Annual Dinner
In March we have our annual dinner instead of a monthly meeting. In past years, we sponsored speakers such as Pete Dunne, Julie Zickefoose, and Al Batt. We try to treat the speaker to birding in Kentucky on the day following the meeting just for club members. The March Dinner Meeting is on Tuesday, March 13 at Big Spring Country Club, 5901 Dutchmans Lane. A cash bar will be available from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. when dinner will be served at 7:00 p.m. There will be a field trip on Wednesday morning, March 14 at 9:00 a.m. at the Anchorage Trail for BBC members. Reservations are required.
How do expert birders identify birds so quickly? Ever seen the stick bird, a stick that you are sure looks like a bird. Sometimes, you even identify it to be a subspecies? Or the leaf bird? The birder brain does some weird stuff. In trying to understand how people learn birds, I have been led down all sorts of interesting paths, from psychology to neurobiology. What happens when we try to identify a bird is actually very complicated, and it differs if you are learning or new at birding, in contrast to someone who has been doing it for years. I will give you the background of how it appears that our brains identify a bird, and then what to do to make it come easier to you. Another facet that came through in my journey to understand birder brains, is that we are also getting a healthy dose of medicine when we are birding. It is healthy to be outside birding, and now science is starting to show that this is true and why. The end result of my foray into understanding birders is that I am convinced that everyone should become a birder, or at least a nature enthusiast. Come on out and learn a bit about why birding is the best, and how birders are actually mental athletes, doing some pretty amazing things.
Alvaro Jaramillo, owner of Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile’s birds. Alvaro writes the “Identify Yourself” column in Bird Watcher’s Digest. Alvaro recently wrote part of the sparrow chapter for the Handbook of Birds of the World, and the new ABA Field Guide Birds of California. He was recently granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York. It is awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the amateur. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips out of Monterey, Bodega Bay and Half Moon Bay. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.
The club wishes to recognize and thank the Louisville Audubon Society for its generous support of the dinner meeting.
There is a dress code at Big Spring CC. Collared shirts for the gentlemen must be worn at all times. Casual dress is permitted as long as it is tasteful. Download the reservation form HERE.
A vegetarian entrée will be on the menu but for any other dietary needs please indicate on the reservation form.
PLEASE NOTE THE DEAD LINE FOR MAKING RESERVATIONS IS MARCH 8. ALL CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO BECKHAM BIRD CLUB. REFUNDS ARE NOT GUARANTEED AFTER THE DEADLINE.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS WITH THE DINNER RESERVATIION. SEND IT TO THE BBC POST OFFICE BOX WITH THE RENEWAL FORM FOUND ON THE BBC WEBSITE.
How do expert birders identify birds so quickly? Ever seen the stick bird, a stick that you are sure looks like a bird. Sometimes, you even identify it to be a subspecies? Or the leaf bird? The birder brain does some weird stuff. In trying to understand how people learn birds, I have been led down all sorts of interesting paths, from psychology to neurobiology. What happens when we try to identify a bird is actually very complicated, and it differs if you are learning or new at birding, in contrast to someone who has been doing it for years. I will give you the background of how it appears that our brains identify a bird, and then what to do to make it come easier to you. Another facet that came through in my journey to understand birder brains, is that we are also getting a healthy dose of medicine when we are birding. It is healthy to be outside birding, and now science is starting to show that this is true and why. The end result of my foray into understanding birders is that I am convinced that everyone should become a birder, or at least a nature enthusiast. Come on out and learn a bit about why birding is the best, and how birders are actually mental athletes, doing some pretty amazing things.
Alvaro Jaramillo, owner of Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile’s birds. Alvaro writes the “Identify Yourself” column in Bird Watcher’s Digest. Alvaro recently wrote part of the sparrow chapter for the Handbook of Birds of the World, and the new ABA Field Guide Birds of California. He was recently granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York. It is awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the amateur. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips out of Monterey, Bodega Bay and Half Moon Bay. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.
The club wishes to recognize and thank the Louisville Audubon Society for its generous support of the dinner meeting.
There is a dress code at Big Spring CC. Collared shirts for the gentlemen must be worn at all times. Casual dress is permitted as long as it is tasteful. Download the reservation form HERE.
A vegetarian entrée will be on the menu but for any other dietary needs please indicate on the reservation form.
PLEASE NOTE THE DEAD LINE FOR MAKING RESERVATIONS IS MARCH 8. ALL CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO BECKHAM BIRD CLUB. REFUNDS ARE NOT GUARANTEED AFTER THE DEADLINE.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS WITH THE DINNER RESERVATIION. SEND IT TO THE BBC POST OFFICE BOX WITH THE RENEWAL FORM FOUND ON THE BBC WEBSITE.