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Black Swamp Bird Observatory's Monthly
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About the series
Pricing
BSBO Members: FREE Students: FREE Non-members: FREE Only BSBO Members are able to view Birds at Home recordings. Click here to join our flock! Privacy
Any private information submitted to Black Swamp Bird Observatory (including email) will never be shared or sold to third parties. Using Zoom
If you are new to Zoom and are unsure of how it works, feel free to contact BSBO at: [email protected] Click here for a link to Zoom's website and a quick tutorial. Or here for a list of Zoom FAQs. |
(For current members, please email [email protected] for the updated members access password)
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The Birds at Home Virtual Learning Series is FREE to attend live, but only Black Swamp Bird Observatory members are able to view recordings of previous programs. |
December
What An Owl Knows:
The science of the world's most enigmatic birds
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DATE: Tuesday, December 10, 2024
TIME: 7 p.m. Eastern Time Presented by Jennifer Ackerman For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. Our fascination with these mysterious birds was first documented more than 30,000 years ago in the Chauvet Cave paintings in southern France. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls? Scientists have only recently begun to understand in deep detail the complex nature of these extraordinary birds. Some 260 species of owls exist today, and they reside on every continent except Antarctica, but they are far more difficult to find and study than other birds because they are cryptic, camouflaged, and mostly active in the dark of night. Join Jennifer in a multimedia presentation on what we have learned lately about the nature of the world’s most enigmatic birds. With remarkable photos, videos, and audio recordings, Jennifer explores the rich biology and natural history of owls and examines remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior. 
About jennifer
Jennifer Ackerman is an award-winning science writer and speaker, and author of the New York Times bestselling books, What an Owl Knows, The Bird Way, and The Genius of Birds. She has been a bird lover since she was a child and went birdwatching with her father in Washington, D.C. She has been writing about nature and science for more than three decades. Her most recent book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds (Penguin Press, June 2023), was an instant New York Times bestseller and has been described in reviews as “eloquent and engaging”, “revelatory”, a “fascinating read”, “a masterful survey”, and an “enchanting guide.” Jennifer’s previous books include The Bird Way (2020), which won the 2021 Whitley Book Award and was a finalist for the 2021 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. The book was named a Best Science Book of 2020 by National Public Radio's “Science Friday” and a Nature Book of the Year by the London Sunday Times. The Genius of Birds, published in 2016, was also a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. It was a finalist for the 2017 National Academies Communication Book Award and was long-listed for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. The book was named one of the 10 best nonfiction books of 2016 by the Wall Street Journal, and a Best Science Book of 2016 by Science Friday. It has been published in 27 languages. Jennifer’s other books include Birds by the Shore, Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity, and Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body. Her articles and essays have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, Scientific American, and many other publications. Jennifer gives highly popular illustrated talks and has presented at hundreds of literary and nature festivals and other venues around the world, including the National Book Festival, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Vancouver International Bird Festival, the Smithsonian Associates Program, the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Hay Festivals, and the Colombia Birdfair. She has two daughters and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. |
JANUARY
Leveraging Social Media Analytics to Monitor Avian Collisions
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DATE: Tuesday, January 14, 2025
TIME: 7 p.m. Eastern Time Presented by Diya Balagopal Diya Balagopal is a passionate environmental advocate and tech innovator, currently a junior at Reedy High School in Frisco, TX. Driven by a love for birds and the environment, she has a strong interest in data and computer science and aspires to merge technology with conservation in her future career. Diya’s latest project, in collaboration with FLAP and BirdCast, leverages the power of social media to address the global issue of bird collisions with buildings and windows. By developing a data harvesting program and an AI-driven Twitter bot, she enables real-time monitoring of bird collisions, providing invaluable data to conservationists and research organizations. Project details: Bird collisions with buildings and windows pose a significant threat to avian populations worldwide. Many people often post on social media about bird collisions, but the lack of monitoring systems results in valuable data going unnoticed. To augment present data collection methods, we present a novel approach leveraging social media data, such as Twitter, to monitor bird collision incidents. Our project involves the development of a data harvesting program designed to collect and analyze tweets related to bird collisions, alongside a Twitter bot that automatically retweets relevant tweets, directing users to resources for assistance. Both utilize specific keywords and hashtags associated with bird collisions to filter relevant tweets. The program extracts information such as the content, date, time, and any available images related to the incident. 
About diya
Diya Balagopal is a passionate environmental advocate and tech innovator, currently a junior at Reedy High School in Frisco, TX. Driven by a love for birds and the environment, she has a strong interest in data and computer science and aspires to merge technology with conservation in her future career. Diya’s latest project, in collaboration with FLAP and BirdCast, leverages the power of social media to address the global issue of bird collisions with buildings and windows. By developing a data harvesting program and an AI-driven Twitter bot, she enables real-time monitoring of bird collisions, providing invaluable data to conservationists and research organizations. |
APRIL
Northwest Ohio birding hot spots
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DATE: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
TIME: 7 p.m. Eastern Time Presented by Rob Ripma Join Biggest Week field trip coordinator Rob Ripma to learn all about the best birding hotspots at the Biggest Week in American Birding. From Point Mouillee in southeast Michigan to Pipe Creek in Sandusky and everywhere in between, Rob will show you the spots you should be sure to visit during your time at the festival. 
About rob
Rob is a lifelong Indiana resident and co-owner of Sabrewing Nature Tours. He has birded extensively throughout the Americas and also spent time birding in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Rob is currently on the executive boards of two organizations: Past President of the Board of the Amos Butler Audubon Society in Indianapolis (after leading the board as President for 6 years) and Secretary for Ohio’s Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). He also serves as the field trip coordinator for BSBO’s Biggest Week in American Birding annual event. Rob sat on the executive board of the Indiana Audubon Society for three years as Treasurer and Vice President. He is a co-founder of the Indiana Young Birders Club and speaks at a variety of organizations and schools about birds and birding to share his knowledge and experiences in the field. His leadership and expertise led to Rob working as the primary bird blogger for Birds & Blooms Magazine from 2013-2017. Rob enjoys working with both new and experienced birders of all ages and believes that teaching people about birds will not only increase interest in birding but also help them better understand why we must work to protect them and their habitats. Additionally, he loves educating others about the positive impact nature tourism can have on local economies, especially in developing countries. This passion led to his involvement in the production of a PBS television program called, “Flight Path: The World of Migratory Birds”, where a crew accompanied him on a tour to Panama to highlight and bring to life the effect that birds and birding have on both the people that see them and those who work and live in areas visited by birders and nature lovers. Rob graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2008 and lives in Carmel, Indiana with his wife and daughter. |