NSAS Presents The Magic and Mystery of Bird Migration with Bruce Mast 10 8 26

NSAS Presents: The Magic and Mystery of Migration with Bruce Mast, Thursday, October 8th at 7:00 p.m., Benicia Public Library. About the Program: This summer, somewhere in Canada, a Blackpoll Warbler will hatch, fledge, and grow to young adulthood. Come August, this half-ounce bird will fly 3,000 miles to the Maritime provinces and then out over the Atlantic Ocean to catch a northwest tail wind that will take it south to somewhere in the Caribbean near Bermuda. A northeast trade wind will carry it back to land to complete its 80-hour journey over 2,000 miles of open ocean. Why? Join Bruce Mast for an exploration of the magic and mystery of bird migration. We’ll consider why birds migrate, the variety of migration strategies, how they know when and where to go, and how they fuel their marathon flights. Along the way we’ll highlight migration patterns along the West Coast. About the Presenter: Bruce Mast is a former Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA) board member, Adult Education instructor, field trip leader, and 2024 recipient of GGBA’s Paul Covell Conservation Education Award. He has passionately observed and studied birds for more than three decades. He first honed his birding and field research skills as a volunteer at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge in Central Texas, where he mapped nesting territories of endangered Black-capped Vireos and Golden-cheeked Warblers. Since 2018, he has taught classes on the evolution of birds, bird migration, and birding by ear. In 2020 he joined the faculty of the Master Birder Program, co-sponsored by GGBA and California Academy of Sciences. By day, Bruce helps utilities and local governments design customer-facing programs to reduce carbon emissions. He also served as a City Council member for the City of Albany, California, and a high school science teacher in the Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa. Bruce holds a BA in Physics from Rice University.