Science Talks and Presentations
Learn about birds, avian science, habitats, and conservation by attending attending a Birdy Hour speaker event and other SFBBO science talks and presentations. You can also watch a recorded talk or invite a scientist from SFBBO to give a talk to your community.
Jump to the sections below: Birdy Hour Speaker Series | Birdy Hour Recordings | Other Science Talks, Presentations, and Demonstrations
Birdy Hour Speaker Series
The Birdy Hour Speaker Series is a series of virtual talks and discussions to foster appreciation for birds and nature, increase understanding of the scientific process, share conservation efforts, and inspire the public to help birds. Through these events we partner with diverse people and organizations and share our mission with people from around the world. We also record the talks, share them with schools and community groups, and make them publicly available at the links below and on our YouTube channel. If you would like to partner with us, please contact Kristin Butler at [email protected]. In 2020, the Birdy Hour program was funded by a generous grant from the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The continuation of the series is possible thanks to support from individual donors from the community, Cargill, and another grant from Midpen. If you enjoy these events, we hope you’ll help sustain them by making a donation at any of our upcoming event pages. Your tax-deductible contribution helps us make these events available to the public and engage broad audiences with birds, nature, science, and conservation. |
Upcoming Birdy Hour EventsBirdy Hour with Jane Kim Drawing Wilson's Phalaropes - Understanding Feather Groups Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 5:00-6:30 p.m. Birdy Hour with Stephaine Ellis Ospry - Egg Incubation, Chick Rearing, and Wild Fostering Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 5:00-6:00 p.m. |
Excellent presentation! We seem to get so little positive news these days, I think it’s important to highlight advances that are being made, and to feel a connection with the people who are making them.”
“Thank you so much for all you do. This has been a challenging year with the pandemic and the fires, and the Birdy Hour is that gem that really brightens my week. The talks have been outstanding.”
- Comments from Birdy Hour Participants
Past Birdy Hour Recordings
Catch up on any of our past Birdy Hour talks by exploring the topics below and watching the videos! You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay updated or check out our Birdy Hour playlists: 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023.
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Avian Science: Landbirds
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Avian Science: Waterbirds
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General Avian Science
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Community Science
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Birding, Art, Helping Birds
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More Conservation & Science
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- Return of the Terns! Using Social Attraction to Establish Tern Nesting Colonies in South San Francisco Bay
by Dr. Alex Hartman, USGS Wildlife Biologist - April 16, 2020 - Shorebirds Who Avoid the Shore: Phalaropes in San Francisco Bay
by Dr. Max Tarjan, SFBBO Science Director - May 7, 2020
- Impacts of Invasive Plants on Wetland Birds: Case Study in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary
by Dr. Rachel Wigginton, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy Senior Environmental Scientist - July 23, 2021
- Reconsider the Coot: The Crazy Reproductive Antics of a Common Marsh Denizen
by Dr. Bruce Lyon, UC Santa Cruz Professor - March 25, 2021 - Snowy Plover Conservation in the Bay Area: Successes and Challenges in a Shifting Landscape
by Ben Pearl, SFBBO Science Director - September 9, 2021 - A Duck That Behaves Like a Cuckoo: Obligate Brood Parasitism in the Black-headed Duck of Argentina
by Dr. Bruce Lyon, UC Santa Cruz professor - March 10, 2022 - From Mono Lake to Mar Chiquita: A Future for Phalaropes and Saline Lakes
by Ryan Carle, Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge Science Director - November 17, 2022 - The Seaside Heermann's Gulls
by Byron & Joanna Chin, Community Scientists - December 8, 2022
- Why Birds Matter: An Introduction to Ecosystem Services Provided by Birds
by Dr. Dan Wenny, SFBBO Lead Biologist - April 30, 2020
PDF of slides with notes
- Motus: A Worldwide Collaboration to Track Bird Migration
by Amie MacDonald, Birds Canada British Columbia Motus Wildlife Tracking System Coordinator - April 14, 2022 - Blinded by the Light! How Light Pollution Affects the Behavior, Physiology, and Ecology of Birds
by Valentina Alaasam, University of Nevada, Reno PhD Candidate - May 12, 2022
- The Bird Genoscape Project: Harnessing the Power of Genomics for Migratory Bird Conservation
by Dr. Kristen Ruegg, Colorado State University Assistant Professor - September 19, 2022
- Life in the Egg
by Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director - October 5, 2022 - The Most Overlooked Birds in North America: Females
Joanna Wu, UCLA PhD student - June 6, 2023
- Counting Birds for Science: Using eBird Observations to Contribute to Science
by Barbara Coll, SFBBO Volunteer - April 23, 2020
- Shorebirds Who Avoid the Shore: Phalaropes in San Francisco Bay
by Dr. Max Tarjan, SFBBO Science Director - May 7, 2020 - Citizen Science in the Bay Area
by Dr. Merav Vonshak, Founder of BioBlitz.club - June 18, 2020
PDF of resources - Nineteen Seasons of Nest Box Monitoring, Part 1
by Lee Pauser, Volunteer Nest Box Monitor - November 5, 2020
- Nineteen Seasons of Nest Box Monitoring, Part 2
by Lee Pauser, Volunteer Nest Box Monitor - November 12, 2020 - Almaden Lake: Evolution of the Environment
and How Birds Adapt
by Larry Manning, SFBBO Volunteer - February 25, 2021 - Building Community Around Coyote Creek
by Deb Kramer, Founder of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful - June 17, 2021 - What the Christmas Bird Count Tells Us About Birds
by Glenn Phillips, Executive Director of Golden Gate Audubon - December 16, 2021
- Coral Restoration on the Florida Reef Tract
by Alicia Manfroy, Mote Marine Laboratory Coral Restoration Technician & former SFBBO intern - June 4, 2020
- Bats Eat the Bugs that Bug Us! (recording expired May 6, 2021)
by Corky Quirk, NorCal Bats Founder - April 22, 2021 - Restoration of High Marsh Diversity at Elkhorn Slough: Do Clustered Plantings Lead to Better Outcomes?
by Dr. Karen Tanner, UC Santa Cruz - July 1, 2021 - Animal Adaptation in the Anthropocene
by Dr. Katie LaBarbera, SFBBO Senior Biologist - July 29, 2021 - Watching the Grass Grow – For Over a Decade
by David Thomson, USFWS Restoration Specialist & former SFBBO Habitats Program Director - March 31, 2022
Other Science Talks, Presentations, and Demonstrations
Landbirds
- Shining a Spotlight on Coyote Creek Watershed: Peninsula-South Bay Watershed Forum with Science Director Katie LaBarbera - October 2021
- Jasper Ridge Bird Banding Science Talk with Julian Tattoni of Stanford University - July 2019
- Exploring the Research Potential of Underutilized Wildlife Records with Science Director Gabbie Burns - May 2019
- Bird Banding Demonstration at Coyote Creek Field Station - March 2018
- Bird Banding Demonstration at Coyote Creek Field Station - June 2013
Waterbirds
- Our Nature Stories: Vasona Lake Herons with Community Scientist Christine Zack - 2021
- Virtual Waterbird Colony Tour at Lake Cunningham with Community Scientist Christine Zack - 2020
- SFBBO's California Gull Research - 2019
- Waterbird Program Annual Report Program by Waterbird Program Director Max Tarjan - 2017
- Egrets Breeding at the Google Campus in Mountain View - 2016
- The State of the Birds San Francisco Bay - 2011
Snowy Plovers
- Snowy Plovers: The Cutest Birds on the Beach with Biologist Jessica Gonzalez - December 2020
- WILD Napa: Snowy Plovers and Least Terns in the Bay Area with Science Director Ben Pearl, June 2020
- Snowy Plover Field Work - June 2020
- San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory 2017 Snowy Plover Research with Science Director Ben Pearl - August 2018
- Science Talk - Factors Affecting Wintering Foraging Habitat Selection of Western Snowy Plovers in South San Francisco Bay by Science Director Ben Pearl - October 2015
Tidal Marsh
- Slow the Flow Tidal Marsh Restoration PSA - 2021
- Birds of Bair Island with Jeff Caplan and POST - January 2021
- Stakeholder Forum Virtual Public Meeting - 2021
- Ravenswood 2021 Construction: Salty Dave Show and Tell - 2021
- How Dirt Can Rescue SF Bay Area Levees - 2021
- Restoration Project Presentation: Wetland Restoration in the South Bay - 2021
- Living Refuge - 2017
- Tidal Marsh Restoration Program Annual Report by Habitats Program Director David Thomson - 2018
- Conservation Along the Bay Margin with Science Director David Thomson and Geospatial Lead Brian Fulfrost - April 2017
Header photo: Anna's Hummingbird by Vijay Talati