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 kbutler@sfbbo.org.
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 Events
There are no upcoming Birdy Hours scheduled at this time.
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.
- Bird Banding at the Coyote Creek Field Station
by Josh Scullen, SFBBO Science Director – May 14, 2020 - American Kestrel Habitat Use in Santa Clara County, CA
by Nicole Tomes-Orlale, CDFW Scientific Aid & former SFBBO Waterbird Intern – May 21, 2020 - Second-hand Homes: Woodpeckers as Ecosystem Engineers
by Faith Hardin, Texas A&M Graduate Student – July 9, 2020 - Impacts of Invasive Plants on Wetland Birds: Case Study in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary
by Dr. Rachel Wigginton, Senior Environmental Scientist at Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy – July 23, 2020 - A Bird in the Hand is Worth…: What We Can Learn by Catching Birds
by Dr. Katie LaBarbera, SFBBO Senior Biologist – August 6, 2020 - Sparrows in the Mist: Complex Winter Social Behavior in a Little Brown Bird
by Dr. Bruce Lyon, UC Santa Cruz Professor – September 10, 2020 - How My Bluebird Study Grew My Love of Birds, Science, and Conservation
by Lara Tseng, 13-year-old Birder & Scientist – February 11, 2021 - Singing Hummingbird Feathers and the Quiet Flight of Owls (and other birds)
by Dr. Christopher Clark, UC Riverside Assistant Professor – April 8, 2021 - Birds in a Changing Bay Area: Long-term Trends at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
by Tyler McFadden, Stanford PhD Candidate – May 6, 2021 - Blackbirds: A Journey Through the Americas
by Alvaro Jaramillo, SFBBO Affiliated Senior Biologist – May 20, 2021 - Life in a Salty Desert: How Song Sparrows Have Adapted to Life in the San Francisco Bay
by Chloe Mikles, Stanford Hopkins Marine Station PhD Student – June 3, 2021 - Life on the Edge: The Unique Evolutionary History of Salt Marsh Sparrows in the San Francisco Bay Area and Their Persistence in a Human-dominated Environment
by Dr. Phred Benham, UC Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Postdoctoral Researcher – August 12, 2021 - Learning to Become a Scientist: Our Journey into the World of Field Research
by Katrina McCollough and Erin Clear, Mission College Students – August 26, 2021 - Fun with Flicker Feathers: Studying Genomes to Understand Coloration in the Northern Flicker
by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon, Stanford Postdoctoral Researcher – November 18 , 2021 - Ravens, Wolves, and People
by Dr. John Marzluff, University of Washington Professor – December 2, 2021
- Where Is the Wild After Wildfire?
by Maya Khosla, Wildlife Biologist, Writer, and Filmmaker – February 10, 2022
- Trace DNA on Talons and Beaks Reveal Interactions Between Migrating Raptors and Songbirds Along the California Coast
by Ryan Bourbour, University of California, Davis PhD Candidate – June 9, 2022 - Current Bird Banding Research at the Coyote Creek Field Station and Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
by Julian Tattoni, SFBBO Bird Bander – June 30, 2022 - Effects of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire on Hermit Thrushes of Big Basin Redwoods State Park
by Allison Nelson, Gold Country Avian Studies Director – October 27, 2022 - Thriving Parrots, Thriving Planet
by Dr. Sam Williams, Macaw Recovery Network Executive Director – November 10, 2022 - Resurveying Colombia’s Birds After a Century
by Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor – February 21, 2023 - A Light in the Dark: How Light Pollution Affects Avian Health
by Murry Burgess, NC State University PhD Candidate – March 9, 2023 - Burrowing Owls of the Bay Area
by Dr. Lynne Trulio, San Jose State University Professor – October 5, 2023 - Snowy Owls of the Northeast
by Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director – October 18, 2023 - A Trip to Avian Mars: The Weird and Wonderful Birds of Australia
Dr. Bruce Lyon, UC Santa Cruz Professor – November 16, 2023
- Lend an Ear – Using Neuroscience to Study Hearing in Songbirds by Ph.D. Student Trina Chou – February 20, 2024
- A Look at the Tyrant Flycatchers of the West by ornithologists Jon Dun and Lara Tseng – August 13, 2024
- Feathers, Flocks, and Fire: Recent Science from Coyote Creek Field Station by SFBBO Science Director Dr. Katie LaBarbera – April 22, 2025
- 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
- Flows of Water and Waterbirds Across California by SFBBO Director of Waterbird Science Dr. Nathan Van Schmidt – January 28, 2025
- Western Snowy Plovers in a Changing World by SFBBO Science Director Maddy Schwarz – February 25, 2025
- 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
by Joanna Wu, UCLA PhD student – June 6, 2023
- Harmonizing Biodiversity Conservation with Agricultural Production by Dr. Daniel Karp, Associate Professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at the University of California, Davis – April 9, 2024
- Ask the Ornithologist: An Interactive “Q and A” with a Bird Expert by Dr. Sahas Barve, Program Director of Avian Ecology at Archbold Biologic Station in Florida – May 16, 2024
- Global Change, Biodiversity, and Conservation by Dr. Eric Wood, Associate Professor of Avian and Urban Ecology in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal State LA – July 9, 2024
- Mixed-Species Foraging Flocks and Functional Diversity in Costa Rica by SFBBO Technician Sam Eberhard – May 22, 2025
- 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
- How to Help Birds on the Homefront
by Lisa Myers, Los Gatos Birdwatcher Owner – May 28, 2020 - Birding: Love at First Sight
by Sebastian Casarez, 17-year-old Birder – September 3, 2020, presented in partnership with Latino Outdoors - Tales from a Cape Cod Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
by Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director – January 14, 2021 - Taken Under Their Wings: How Chickens and Supportive Mentors Launched My Passion for Birding and Nature Journaling
by Fiona Gillogly, 17-year-old Birder, Artist, and Nature Journaler – January 28, 2021 - A Walk Through a Bay Area Birder’s Garden
by Barbara Coll, SFBBO Volunteer – March 11, 2021 - Bird Photography 101
by Sebastian Kennerknecht, Wildlife Photographer – July 15, 2021 - Identification of Shorebirds with a Focus on Calidris
by Jon Dunn, Author and Birding Guide, and Lara Tseng, 15-year-old College Student – June 20, 2022 - Field Journaling and Birds: How, Why, and Where to Start
by Alex Cho, 17-year-old Birder and Photographer – September 8, 2022 - The Beauty of Science: How Art Can Help Protect and Conserve Bird Populations
by Dr. Tara Kate, Bird Artist & Illustrator – January 12, 2023 - Feathers to Form: How Birds Can Shape an Art Practice
by Walter Kitundu, Multidisciplinary Artist & Educator – February 9, 2023
- Birding the Bay Area: Part 1
with Ohlone Audubon, Golden Gate Audubon, and Mt. Diablo Audubon – April 4, 2023 - Birding the Bay Area: Part 2
with Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society – April 18, 2023 - Birding the Bay Area: Part 3
with Madrone Audubon and Napa-Solano Audubon – May 2, 2023
- Drawing Wilson’s Phalaropes – Understanding Feather Groups by Artist and Science Illustrator Jane Kim – September 19, 2024
- A Once in a Lifetime Work: The Wall of Birds by Artist and Science Illustrator Jane Kim – October 6, 2025
- 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
- Osprey – Egg Incubation, Chick Rearing, and Wild Fostering by Wildcare Executive Director Stephanie Ellis – Oct. 2, 2024
- Beyond Birds: The Hidden World of Insects by Certified California Naturalist Karan Gathani – March 20, 2025
- Beautiful California Biodiversity: Understanding and Protecting It by San Jose State University Professor Dr. Lynne Trulio – June 18, 2025
- San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuges: Introduction, Challenges, and How to Help by Executive Director Sirena Lao of the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society – August 20, 2025
- Osprey Part 2: Eggs, Chicks, and Foster Families by Wildcare by Executive Director Stephanie Ellis – September 3, 2025
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