Upcoming Programs

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• Program - The Plumage Trade: How Fashion Killed a Warden, and How Tea Parties Killed Fashion.

  • When
    6 Jan 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom ONLY

  Here is the story of the people who nearly wiped out Florida's abundant long-legged waders in a drive to profit from their plumes, and the people who gave their time and their lives to stop them. A game warden took a bullet to protect egrets, another one vanished with barely a trace, and two women in Boston became turn-of-the-twentieth-century influencers to save the birds. The result: the first official chapter of the National Audubon Society, and an end to the plumage trade.

  Bestselling author Randi Minetor writes the Birdfinding and Best Easy Bird Guides series for Falcon Guides/Globe Pequot Press, and is the author of Backyard Birding and Butterfly Gardening for Lyons Press. Her most recent book, The Complete Language of Birds, is an encyclopedia that unites classic illustrations, science, folklore, and mythology about more than 400 bird species around the world. Her story about the plumage trade appears in her book Death in the Everglades: Accidents, Foolhardiness, and Mayhem in South Florida. She writes for Birding Magazine and North American Birds, and serves as president of the Rochester Birding Association in upstate New York.  

  
  

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• Program - Birding and Eclipse Excursion to Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee

  • When
    3 Feb 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom only

  Speaker: John Carson

  This presentation will describe a group trip to Reelfoot Lake in Northwestern Tennessee. Reelfoot Lake is a unique geologic feature formed when the area surrounding the Reelfoot River sank during the series of earthquakes that occurred near New Madrid Missouri in the early 1800s. This caused the Mississippi River to flow into the Reelfoot river – devouring the Reelfoot River and leaving a lake 20 miles long and seven miles wide-the largest natural lake in Tennessee. A unique ecosystem, the lakes average depth is only 5 ½ feet [maximum 18 feet] and it has many stands of bald cypress trees growing in the lake. It is regionally renowned for fishing, waterfowl and its large population of Bald Eagles.

  Our trip was planned to coincide with the April 8th solar eclipse. Since Reelfoot Lake was just outside the zone of totality we took the Dorena-Hickman Ferry across the Mississippi on the morning of the 8th to watch the eclipse at Big Oak Tree State Park in Southeastern Missouri. Conditions were perfect, and a number of stunning photographs were obtained.

  In this presentation you will learn about a unique area of the country with a unique history as well as some of the birds we observed during our travels. There are some nice photographs that will be shared.

  This program will be presented by John Carson, and will be his first presentation about any topic outside of his career as a clinical pharmacist at St. Peter’s Hospital [now retired]. I am 69 years old, originally from Brooklyn [before it was cool] and have lived in the Capital Region since 1986.

  Much of the photography was done by Laurie Keefe. Laurie has been a member of the HMBC for 3 years and a member of the board for a year and a half. She started birding and taking photos during the pandemic.

  
  

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• Program - Annual meeting - Whither and Wherefore the American Three-toed Woodpecker in New York

  • When
    24 Apr 2025
  •  
    5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Five Rivers EEC and Zoom

  5:30PM - Social/pizza
  

  6:30PM - Annual business meeting

  7:00PM - Program

  Members will receive direct email notice closer to the meeting date. Times and details may be subject to change
  

  Whither and Wherefore the American Three-toed Woodpecker in New York

  Dr. Jeremy Kirchman is the Curator of Birds and Mammals at the New York State Museum in Albany, NY, and Affiliate Professor of Biology at the State University of New York at Albany. Kirchman grew up in Illinois and studied biology at Illinois Wesleyan University. He went on to study bird evolution at Louisiana State University (MS in 1997). It was at LSU that Kirchman first became interested in museum collections and specimen-based research.  He was a staff researcher at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and a Graduate Fellow at the Smithsonian Center for Conservation Genomics. In 2006 he completed his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Florida, where he studied ancient DNA from extinct, flightless rails. Dr. Kirchman’s current work at NYSM is focused on the continued growth and preservation of natural history collections, and on the evolution and extinction of boreal forest birds.

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• Program - Galapagos: In the Footsteps of Darwin

  • When
    5 May 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Five Rivers EEC and Zoom

  Speakers: Scott Stoner and Denise Hackert-Stoner

  Straddling the Equator 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, these volcanic islands offer the nature lover a variety of unique species in the beautiful and pristine habitats that support them. Darwin’s observations there in 1835 became the basis for his theory of natural selection.

  We’ll explore how a single species of finch, arriving 2 million years ago, rapidly evolved into approximately 18 species. We’ll also see and try not to step on the fascinating marine and land iguanas as we ‘visit’ colonies of nesting albatrosses, frigatebirds and boobies, and view uncommon species such as Galapagos Rail and Paint-billed Crake.

  We’ll explain why these tropical islands actually support a population of penguins!

  Finally, we’ll discuss the iconic giant Galapagos tortoises, learn their sad history and promising future on their home, Las Islas Encantadas.

  

  

  
  

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• Program - Wandering with a Good Camera

  • When
    2 Jun 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • Location
    Five Rivers EEC and Zoom

  Alan Mapes has been a birder from a young age, but in retirement he finally bought a good camera and long lens for bird photography. Lacking the discipline of a really talented bird photographer, he has been birding and just grabbing photos as time and opportunity present. Alan will share some of his images and ideas for enjoying bird photography without the drive or worry about being professional at the craft. Having dabbled with older style camera gear decades ago, he will contrast that experience with the remarkable equipment now available.

  Alan joined NYSDEC after graduating from Cornell with a Wildlife Science degree, spending much of his career at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Delmar. After directing the center from 1978-1995, he moved to the agency central office, overseeing its education centers and summer youth camps. After retiring, Alan was active for 10 years with a sea kayaking center, guiding and instructing. He now lives near Saratoga Springs. 

  

  
  

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• Reflections from a bird bath: what game cameras can teach us about bird ecology

  • When
    8 Sep 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • Location
    Five Rivers EEC and Zoom

  Speaker: Jim Ferrari

  Jim Ferrari is a Professor and Chair of Biology at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where he has taught Biology for more than 25 years. His Ph.D. is in Ecology from the University of Minnesota, and his undergraduate Biology degree is from Middlebury College, Vermont.

  At Wesleyan, Jim teaches Ecology, Evolution, Conservation Biology, Field Biology, and related courses. He is an accomplished birder and is past-president of both the Ocmulgee Audubon Society (Macon, Georgia) and the Georgia Ornithological Society (GOS); in addition, he is the editor of The Oriole, the scientific journal of GOS. 

  Jim has studied vultures, fruit-eating birds, seed dispersal by birds, nocturnal flight calls, and the song structure of Bachman’s Sparrows. His book on The Ecology of Fruit-Eating Birds in Georgia, with co-author Jerry Payne, was published by the Georgia Ornithological Society in 2009. Jim has a number of other scientific publications, including three species accounts in the Breeding Bird Atlas of Georgia, and his nature essays have appeared in Bird Watcher’s Digest. 

  
  

  
  

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• Bird Parasitism

  • When
    6 Oct 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • Location
    Five Rivers EEC and Zoom

  Speaker: Dr. Chris Harbison of Siena College
  

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• TBD

  • When
    3 Nov 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • Location
    Five Rivers EEC and Zoom

  TBD

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• Birding Argentina

  • When
    1 Dec 2025
  •  
    6:30 PM
  • Location
    Five Rivers EEC and Zoom

  Holiday party and program

  Speaker: Gregg Recer

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