amphibians, and birds that make the White Mountains their home. We will discuss trends in wildlife populations such as range expansion and contraction.

Bio: David Govatski retired from the US Forest Service after a 33-year career as a Forester and Silviculturist. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Silviculture from the US Forest Service. He has a keen interest in forest and wildlife conservation and he co-authored “Forests for the People: The Story of the Eastern National Forests.” His articles and photographs have appeared in several magazines and he is a frequent guest speaker and trip leader.

Zoom Program: Caught in the SNOWstorm: 10 Years of Snowy Owl Research

Janaury 2024

Watch the recording.

The winter of 2013-2014 saw the largest invasion of Snowy Owls into the eastern United States in perhaps a century and marked an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about these mysterious Arctic hunters. Author and researcher Scott Weidensaul will share the story of Project SNOWstorm - how a huge collaborative effort focused on Snowy Owls came together in a few frantic weeks, funded with the help of people from around the world, and continues to make discoveries and unexpected insights into the life and ecology of this great white raptor.

Bio: Scott Weidensaul is the author of more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist "Living on the Wind" and his latest, the New York Times bestseller "A World on the Wing". Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon and writes for a variety of other publications, including Bird Watchers Digest and the Cornell Lab's Living Bird. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and an active field researcher, studying Northern Saw-whet Owl migration for more than 25 years, as well as winter hummingbirds in the East, bird migration in Alaska, and the winter movements of Snowy Owls through Project SNOWstorm, which he co-founded.

Zoom Program: There's Something About Owls 

February 2024

Watch the recording.

Owls are much loved in the bird world and seeing any owl is indeed a thrill. The secretive lives of owls are part of their mystique and can make them very difficult to find in the wild. "There's Something About Owls", presented by Gina Nichol, founder of Sunrise Birding LLC, goes beyond the incredible adaptations of owls and reveals strategies to increase your chances of seeing owls in your backyard, local patch, and beyond. Preparation for your search, ethical field practices, skills, and tactics for success are discussed and illustrated with anecdotes and experiences from the field. Suggestions for what you can do to help owls are also included.

Bio: In 2005, Gina Beebe Nichol founded Sunrise Birding LLC, a company offering personalized, authentic, affordable birding and wildlife tours around the world. A naturalist and birder for more than thirty years, Gina first became fascinated with the natural world in rural upstate New York where she spent most of her childhood exploring the outdoors.

She received her B.S. in Environmental Education from Cornell University and her M.A. in Educational Technology from Fairfield University. She began her career as a Naturalist at the Rye Nature Center in Rye, NY. Gina's interest in human/wildlife interactions then took her to Volunteers for Wildlife in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. There she coordinated the operation of a 24-hour Wildlife Crisis Hotline and developed programs dealing with wildlife rehabilitation.

In 1987, she became Program Director for the National Audubon Society in Greenwich, CT. In that capacity, she led numerous environmental workshops and local field trips. Also while there, Gina also led ecotours for Audubon Nature Odysseys. Destinations included Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, the Pacific Northwest and Baja CA. Upon leaving Audubon, Gina taught biology, chemistry, physical and environmental science, and computer courses for several years at Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, CT.

Gina's avid interest in wildlife biology led her to the Yellowstone Institute in Wyoming where she studied animal behavior as well as methods for tracking animal movements. She also worked on a research project on the Isle of Skye in Scotland where she investigated habitat requirements of Eurasian otters. In addition, she participated in an Earthwatch study of mountain lions in the Jim Sage Mountains in Idaho.

Her varied interests and love of the natural world have taken her to all seven continents. She has led wildlife tours to Central and South America, Alaska, Antarctica, China, Kenya and countless countries in between.

Zoom Program: A Birding Cruise around Cape Horn

Wednesday, January 8

Join Becky Suomala on a boat trip from Santiago, Chile around Cape Horn to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In addition to seabirding for albatross and the other pelagic species in southern waters, there were landbird stops in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. One of the highlights was a visit to a penguin colony on the Falkland Islands. See some of the great seabirds, landbirds, and even mammals such as guanacos, as well as the beauty of Cape Horn, the Magellanic Strait, and the Beagle Channel.

Bio: Becky Suomala is an avid birder who birds extensively in New Hampshire and takes birding trips to far flung places. She retired from NH Audubon in 2024 after over 36 years as a biologist. She led research on Common Nighthawks in NH and participated in numerous field projects including Common Tern restoration at the Isles of Shoals. She is a songbird bander at the Appledore Island Migration Station in spring and fall and tends her garden in the summer.