Genius of Birds author to speak at COA Annual Meeting 3/25/2023
Connecticut Ornithological Association is thrilled to present science writer and author Jennifer Ackerman as the keynote speaker for the 2023 Annual Meeting. The online Zoom event takes place on Saturday, March 25. The COA Business Meeting begins at 6:30 pm with elections of Board members, officers and awards, Ms Ackerman will speak at approximately 7:30 pm on the topic of her New York Times bestseller The Genius of Birds. The keynote talk will not be recorded, so you must be present online to hear the talk.
Join Jennifer Ackerman and experience her adventures firsthand, from the beaches of Barbados to the rainforests of New Caledonia, as she shares stories and stunning photos from her journey to better understand the feathered geniuses around us. Learn how birds make and use their own tools, teach one another new skills, count, navigate, exercise astonishing feats of memory, create works of art, communicate in ways that resemble language, and even pass along cultural traditions.
A bird-lover since childhood, Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about birds and nature for more than three decades.
She is the author of nine award-winning books, including The Genius of Birds (Penguin Press, 2016), an international bestseller that examines how research has completely revised our view of the creatures we used to regard as ‘bird brained’.
Her most recent book, What an Owl Knows: The new science of the world’s most enigmatic birds (forthcoming from Penguin Press, June 2023), explores recent findings on the biology, behavior, and conservation of owls.
The Bird Way (Penguin Press, 2020) explores new scientific research that is dramatically shifting our understanding of birds—how they live and how they think. It was selected as “A Nature Book of the Year” by the London Sunday Times and was a finalist for the Edward O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.
Jennifer’s books have been translated into 30 languages, and her articles and essays have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, Scientific American, and many other publications.
“I grew up in Washington, D.C., one of five girls. My dad was an avid birdwatcher and took me out birdwatching on the C&O Canal and the Potomac River on weekends,” she explains. “We would get up before dawn and head out to listen and to watch the birds as the light rose. After a year or two, my dad gave me my first field guide, a worn and well-thumbed copy of Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America. I’ve loved birds ever since and have been lucky enough to travel around the world—from Hokkaido to Sweden, Borneo to Austria, Australia to Brazil—following ornithologists and other scientists into the field to learn about their research. My favorite bird is the Black-capped Chickadee because it’s so smart and bold and sassy, is a fabulous communicator, and has an amazing memory.”
Jennifer Ackerman at-the-Aviario-Nacional-de-Colombia
Zoom Registration is $10 (online only using a credit card or PayPal)
Register in advance.
To pay directly with a credit card, scroll down from the PayPal link to the “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” link. Assistance with registration and using the Zoom application is available by emailing zoomhelp@ctbirding.org
COA members and non-members are welcome to attend.
