back to listA Journey Through the Eyes of a BirderSaturday, June 27, 2009 - Sunday, June 28, 2009
The New England birding scene goes international when Yorkshire birder Richard Crossley joins us with his tales of growing up in the wild British birding scene to what lies ahead for America's No. 1 spectator sport. Recognized last year by CBS News as America's No. 1 spectator sport, birdwatching ranks ahead of NASCAR and all professional sports combined. Whether it's the easy accessibility of backyard birding, the pure enjoyment observing birds bring, the fascination with wildlife science or what we can glean of our own future from their behavior, birding is a pastime for all ages.
 We invite you to a special birding weekend presented by Nikon Sport Optics. Noted birder, photographer & author Richard Crossley, together with Nikon Birding Specialist Mike Freiberg, will host a series of birding/optic seminars and field excursions on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28 at Kittery Trading Post.
BIRDING EXCURSION:
RACHEL CARSON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Braveboat Harbor Division, Cutts Island Trail
Saturday, June 27, 6am - 11am
Sunday, June 28, 6am - 11am
Take a 1.8-mile hike through deciduous forest in close proximity to the southern Maine coast. This is a moderate hiking trail that leads onto a gorgeous salt marsh where we hope to see some of the local specialties like Salt marsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow and diving ducks. Should time allow for more birding, we will visit other local spots to grasp the diversity of the area.
It is recommended that a light long sleeve shirt, pants and hat be worn as we will likely encounter a number of insects, primarily mosquitoes & deer flies. Repellant will be provided. Feel free to bring your binoculars, camera, field guide and water bottle. This excursion is free of charge and will be limited to a total of 20 participants each day, with 10 participants per guide. Transportation to Rachel Carson will take place on a car pool basis from Kittery Trading Post. Sign up in advance by calling 888-587-6246, emailing seminars@ktp.com or in person at the Kittery Trading Post Customer Service Counter.
BIRDING: PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE
Saturday, June 27, 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, June 28, 1pm - 2pm
Told in a Yorkshire brogue through a camera lens that loves color and art, Richard Crossley will share his story of past lessons learned from his days growing up in the wild British birding scene, from travels around the world to living in Cape May, New Jersey.
At the age of 10, Richard first went birding with his schoolteacher Mr. Sutton, an experience that resulted in a lifelong love affair with birding. By 21, he had hitchhiked over 100,000 miles chasing birds across Britain and Europe. After graduating with a degree in Environmental Sciences, he made his first trip to the USA, landing in Cape May where he now lives with his family.
With fellow Brit Paul Holt, Richard discovered a newly-formed raised embankment at Higbee - 'The Dyke'. The incredible migration spectacle and challenges of flight identification created great excitement and despite initial skepticism from other birders it soon became the "in" spot. Richard's appreciation of size, structure and behavior enables for very quick identifications. His belief that learning the least variable characters and relying less on color is very apparent in his book, The Shorebird Guide.
It was in the making of this book, which Richard co-authored with Michael O'Brien and Kevin Karlson, that he became hooked on photography. Influenced by art and his travels, Richard tries to capture movement and the beautiful but varied patterns of nature instead of stiff, flat backgrounds that do not reflect reality. It is hoped that many of the photos and captions that are on his website, www.crossleybirds.com, will not only entertain but educate and lead to new areas of thought.
BOOK SIGNING WITH RICHARD CROSSLEY
Saturday, June 27, 2pm - 3pm
Sunday, June 28, 2pm - 3pm
Meet noted birder, author & photographer Richard Crossley as he signs copies of his book, The Shorebird Guide, which he co-authored with Michael O'Brien and Kevin Karlson. A holistic approach to identifying shorebirds, the book is filled with stunning color photographs, general and detailed images of birds throughout their life cycle. Discover how using the most easily observed characteristics - size, structure, behavior and general color patterns become helpful in identifying birds even before looking at their plumage details. It's a simple common sense approach to bird identification.
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE EYES OF A BIRDER:
BIRDING TO THE EDGE WITH NIKON
Saturday, June 27, 3pm - 4pm
Sunday, June 28, 3pm - 4pm
Optics can be intimidating from the consumer's perspective, especially if birding is your sphere of interest. What do the numbers 8x42 stand for? What are multi-coated optics? What's a fast moving binocular? What does depth-of-field refer to? What is eye relief? What is the difference between porro and roof-prism? What does EDG stand for? Selecting the best binoculars for your needs may not be rocket science, but it can come close to it. And when you factor in cost, the purchase of quality binoculars becomes an investment. So here's an opportunity to educate yourself on your investment as Nikon Birding Specialist Mike Freiberg sheds some light on all the specifics needed to arm yourself when purchasing a binocular or fieldscope.
On staff at Nikon Sport Optics, Mike Freiberg grew up in Philadelphia, PA, where his family introduced him to the world of birdwatching. Over time the hobby grew into a career. He attended Iowa State University where he earned his B.S. in Animal Ecology. His summers during college were spent as a biological technician, monitoring breeding birds for Point Reyes Bird Observatory in Eastern Oregon, and also five seasons in Black Hills, SD, working for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.
As his passion for birding grew he decided to travel Latin America; he has spent time in Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela and a great deal of time in Brazil. One of his most memorable birding experiences was the six months spent in Northeast Brazil performing research on a new species of bird called the Araripe Manakin. Mike is currently the Birding Market Specialist for Nikon Sport Optics.
All birding seminars & field excursions are being presented free of charge by Nikon Sport Optics and Kittery Trading Post.
Date: June 27, 2009 - June 28, 2009
Location:
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