Speakers

The Birds of Oregon

Please join us on Thursday night for a special GGBA Travel Program Speaker Series talk. Our speaker is Ivan Phillipsen, who with Steve Robertson, founded Wild Latitudes travel. The GGBA Travel Program has been working with Wild Latitudes for seven years now, and in that time Ivan has become a favorite tour leader among our members who
have traveled with him.

Thus far Ivan has run four different trips in the western U.S. for us: to Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Alaska. He also runs our popular international trip to Iceland. Ivan’s a bit of a Renaissance man, which partly accounts for his success as a tour leader. He’s got a M.S. in biology from Cal State San Bernardino and a Ph.D. in zoology from Oregon State University.

During his time in graduate school, Ivan worked in the field of conservation genetics, studying amphibians and aquatic insects. He became a naturalist and a tour leader to better serve his growing interests in reptiles, plants, geology, and, of course, birds. When the pandemic hit and travel companies like his were forced to temporarily close, Ivan found a new outlet for his many talents—he created a popular podcast called “The Science of Birds.” He describes it as “fun and accessible,” and in my experience, that describe it perfectly. If you like podcasts, you’ll love this one.

He’s collaborating with his Wild Latitudes partner, Steve Robertson, in offering a new trip for us this fall—Birds of the Oregon Coast—which will be the topic of his talk.

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83431874353?pwd=Y4vwuxdSGoemdMSOyn139VHlN_kqmQ.7Y9Pzj-Xdfe3VVxn
Passcode: 840655…

The Importance of Islands to Avian Evolution

Islands play a key role in both the evolution of new avian species and the extinction of others. Because islands are isolated land masses, species which arrive on islands evolve separately from their parent group and through genetic drift eventually become unique. At the same time, because island species are restricted to small areas and have small populations, they are also susceptible to chance events like hurricanes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and rising sea levels – and human-caused pressures. This talk focuses on issues unique to islands and how we might protect island species.

About Our Speaker

Bob has taught birding classes in the Bay Area for over 25 years, and loves to travel, especially to islands in search of birds. He is a board member of the Farallon Islands Foundation, created to foster life on islands. He has been to many of the larger islands populated with unique species, including Madagascar, Borneo, Hawaii, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Cuba.

Date Thursday, March 21 @ 7pm

Location: Zoom

Zoom Info:

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Wild Stories from the History of Bird Migration Research

We’ve all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the
ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While
working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the
varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this
eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of
Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she’ll share some
surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding
migration is so crucial for bird conservation.

About Our Speaker

Rebecca Heisman is an award-winning science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and
has worked with organizations including the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy,
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first
book.

Date Thursday, April 18 @ 7pm

Zoom Info:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81714254369?pwd=mdTTm-c1zBMU2RGWEOP26J2BokCvTA.g7uMXht3Ns1gqqFI
Passcode: 939980…

Bering Sea Saga – a tale of two birders

Jonah Benningfield and Mark Rauzon both did seabird field work in Alaska’s Bering Sea. Jonah was situated on the famed Pribilof Islands, especially St. George and Mark cruised by there in the fog, surveying at sea from Victoria BC to Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow.

On-island and at-sea perspectives will show how changes in the Bering Sea affect its birds, from St. George’s 1,000 foot tall cliffs where 75% of the world’s Red-legged Kittiwakes nest, to the new range extension 500 miles north of the previous one, an indication of how animals are moving north into the Chukchi Sea. While Jonah tantalizes with an envious experience of rare Asian migrants like Long-toed Stints he studied daily behavior of Least Auklets. Mark provides a 50 year reflection from when he was there in 1976. Join us for in person for what will be a unique evening of Alaska birding at its best.

About Our Speakers

Mark James Rauzon is a tenured geography professor at Laney College, Oakland. He is also a seabird biologist, specializing in the effects and eradication of invasive animals and plants on islands. He is a research associate with the Point Blue Conservation Science and has received the Special Achievement Award from the Pacific Seabird Group in 2006 and was their Vice Chair for Conservation in 2018-20. In 2022, he received the Paul Covel Education Award from Golden Gate Bird Alliance. He is currently working on a book about the Bering Sea.

Jonah Benningfield was born and raised in San Francisco, and currently goes to community college in the city. When not in school he works as a field tech in remote places, especially throughout Alaska and on islands.

Date Thursday, May 23 @ 7pm

Location: Tamalpais Room at The David Brower Center (2150 Allston Way, Berkeley CA) and online via Zoom

Zoom Info:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81284950592?pwd=jcxROyGmAI780moILBx8rxWeGraudg.PvCpp69YnS7BHvkd
Passcode: 127149…

Bhutan: The Happiest Kingdom on Earth

Date: Thursday, January 4 @ 7pm

Location: Zoom

Description

Our presenter will be Chubzang Tangbi, owner and head guide for Langur Eco Travels. Bhutan is the only country to
enshrine “Gross National Happiness” into its constitution. It’s roughly the size of Maryland but it boasts nearly 600 species of birds. Join us for Chubzang’s presentation in which he’ll discuss the Bhutan’s natural and cultural riches.

After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, we were able last spring to offer our first two tours to Bhutan with Langur Eco Travels, which were highly praised by our participants. We have two more scheduled this year; one is full, but the second trip still has spaces available.

Zoom Info:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86071475318?pwd=rg70Z_XSTkR0wb_wueJXyTDEdIvphg.BqD30C24qDYCfiBf
Passcode: 643296

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