Jan. 27, 2:30pm-3:30pm; 123; Limited to 40 seats; $15

Paul Lehman

A birder needs to know not only where the best places to look for migrants are and at what periods during the season particular species are most apt to occur, but they also need to have a basic understanding of the workings of the weather and how it impacts bird migration. Understanding and closely following the weather is a crucial component of successful birding. Heading out into the field without first checking a weather forecast, particularly during the spring and fall migration seasons, may hinder your success as much as or more than forgetting your field guide or spotting scope. Throughout North America, weather plays a crucial role in the timing and volume of migration, and in the occurrence of vagrant species. One of the best ways to improve your bird-finding skills is to better understand weather patterns and how they affect bird migration and distribution. Paul will begin with a basic weather primer and then cover the influences various weather conditions have on bird migration.

Jan. 27, 11:00am-12:00pm; AUD; Limited to 150 seats; $10

Luis Segura (Birding Argentina Trogon Tours)

Northwestern Argentina is a land full of spectacular landscapes and with a vast cultural heritage. This varied region has a great diversity of natural habitats, ranging from Yungas Cloudforest to dry Chaco Woodlands. The three provinces in the north-westernmost part of Argentina: Jujuy, Salta and Tucuman, host some pristine representatives of these habitats, all worth visiting for birders to find both diversity and good numbers of native species. Forming a wedge along the southern Andean chains of Bolivia and northwestern Argentina, the Yungas Cloudforest supports great biological diversities in these Neotropics. It harbors a wide variety of forests and woodlands, each hosting its own and unique community of flora and fauna, and all varying according with their altitudinal ranges. Wildlife is abundant in this humid environment of ferns, bromeliads and other epiphytic plants. The Yala River and lush Yungas cloudforest host remarkable bird species, such as Rufous-throated Dipper, Torrent Duck, Red-faced Guan and Lyre-tailed Nightjar, are restricted to this particular ecosystem. The Province of Salta is rich in terms of habitat diversity in Argentina, including the famous Cachi Road, an area well reputed among birders the world over for the quantity and quality of its bird species. The Province of Tucumán hosts the Monte Desert at the Calchaqui Valleys, and the Mountains of Aconquija. The latter is home to Argentine endemics, like Tucuman Mountain Finch, Yellowstriped Brush Finch and Moreno's Ground-Dove. Trogon Tours invites you to enjoy this presentation: a brief journey to lead your spirit to explore Argentina's magical northwest.

Jan. 28, 11:15am-12:15pm; 119; Limited to 40 seats; $10

Luis Segura (Birding Argentina Trogon Tours)

The southernmost tip of the American Hemisphere is a land of vast solitudes and unexplored wilderness. Remote Patagonia is an immense geographical region in the south of Argentina and Chile. Flanked by the Atlantic on the east, and the Pacific on the west, Patagonia spans north to south from the Colorado River in Argentina and Reloncaví Sound in Chile, to the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn. East of the Andes, Patagonia is mostly a dry bushy steppe, rising westwards in a succession of 13 abrupt terraces, roughly 100 metres at a time, all the way to the Andean Range. Western and Andean Patagonia are very humid, including a temperate rainforest called Valdivian Forest, across the north-west.
The Atlantic coast of Patagonia supports great numbers and diversity of marine mammals, including Orcas and South American Sea Lions, Southern Elephant Seals and Southern Sea Lions, and is the main breeding area for roughly one third of the Southern Right Whale population. Patagonia hosts 60 bird species; Atlantic Patagonia is famous for its Magellanic Penguin colonies. The Patagonian forests are home to Magellanic Woodpeckers, Lesser Horned Owls, and the mighty Andean Condor to name but a few.
Andean Patagonia has an incredible collection of lakes, mountains and glaciers. The Moreno Glacier is one of the few in Patagonia that is still advancing. Across the Andes, the world-famous Torres del Paine National Park, in Chilean Patagonia, is the realm of the Puma, known as the "Lord of the Andes", and is also well known for its spectacular rock formations, offering many scenic photo opportunities.
To the north and off the coast of Chile is the island of Chiloé with wonderful marine mammal species, like tiny Peale's Dolphin and Southern Sea Otter. Off the southern coast of Chiloé, an unforgettable whale-watching excursion on the Corcovado Gulf gives the opportunity to see the mighty Blue Whale. A nursery area for this species was found here and chances to encounter them are high. This greatest of all animals ever to have graced the planet, is an aweinspiring experience.
Trogon Tours invites you to enjoy this presentation: a brief, imaginary journey, which we hope will awaken your spirit of exploration to a surely longer discovery tour in the southernmost tip of the American Hemisphere.

Jan. 28, 4:00pm-5:00pm; 119; Limited to 40 seats; $10

Jan. 29, 11:00am-12:00pm; 123; Limited to 40 seats; $10

Cynthia & George Marks (Florida Bat Conservancy)

Bats make up nearly one-fifth of the world's mammal species and yet these fascinating and beneficial mammals have been greatly misunderstood. Most bats eat insects and much of their diet includes nuisance and agricultural pests. All native Florida bats feed on insects and one bat can devour up to 3,000 insects in a single night. Worldwide, bats pollinate plants, including banana, agave, and even baobab trees. Bats spread seeds including those critical for rainforest re-growth. Even vampire bats have proven beneficial by leading medical researchers toward the development of life saving drugs. But now North American bats face new threats from wind turbines and the white-nose syndrome. Come and meet some live Florida bats and learn more about the natural history of these amazing animals and their conservation needs. Cynthia and George Marks are authors of the book Bats of Florida and founders of the Florida Bat Conservancy. They have been working with bats in Florida for over twenty years, rescuing bats, conducting bat surveys and conservation projects, helping homeowners with bats in their buildings, and presenting educational programs on bats around the state.

CANCELLED

Mistakenly called chameleons, geckos or skinks, anoles are probably the most populous and conspicuous wildlife in the entire state of Florida on any warm day. They are in practically everyone's yard. Learn where they come from, where they live, how they establish and defend territories, what they eat, what eats them, why they change color, how they climb smooth surfaces, and much more. Find out how to help save our native green anoles while encouraging beneficial plant growth.