Bird by Bird - Understanding our local feathered friends
A presentation by Dr. Juanita Baker of the Pelican Island Audubon Society
Join us in celebrating the avian wonders of Florida! Delve into the vibrant world of local birds with a captivating lecture and slideshow presented by seasoned local expert Juanita Baker. Discover the unique species that grace our skies, learn about their habitats, behaviors, and the magic they bring to our ecosystem. Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your appreciation for the feathered inhabitants of VBCC!
Juanita N Baker, Ph.D., has had a lifelong curiosity in people, birds, nature, art, and the world where she has traveled widely and lived abroad. She loves finding art and beauty in nature—especially if birds are in it! Professor Emerita of Psychology at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. Full-time faculty: 1984-2007, and overseer of the Psychology Science Minute podcast, broadcast on WFIT since 2011. She volunteers for the American Red Cross’ Disaster Mental Health.
Her study of ornithology focuses much on the behavior of birds. Juanita enthusiastically supports and works with the Pelican Island Audubon Society (PIAS) working together for humans and wildlife in Indian River County. With exceptional birding expert, David Simpson, Juanita taught PIAS’s Intensive Beginning Birding Class for 9 years, plus field trips for 30 students/year, introducing birding to so many new enthusiasts. Juanita has led many birding field trips locally and attended many in Florida as well as around the world: Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba, Panama, Trinidad, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, India, South Africa, and Namibia.
She began the Florida Bird Photo-of-the-Month contest writing essays on each bird and photograph for 14 years, which led to PIAS publishing her book, Florida Birds Exposed, with 200+ photographs, compiling 53 Award-winning photographers’ Photos and over 200 photographs of Florida Birds. New bird watchers will appreciate and be moved to get outdoors and see the birds. Kids will readily identify in the book what birds they have found. Everyone will know that Florida is a birding paradise. The Introduction tells of the history of Florida Birds, Why Florida has so many amazing birds, the basics of migration, habitats, threats to birds and our earth, and what we can do about it. Essential information for every bird watcher, enhanced by her poetry and photographs. For experienced birders, the Introduction is crucial to understanding Florida’s habitat and wildlife—a primer as to why Florida has so many unusual birds, the art of photography, what environmental factors birds face, where and when the birds will be in Florida, and interesting stories about what birds do to survive and interact with each other. All proceeds from the sale of the book—$32.05 includes tax and shipping will go to PIAS to support its educational and advocacy programs for all ages: link to purchase