Virtual Owl Expert Speaker Series
Join us from the comfort of your home on Sundays throughout the winter of 2020-2021 to learn more about owls from experts around the world. We aim to make these live, virtual programs free for all to attend as long as we can continue to find generous sponsors. (Contact us if you'd like to sponsor a program.) Once you register to attend you will automatically receive an email with a link to use to join the program via Zoom. Contact us if you'd like to sponsor a program.
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Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 1:00 PM Central Time
Hedwig: the Snowy Owl that lived Dr. Roar Solheim, Senior Curator of Zoology at the Natural History Museum, Agder University Norway Sponsored by Karla Bloem's Facebook birthday fundraiser (Karen Ryan, Dale & Sue Scobie, Rachel Hellyer, Cherie McCollough, Marilyn & Karl Sylling, Julie Brommerich, Carol Hanson) |
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Join Dr. Roar Solheim live from Norway to hear about the story of a very unlucky wild female Snowy Owl named Hedwig he managed to save in 2011, and discover what she revealed after being released with a satellite transmitter. You’ll find out more about the life of Snowy Owls in general, as well as what Roar and his colleagues have learned about them in Scandinavia and Russia.
Roar Solheim started studying owls over 50 years ago when he took an interest in Pygmy Owls caching food in nest boxes. He earned his PhD in 2019 studying molt stage, wing bar patterns and digital photography as tools for assessing age distribution and recognizing individual Great Grey and Snowy Owls. He has also published papers on Pygmy Owls, Boreal Owls, Ural Owls, and Tawny Owls. He is an excellent photographer, an animated speaker, and has a well-developed talent for imitating the calls of owls and other animals.
This presentation will also be livestreamed to our YouTube channel and posted there for later viewing after it concludes. THE ZOOM WEBINAR (where people can ask questions) IS FULL.
Roar Solheim started studying owls over 50 years ago when he took an interest in Pygmy Owls caching food in nest boxes. He earned his PhD in 2019 studying molt stage, wing bar patterns and digital photography as tools for assessing age distribution and recognizing individual Great Grey and Snowy Owls. He has also published papers on Pygmy Owls, Boreal Owls, Ural Owls, and Tawny Owls. He is an excellent photographer, an animated speaker, and has a well-developed talent for imitating the calls of owls and other animals.
This presentation will also be livestreamed to our YouTube channel and posted there for later viewing after it concludes. THE ZOOM WEBINAR (where people can ask questions) IS FULL.
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Sunday, November 29, 2020 - 1:00 PM Central Time
Owls in Myth and Culture - A Global Perspective David H. Johnson, Director of the Global Owl Project Virginia, USA Sponsored by Karla Bloem's Facebook birthday fundraiser (Pamela Dimeler, Erin Dorbin, Charlene Ebel, Roseanne Yoakum, Michael Schmidt, Susan Oddsen, Teresa Thews, Sam Leigh, Ulrike Kantner) |
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Every society on earth has myths and legends about owls. What people believe about owls makes a difference in how they protect and conserve owls. So, what do people really believe? David and his team interviewed some 5,200 people in 26 countries, using a 4-page interview form translated into 23 languages. The answers gave remarkable and wildly varied insights about the current ecological knowledge and cultural perspectives about owls. They also examined the archeological, anthropological, and natural history data as well, to gain richer insights into the longer-term aspects of owls in many countries. They were able to document important changes in cultural beliefs in some countries, while there were no changes in others. Owls are viewed as very dangerous spirits who can take your soul (causing death) in Mali, while they are viewed as the Creator Being (created the earth) in north-central Australia. During their interviews, they uncovered substantial illegal trade in owl eggs and live owls in several countries. In this presentation David will describe the methods, cultural insights, and powerful results of their findings. Attendees will find that this is a ‘deep dive’ into the cultural beliefs about owls.
Originally a farmboy from Minnesota, David has worked in the natural resources field for 46 years. He began working internationally on owls in 2001. When camping at age 11, an Eastern Screech Owl landed on David’s pup tent. David was inside and the owl was outside, mere inches from each other. The owl called for 20 minutes, its shadow ‘vibrating’ in the moonlight with every call. Owls have been constant companions and friends ever since. David says: he didn’t pick owls, they picked him. He is the Director of the Global Owl Project.
This presentation will also be livestreamed to our YouTube channel and posted there for later viewing after it concludes. Click below to register to watch it as a Zoom webinar and be able to ask questions.
Originally a farmboy from Minnesota, David has worked in the natural resources field for 46 years. He began working internationally on owls in 2001. When camping at age 11, an Eastern Screech Owl landed on David’s pup tent. David was inside and the owl was outside, mere inches from each other. The owl called for 20 minutes, its shadow ‘vibrating’ in the moonlight with every call. Owls have been constant companions and friends ever since. David says: he didn’t pick owls, they picked him. He is the Director of the Global Owl Project.
This presentation will also be livestreamed to our YouTube channel and posted there for later viewing after it concludes. Click below to register to watch it as a Zoom webinar and be able to ask questions.
