In conjunction with the Cape Cod Bird Club's pelagic trip planned as part of the Birding Cape Cod Weekend, this program will describe the birdlife of Stellwagen Bank. Blair Nikula, a native Cape Codder and past CCBC President, is a life-long birder with over 40 years of birding experience on the Cape and a special interest in
seabirds. He will show us how to identify and distinguish the seabirds we might expect to encounter on a pelagic trip, and also talk to us about seasonal occurrence and at-sea biology.

Blair Nikula is a former regional editor for American Birds (now North American Birds), a former associate member of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program Advisory Committee, and currently serves as a member of the Mass Avian Records Committee. Blair has also been studying and photographing dragonflies and damselflies for about 20 years. For 13 years he co-edited Ode News, a newsletter about the donates of southern New England. He also co-authored the Stokes’ Beginner’s Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies and A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts.

He is currently working on a revision of The Birds of Cape Cod.  Seabirds have always been a special interest, and he has spent hundreds of hours over the past 40 years bouncing around Stellwagen Bank, as well as thousands of hours of land-based observations of seabirds from shore.

This incredible program is a must-see event!

Come on a virtual bird tour through the Caribbean to see and learn about some of its spectacular birds, many found only in that region.  Two bird families -- the todies and palm-chats -- occur only there.  Herb's talk will include the origins of the avifauna, tidbits about ecology, folklore, and threats to species survival. He also will show us bird conservation on a few particular islands and the conservation efforts of several heroic individuals with scant resources, but big hearts who are making a difference to sustain this extraordinary avian heritage for future generations.

Dr. Herbert Raffaele is the Chief, Division of International Conservation for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, where he directs conservation projects worldwide, with an emphasis on developing human resources locally and addressing root problems threatening the world's fauna and flora. He has 35 years experience in international conservation, and was formerly the Director of Wildlife Planning for Puerto Rico.

Herb is the recipient of the Alexander F. Sketch Medal for Excellence in Neotropical Ornithology.

He is the author of the definitive Guide to Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands(1989); and co-author of A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (1998) and The Birds of the West Indies (2003).

Another fabulous program not to be missed!

The BP Oil disaster is the largest oil disaster in U.S. History. Its ongoing effect on nesting and fledgling birds is heartbreaking, but how will it affect the thousands upon thousands of migrating birds? Come hear a first hand account from Shawn Carey of a one week trip he took this summer to document the disaster's impact on wildlife and the people that live with it every day. Shawn will describe his trips into Barataria Bay, home to two of the largest Brown Pelican colonies in Louisiana, and share with us some of the clean-up efforts taking place on the oil-soaked shoreline on many of the small islands in the bay. His presentation will include pictures of the devastation on a portion of beach, and how this might impact the shorebirds, including those stopping over on the Cape & Islands, that will be migrating south. Shawn also will share with us interviews with Park employees and local citizens. For additional information and to see some photos from this trip visit the Migration Productions web site: www.MigrationProductions.com.

Shawn Carey moved to Massachusetts in 1986, and almost immediately started watching birds. He combined his interests in photography and birds in 1991, and three years later he and friend Jim Grady started Migration Productions to present their multi-image slide programs to a live audience. Over the last sixteen years, Migration Productions has been presenting quality bird/wildlife programs with stunning photographs, video, sound tracks, and interviews to birding organizations, local bird clubs, and at birding events. Shawn teaches the Fundamentals of Bird Photography workshop for Mass Audubon, and a summer three-day field school workshop at Wellfleet Bay. His photos have been published in the Boston Globe, New York Times, Mass Audubon Sanctuary magazine, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary magazine and many others. He is Vice President of Eastern Mass Hawk Watch, is on the Advisory Board at MassAudubon, and was on the Board of Directors of the Brookline Bird Club. He is the Operations Manager at AVFX in Boston (www.avfx.com)

There is connectivity between birds and moving water. Species such as the Dipper and Louisiana Waterthrush are universally associated with running fresh water, while the Harlequin Duck and Wandering Tattler variously relish both fresh and saltwater on a seasonal basis. Then there are species that are non-obligate associates of moving water – species generally found near moving water but not apparently directly dependent upon it for survival.  Avian associations and their sometimes complex relationships with running water will be the focus of this wide-ranging presentation. A variety of bird species (and a few other critters) will be described and highlighted.

Wayne R. Petersen is Director of the Massachusetts Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program at the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Wayne was the senior Field Ornithologist at Mass Audubon for 15 years before assuming the position of IBA Director in 2005. As co-author of Birds of Massachusetts (1993) and co-editor of the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas (2003), his knowledge of the habitats, distribution, and status of the Commonwealth's bird life is both extensive and wide-ranging. A New England Regional Editor for North American Birds magazine and editor of the New England Christmas Bird Count, Wayne's knowledge of the seasonal distribution of New England bird life gives him a wide perspective when thinking about Important Bird Areas in Massachusetts and beyond. He leads international birding tours for Mass Audubon and Field Guides, Inc., is a founding member of the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC), and is an associate member of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Advisory Committee. In 2005 Wayne was the recipient of the American Birding Association’s Ludlow Griscom Award for outstanding contributions in regional ornithology.

As you might guess, this presentation is not about a group of birds getting together to play music. Bird banding is a universal and indispensable technique for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds. Sue will show how wild birds are carefully caught in a controlled setting under the supervision of a trained bander. She will describe the information that is recorded for each bird, such as its weight, age and sex. After putting up with this brief interruption in its flight, each bird is rewarded with a pretty bracelet that identifies it from every other banded bird. Banding not only provides information about each individual bird, but is a way to help us better understand the paths and environments used by birds, their life-span and survival rate, and their behavior. For a preview of what banding is all about, take a look at Sue's blog at http://capecodbander.blogspot.com.

Sue Finnegan's interest in birds began as a young girl feeding birds in her backyard. Her career, however, turned to medicine where she graduated from Northeastern University and Harvard's School of Medicine Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. Her interest in birds was revived staying home to care for her young children. Sue took birding classes at MassAudubon and began banding birds at a local banding station, studying under a Master Bander for six years. She obtained her own Master Permit and opened the Wing Island Bird Banding Station at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in 2000. She studied with Peter Pyle, ornithologist and author of “Identification Guide to North American Birds” in Point Reyes, CA and at the Powdermill Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania. Sue became nationally certified by the North American Birding Council (NABC) in 2001, has received specialized training for banding hummingbirds, and has earned trainer-level certification from NABC. Sue has been President of the Eastern Bird Banding Association and is a member of the Association of Field Ornithologists. She teaches beginner and advanced bird banding courses in addition to doing research on the birds she bands.

With 340 species known in the world, hummingbirds are the second largest family of birds after flycatchers. These tiny aeronautic marvels have the ability to hover, fly backward, and migrate long distances. The physiological capacity of hummingbirds to raise and lower their heart rate and body temperature to survive cold nights is unmatched in the animal world. This program illustrates the amazing adaptations of these glittering gems and describes their fascinating life histories. Gina will show vivid photographs of hummingbirds in the North, Central, and South America and tell the story of how these birds survive in habitats that range from tropical forests to the Andes Mountains.

Gina Beebe Nichol is the founder and principal tour leader of Sunrise Birding, LLC, a birding and wildlife tour company based in Connecticut. A naturalist and birder for more than 20 years, Gina received her B.S. in Environmental Education from Cornell University and her M.A. in Educational Technology from Fairfield University. She began leading eco-tours for Audubon Nature Odysseys in the early 1990's in Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, the Pacific Northwest, and Baja California. 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. Her varied interests and love of the natural world have taken her from Alaska to Peru to Kenya and the American Southwest, and a host of other destinations. In 1995, Gina founded Sunrise Birding, LLC (www.sunrisebirding.com) to offer personalized, authentic, affordable private and small group bird watching and wildlife tours around the world.

Northern Tanzania is home to Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, the Serengeti, the Maasai, and the great migration of wildebeest and zebra. There are also lots of birds. Lots and lots of birds! This presentation will cover wildlife, people, and of course the wonderful birds of the main safari route. If you haven't been on a safari, this is the next best thing. And if you have been, this will bring back glorious memories.

David Clapp works with Smithsonian Journeys (the Smithsonian Institutes travel program) as a naturalist and lecturer worldwide. He retired from Mass Audubon in 2005, after a 35-year career with that organization, including as Director of its South Shore Sanctuaries. David also consults on environmental matters, and has a smallish safari company that operates mostly in northern Tanzania. He has led about 30 East African safaris. David lives on the Cape, and is the former Programs Coordinator for the Cape Cod Bird Club.