Hello all, This coming Tuesday the Linnaean Society of New York presents its first monthly meeting of 2016. Please join us in the Linder Theater on the first floor of the American Museum of Natural History (enter at West 77thStreet between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue).
6:00 pm – Micro-Parks as Migrant Traps, panel discussion Linnaean Society Vice-President Andrew Rubenfeld will moderate a panel discussion on the micro-parks of New York City. Bryant Park is a good case in point: it is fairly small, sufficiently developed, and busy with people—yet in the past few years of close observation it has attracted and retained many unusual birds (from warblers and thrushes to woodcocks and last spring’s Chuck-will’s-widow). These birds stay for a few days or several weeks; some even overwinter. The enclosed canyon effect of the tall, glass-covered buildings surrounding the park and the nighttime illumination are certainly key factors. Presumably some birds range beyond the park to feed but return there to roost. Does the lack of nearby backyards contribute? Why do some of these pocket parks attract a variety of migrants, and others do not? After the panel members’ discussion there will be a question-and-answer period from the audience. 7:30 pm – 21st-Century Birding, Ned Brinkley Editor of North American Birds, Ned Brinkley spends as much time pondering the cultural changes in birding as the changes in the distribution of birds. He writes: “Over the 20th century, film and television in the United States almost invariably portrayed birders as marginal and eccentric. For many decades such media strongly influenced the general public’s perception of birders and went nearly unchallenged. As with other subcultures birders began to stake claims to normative American “cool” culture. This shift in self-definition was first reflected in the media in the 1990s. With the limitless proliferation via social media in the 21st century, the process by which birders perceive and promulgate themselves and their pastime as mainstream has accelerated. Birding is seen now as intense, athletic, hip, intelligent, exploratory, edgy, and fashionable.” Brinkley’s talk will trace birding’s evolution from the era of mannish spinsters and knock-kneed milquetoasts to the latter-day spectacle of selfie super-heroism. good birding, Anders Peltomaa LSNY Council member -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
