Past 3RBC Zoom Membership Meetings

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to present our bimonthly membership meetings virtually via Zoom. Our first Zoom meeting was in August 2020, made possible with help from Tessa Rhinehart and the Zoom account of the University of Pittsburgh. We then obtained our own Zoom account and started presenting the meetings virtually ourselves.

We have been able to record several of our meetings. Unfortunately , the recording of our October 2020 meeting featuring Frank Izaguirre's program "Field Guides and Environmental Thinking" was disrupted by numerous outages, so that recording is not present. However, you can read a synopsis of Frank's talk on our Meeting Minutes page.

If you missed a meeting, or would like to see one again, we present our recorded meetings in chronological order here. A written account of each meeting is also available of our Meeting Minutes page.


   THE AUGUST 2020 MEETING WITH TESSA RHINEHART "EAVESDROPPING ON BIRDS"

Here is the video of our first Zoom membership meeting from August 5, 2020, featuring Tessa Rhinehart's program "Eavesdropping on Birds." Tessa described her work using sensitive recorders to capture bird calls in specific areas to measure the bird populations there. President Sheree Daughterty started things off with several announcements and then turned the program over to Tessa and her fine presentation. After her program, Tessa answered questions from the audience submitted via Chat during the talk.

Being our first recorded meeting, there are a few glitches at the beginning where the screen goes dark, but things get better as the meeting progresses. The video runs 65 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE DECEMBER 2020 SLIDE SLAM MEETING

Our December Slide Slam has traditionally been one of the most popular meetings each year. We offer here the video of our Zoom Slide Slam meeting from December 9, 2020, featuring 13 members presenting their wonderful photos of birds from their backyards, Florida, the western USA, Canada, Australia, and Antarctica! Club officers started things off with several announcements, and then the fun began as our presenters displayed their fine work right up close and personal on your computer screens.

The entire video runs 2 hours and 17 minutes in length. The Slide Slam itself begins at 17:30 minutes into the video.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE FEBRUARY 2021 ERIE BIRD OBSERVATORY MEETING

At our February 3, 2021 Zoom meeting, Sarah Sargent, Executive Director of the Erie Bird Observatory, gave a comprehensive talk on the six major programs the EBO is involved in: Bird Banding, Shorebird (Piping Plover) Monitoring, Marsh Bird Monitoring, Waterbird Monitoring, Osprey Nest Platforms, and MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship). Following her presentation, Sarah answered questions from the audience submitted via Chat.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 23 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE APRIL 2021 MEETING WITH CARLOS SANCHEZ "BIRDING IN SPAIN"

Carlos Sanchez, birding tour guide in Central and South America, brought us to Spain in a short but interesting tour of several areas of the Iberian country. We saw such birds as Great Bustard, Eurasian Griffon, and the unusual Bearded Reedling. Carlos also included scenes of the landscape of Spain as a background of the tour.

The entire video runs 55 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE JUNE 2021 MARK BONTA "FIREHAWKS: ARSONISTS OR LAND MANAGERS?" MEETING

Mark Bonta; birder, geographer, conservationist, and wildlife tour leader; presented a controversial and amazing story about Australian raptors taking advantage of Australia's grassland wildfires which send small rodent and insect prey scattering. In an amazing example of evolutionary education, these hawks snatch burning sticks from the typical fires, carry them away, and drop the sticks onto other dry grasslands to create more wildfires - thus, more easy meals.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 30 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE AUGUST 2021 MEETING WITH LUKE DeGROOTE "THE ALLEGHENY BIRD CONSERVATION ALLIANCE: MAKING PITTSBURGH A MORE LIVABLE CITY FOR BIRDS"

Luke DeGroote, Avian Research Coordinator at Powdermill Nature Reserve, presented an overview of the various organizations in the Pittsburgh area that work together with a strong emphasis on the conservation of birds. The group exists in order to help focus each partner organization's individual conservation efforts, and to create and identify collaboration opportunities. Luke's discussion included topics like bird window collisions, restoring native plants, and avoidance of pesticides among others.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 6 minutes in length.

As an extra treat, we also have a short clip taken as we gathered to start the meeting. David Bennett had his ukulele and, at the urging of Frank Moone, he sang a rendition of "Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover" to an appreciative audience.

These videos are best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corners of each screen.





   THE OCTOBER 2021 JEAN IRON "THE NATURE OF ARCTIC BIRDS" MEETING

Jean Iron, an internationally-known Ontario birder, will take us far north to look at Arctic birds very few of us have seen on their breeding grounds. Jean will teach us how these species' exceptional endurance and lifestyle are determined by the relentless forces of nature. Physical adaptations of Arctic birds, their color schemes, short breeding season, populations, and impressive migrations are characteristics that she will highlight in photos.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 29 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE DECEMBER 2021 SLIDE SLAM MEETING

Our December Slide Slam has traditionally been one of the most popular meetings each year. We offer here the video of our Zoom Slide Slam meeting from December 1, 2021, featuring 9 members presenting their wonderful photos of birds from their backyards, other area in Pennsylvania, the western USA, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Yellowstone National Park! Club officers started things off with several announcements, and then the fun began as our presenters displayed their fine work right up close and personal on your computer screens.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 56 minutes in length. The Slide Slam itself begins at 15:17 minutes into the video.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE FEBRUARY 2022 MEETING WITH BRIDGET BUTLER PRESENTING "SLOW BIRDING, REIMAGINING OUR CONNECTION TO BIRDS"

Bridget Butler, aka The Bird Diva, feels that birding is for anyone who enjoys and is curious about birds. If you take delight in noticing birds, you are a birder. Bridget explains what "slow birding" is and how you can experience it yourself.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 34 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE JUNE 2022 MEETING WITH KATIE FALLON PRESENTING "SAVING THE CERULEN WARBLER"

Katie Fallon's program titled "Saving the Cerulean Warbler" reflects the title of her 2011 book Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird, a perfect title combining the warbler's color and the sadness of its decline. In addition to sharing tips for finding and identifying Cerulean Warblers while birding, her presentation discusses the challenges these beautiful birds face during the breeding and non-breeding seasons.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 36 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE AUGUST 2022 MEETING WITH ANNIE LINDSAY PRESENTING "SIXTY YEARS AND COUNTING: BIRD BANDING AND AVIAN RESEARCH AT POWDERMILL"

Annie Lindsay, Powdermill's Bird Banding Program Manager, discusses bird banding in-depth, reviews how the dataset has been used to study songbirds over the past six decades, and shows other current and past bird research at the Reserve, including her current Ph.D. dissertation work.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 34 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE DECEMBER 2022 SLIDE SLAM MEETING

Our December Slide Slam has traditionally been one of the most popular meetings each year. We offer here the video of our Zoom Slide Slam meeting from December 7, 2022, featuring 9 members presenting their wonderful photos of birds and moths from their backyards, other areas in Pennsylvania, and other parts of the country. Club officers started things off with several announcements, and then the fun began as our presenters displayed their fine work right up close and personal on your computer screens.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 48 minutes in length. The Slide Slam itself begins at 16:15 minutes into the video.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE FEBRUARY 2023 MEETING WITH REBECCA MCCABE'S PROGRAM TITLED "UNCOVERING THE MYSTERIES OF THE SNOWY OWL SOUTH OF THE TUNDRA"

Rebecca McCabe, a staff biologist at the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, tells about the Snowy Owl's fascinating secrets, its ecology, and its critical survival rate in winter.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 13 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE AUGUST 2023 MEETING WITH KEN BEHREN'S PROGRAM TITLED "MADAGASCAR: AN INTRODUCTION TO EARTH'S 8TH CONTINENT'"

Ken Behrens, a former young southwestern Pennsylvania birder who eventually has become an expert on African wildlife, takes us through the geography, ecology, and biodiversity of this unique island off Africa's east coast..

The entire video runs 1 hour and 39 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE OCTOBER 2023 MEETING WITH NOAH STRYCKER'S PROGRAM ON CHINSTRAP PENGUINS

Noah Strycker, who visited Three Rivers Birding Club in 2017, will relate his adventures on the Southern Ocean following the changing fortunes of the Chinstrap Penguins of Elephant Island in Antactica.

The entire video runs 1 hour and 15 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.


   THE DECEMBER 2023 MEETING - OUR ANNUAL SLIDE SLAM MEETING

Eleven talented photographers presented their bird (and other creatures) pictures from 2023 at our Zoom meeting on December 6, 2023. Enjoy!

The entire video runs 2 hours and 17 minutes in length.

The video is best seen in Full Screen mode. Click the four arrows in the lower right corner.



Image Gallery

Mission of 3RBC

To gather in friendship, to enjoy the wonders of nature and to share our passion for birds!

© Photo Credits:
Sherron Lynch, Brian Shema, Chuck Tague