Banquet Speaker

Trip Leaders

The speaker will be Donald E. Kroodsma, professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Kroodsma has studied birdsong for forty years. He was recognized as the “reigning authority on avian vocal behavior” in the citation for his 2003 Elliott Coues Award from the American Ornithologists’ Union. He has edited three scholarly volumes on acoustic communication among birds, and authored more than one hundred articles in both scholarly journals and popular magazines such as The Auk, Condor, Birder’s World, Living Bird, and Natural History.

Kroodsma majored in chemistry and biology in college and discovered birds in a local Michigan marsh during his last semester. After graduating, he attended the University of Michigan field station in Pellston, taking beginning and advanced ornithology courses simultaneously. From there he traveled cross‐country to Oregon State University for graduate school, where a singing wren in his backyard got him started on a lifelong passion for listening to birds. Having retired from academics, Kroodsma now spends full time recording, writing, and sharing his passion for birdsong with others.

Donald Kroodsma is the author of the fascinating and scientifically exciting book The Singing Life of Birds. It was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding natural history writing and was the winner of the 2006 American Birding Association’s Robert Ridgway Award for Excellence.

The Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst’s website describes the book: “For centuries, the question of why birds sing and what their songs mean has captured the imagination of scientists, naturalists, and poets alike. In The Singing Life of Birds, author and scientist Donald Kroodsma takes readers on a listening adventure to understand the hidden dramas in our backyards. With absorbing detail, he puts the reader inside the mind of both the research scientist and the singing bird itself, exploring how and why birds sing and how we can better understand them through their songs.”

Review Excerpts

“for scientists, birders, and others who find beauty in the sounds of the natural world” ‐ Arizona Republic

“only one word to describe this book ‐ superb!” ‐ Journal of Field Ornithology

“that rare marvel . . . Nothing I’ve ever read has had more effect on how I experience birds and their songs” ‐ Bird Watcher’s Digest

“science writing at its best ‐ Birding

“a gem . . . extraordinary . . . truly fascinating . . . It will forever change the way you listen to birds” ‐ Birder’s World

“revelatory and even mind-blowing . . . seamless mix of passion and scientific dedication . . . a ground breaking book, a classic that will forever alter your experience of the natural world” ‐ Bird Observer

Mark Cranford is a member of the South Peel Naturalists Club and is best known to OFO members for his excellent work at maintaining ONTBIRDS a vital link between birders and rarities.

Bob Curry is a very well known Hamilton birder and most recently recognized for his book Birds of Hamilton and Surrounding Areas which was published in 2006. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Ornithologist award in 2005.

Rob Dobos has been birding for 25 years, is a member of OBRC, compiles bird records for the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, and author of Birding Areas chapter in Birds of Hamilton.

Dave Don has been an avid Hamilton birder for 11 years in the Hamilton Study Area. He is an active member of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club for which he has led Wednesday Evening Walks on a yearly basis. Dave had an impressive 265 species in the Hamilton Area alone last year.

Cheryl Edgecombe is an avid Hamilton birder and is responsible for the weekly Hamilton Naturalists Club Bird Reports on Ontbirds. She is a member of the HNC Bird Studies Group Committee and was the OFO Celebrity birder with her son Ben in 2007.

Gavin Edmonstone is a member of the South Peel Naturalists Club and is very familiar with the nooks and crannies of Bronte Harbour/Shell Park area of Oakville where he has lived and birded for many years. He has traveled extensively around the world adding new species each trip to his world list.

Jim Heslop is the Director of Public Relations for the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and has led yearly hikes for OFO down to the Long Point Area in early spring. He was also an integral part of the Pickering Field Naturalists Club before he moved to the Ancaster area where he resides.

Brandon Holden has been an active birder in the Hamilton Area for several years. His study of gulls and jaegers is precise and exceptional. He is a regular in the spring at the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. His talent extends further into an excellent array of photographic talents.

Stu Mackenzie grew up in the Fifty Point area and is very familiar with the rarities that could occur at the western end of Lake Ontario. He is currently working for Bird Studies Canada at Long Point Bird Observatory banding birds each spring and fall.

Dave Milsom is an OFO Director, leads field trips for Quest Nature Tours, and Flora & Fauna, and knows birds as well as butterflies, flowers and mammals.

Bob Stamp is a well known and long standing member of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and a resident of Dundas. He has led trips for the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and leads a yearly pilgrimage for OFO down to the Long Point Area in early spring.

Tom Thomas is a hawk specialist and he can be seen as a regular in the spring at the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch and then again in the fall down at Hawk Cliff. For the past two years Tom has led the Van Wagners Beach watch for OFO in October.