NYSOA 2022 Speakers

Scott Weidensaul

Saturday, October 01

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds

Even as scientists make astounding discoveries about the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch, humans have brought many migrants to the brink. Based on his bestselling new book “A World on the Wing,” author and researcher Scott Weidensaul takes you around the globe — with researchers in the lab probing the limits of what migrating birds can do, to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China, the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet, and the Mediterranean, where activists and police are battling bird poachers — to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world’s great bird migrations.

Scott Weidensaul is the author of more nearly 30 books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist “Living on the Wind” and his latest, the New York Times bestseller “A World on the Wing.” Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon and writes for a variety of other publications, including Living Bird. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and an active field researcher, studying saw-whet owl migration for more than two decades, as well as winter hummingbirds in the East, bird migration in Alaska, and the winter movements of snowy owls through Project SNOWstorm, which he co-founded. A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in New Hampshire.

Bill Evans

Friday, September 29

Nocturnal Bird Migration in New York State: Overview and Factors Causing Extraordinary Concentrations

Most bird migration in New York State occurs at night, and many species give contact calls while in nocturnal passage. Bill Evans has studied this calling phenomenon since 1985, giving him a unique perspective on bird migration. His presentation will cover what is known about why and how birds migrate at night, review the history of nocturnal bird migration research in New York, and delve into the dynamics of what causes rare “megaflights” to occur. Bill will lead an outdoor field trip following his presentation to listen to and identify the flight calls of birds flying past us in the dark.

Bill Evans is director of Old Bird Inc., a NY based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on nocturnal bird migration research and education. Bill has studied the vocalizations birds give in nocturnal migration since 1985. His expertise on nocturnal bird migration led him into active involvement with efforts to mitigate avian fatalities at communications towers and wind turbines, with long-term research directed toward developing a new index for songbird populations and understanding the impact of artificial light on night-migrating birds. Bill’s scientific publications on night migration are included; his work has been featured on PBS, BBC, NPR and in Science, The New York Times and numerous science-news periodicals. Bill lives with his family in Tompkins County, NY.