Monthly Program – December 2022

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS PROGRAM – 7:00pm

SPECTACULAR JAPAN

There is no doubt that Japan is one of the great civilizations of our planet, yet there is another side that one usually doesn’t contemplate, and this is the natural world of Japan. If one word had to sum it up, it would be spectacle—a nature spectacle! Picture thousands upon thousands of Hooded and White-naped Cranes, rivaling what one might see at Bosque del Apache or the Platte River. But in Japan there are more than two species of cranes. To the north one can see the rare and beautiful Red-crowned Cranes dancing on the ice—truly
spectacular! Also imagine the spectacle of the largest fish eagle in the world, the Steller’s Sea Eagle—and in numbers! Seabirds and waterfowl abound including some of the most iconic “rarities” for us Californians, Baikal Teal, Falcated Duck and yes even the Mandarin Duck—but wild! This is but a small taste of what Japan has to offer the birder. The spring migration is also spectacular with not only locally endemic breeders showing up, but also some of the Siberian goodies that people hope for when they go to vagrant hotspots in Alaska. All of this, and we have not yet mentioned the amazing food. Japan is awesome, and whatever your  preconceptions are about the country, it is going to surprise you and endear itself to you.

Alvaro Jaramillo, who is owner of the birding tour company Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Early research forays and backpacking trips introduced him to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile’s birds. He also writes the “Identify Yourself” column in Bird Watcher’s Digest magazine, and recently wrote part of the sparrow chapter for the Handbook of Birds of the World, and the new ABA Field Guide Birds of California. He was recently granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York, it is awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the amateur. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips in central California. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.

This program will be in a hybrid format: in-person at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, and also online via Zoom.

In Person

Masks will be required, and the in person group will be limited to a maximum of thirty to allow for social distancing purposes, so please RSVP to the Programs Coordinator to reserve a seat.

Via Zoom

To attend this meeting, use this link (https://zoom.us/j/6155249106) at the meeting time.