Join us for a presentation by John Sterling, master county lister and noted field ornithologist. John has worked with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Washington, DC, and various institutions in California and Latin America, focusing on the ecology and conservation of birds and regulatory processes related to preserving them. John will discuss the changes in our knowledge of bird distribution and population in the Central Valley since the publication of Grinnell and Miller’s book on California birds in the 1940s. Loss of habitats, creation of new habitats, reduction of ranges, invasions of new species and other topics will be explored as we reconcile the fact that more species are detected now than prior to the book’s publication.

John currently has his own company, Sterling Wildlife Biology (www.sterlingbirds.com), specializing in tours, birding classes, research and environmental consulting for The Nature Conservancy, National Audubon’s International Alliance Program, CA Dept. of Water Resources among other organizations.