Sequoia Audubon Society
San Mateo County, California

Meeting Programs

NOTE: There may be "last minute" changes beyond our control. Thanks for understanding.

September 14, 2023 Hybrid Meeting.

Shorebirds – Don't judge a book by its cover
Alvaro Jaramillo

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Shorebirds – Don't judge a book by its cover

White-tailed Kite

I have probably talked about the identification of shorebirds, perhaps almost as much as I have about gulls. They are poster children for bird identification issues, peeps, dowitchers, yellowlegs, well…. I could go on. But there is more to shorebirds than just how they look and how to separate one from the other. Don't get me wrong; I can't help myself; I will talk a bit about identification. But how about what shorebirds do, act, and how they interact with their environment? That is the less-told story, and it is a massive story. Shorebirds are amongst the most exciting birds out there.

To give you a sampling of the topics we will cover, there is the classic situation with the phalaropes, where females are brighter in plumage and larger than males. Ok, but there are other shorebirds that shift from one breeding style to the other depending on what is going on in their environment. Then you have the opposite situation where males "lek" and provide no care to the young, unlike phalaropes and many other shorebirds where male parental care is the norm. The word "lek," which means "playground," was actually first used for a shorebird, the Ruff. The Ruff can have much individual variation, as well as multiple behaviors and genetic-based versions of each sex, that it becomes a poster child for how unusual shorebirds are. But the ecology and physiology of shorebirds are also absolutely fantastic. They span from different morphologies, an amazingly diverse set of bill types, for example, to find food and minimize competition. When it comes to migration, these are record holders in terms of long-distance flights. But also, how the migration happens is noteworthy, including the physiology of burning fat and muscle to get them to their final destinations.

This talk will shine a light on behavior, ecology, migration, the beauty of shorebirds, and even their voices! They are more than just identification issues.


 

Reminder: there are no meetings/programs in July and August. 

Session Recordings:

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting May 11, 2023
The Chinstrap Penguins of Elephant Island
Noah Strycker
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: V!+*=7P1

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting April 13, 2023
New Zealand and New Caledonia
Robert Siegel, MD PhD
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: @1nb9#=B

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting March 9, 2023
Creating fire resiliency while supporting biodiversity
Cat Chang and Maru Echeverria
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: 7BPnB60+

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting February 9, 2023
Scoping Out Tomorrow: A vision for helping young people make birds a permanent part of their lives
Jennie Duberstein
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: PD&%7P.X

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting January 12, 2023
Kinship: Seabirds and the Human Connection to the Ocean
Sea McKeon
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: A5?F**SG

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting November 10, 2022
Longitudinally Yours – A Decade of Grassroots BioBlitzes in the Bay Area
Jennifer Rycenga, Sequoia Audubon President and Merav Vonshak, BioBlitz Club President
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: tSQ9ke^$

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting October 13, 2022
California Central Coast Joint Venture
Connor Jandreau, Conservation Coordinator
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: @w2MPNVv

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting September 8, 2022
San Mateo County Raptor Palooza
Alvaro Jaramillo
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: !J4bg*Ev

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting June 9, 2022
In Defense of Plants
Sara Scharf
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: $3d=n3F9

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting May 12, 2022
The Condor Comeback
Kara Fadden, Ventana Wildlife Society
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: 8p^?yY^#

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting April 14, 2022
Birds, Bees and More!
with Madeline Morrow

Meeting Recording Access Passcode: !VZ.1rUe

Ornitherapy
with Holly Merker

The presenter has requested the program recording be made available only to Sequoia Audubon Society members. Please email office@sequoia-audubon.org for the link to the meeting video.

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting February 10, 2022
Laura's Best Bird EVER! I went looking for birds and found joy, love, redemption, and more.
with Laura Erickson

Meeting Recording Access Passcode: mW$k&i2o

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting January 13, 2022
Birds of Protected Lands: The Peninsula Open Space Trust
with Diane and Peter Hart

Meeting Recording

2021

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting December 9, 2021
Birds & Wildlife of the Western Pacific
with Joe Morlan

Meeting Recording Access Passcode: dF7gbu%!

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting October 14, 2021
A Message of Hope
Heath Packard, Island Conservation

Meeting Recording Access Passcode: +&d8@ucD

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting Septermber 9, 2021
Encouraging Birders: Expanding What It Means to Be a Twenty-first Century Birder
A Multi-generational Discussion
with Ted, Hannah, and Andrew Floyd
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: wBG?yyA7

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting June 10, 2021
Hummingbirds: Small Wonders
with Sheri Williamson
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: ^=L%0sMh

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting May 13, 2021
Community Science: Long-Term Lessons:
Perspectives from Three Years of Mushroom Monitoring in the Santa Cruz Mountains
with Christian Schwarz
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: yu7^@p9r

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting April 8, 2021
Gender Equity and Public Access on the California Coast
Sabrina Brennan, former San Mateo County Harbor Commissioner
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: 4&Ut2&jt

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting March 11, 2021
Avian Wonders of Morocco with John Sterling
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: gz?109?. (include the period)

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting February 11, 2021
The Remarkable Story of Sam McDonald
Katherine Wright, San Mateo County Park Ranger
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: $E^8t26S

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting January 14, 2021
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird - Mary Ellen Hannibal
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: GMLg$3C%

2020

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting December 10, 2020
"Skunks & their Role in California Habitats" with Jen Hunter
Meeting Recording

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting November 12, 2020
Curiosity & Connection Through a Decade of Birding with Ioana Seritan
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: +u4ux1da

Sequoia Audubon Society Presentation October 8, 2020
"Cape to Cape Birding" with Joe Morlan
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: $6O222A@

Sequoia Audubon Society Monthly Meeting September 10, 2020
Taxonomic Puzzles by Alvaro Jaramillo
Meeting Recording Access Passcode: sY.Xr52e

"Audubon's Climate Change Strategies" on May 14, 2020
with Juan Pablo Galván
Unedited recording of meeting. Meeting begins at 1:27; Program begins around 28:30

"The California Center for Natural History"
with Damon Tighe on April 9, 2020
Unedited recording of Damon Tighe's presentation and subsequent Q&A session.


note The programs for additional meetings will be posted when available. (Topics subject to change.)

© 2023 S.A.S.