In celebration of Earth and Ocean Month, Whidbey Audubon Society presents a program about birds who catch their prey on the wing on Thursday, April 14.
This is a hybrid meeting, which means attenders may come in person or participate online via Zoom. Preregistration is required for in person attendance and for nonmembers through the Whidbey Audubon Society website, www.whidbeyaudubonsociety.org, no later than noon on April 14.
The meeting in person is limited to 35 in the Bayview Cash Store, upstairs in the Front Room, 5603 Bayview Road, Langley. The program is free and open to the public. An email with the Zoom link will be sent by early afternoon of April 14 to those who have registered. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and the program is at 7:30.
Presenters Steve and Martha Ellis title this program, The Aerialists: One tough way to make a living. They explain that all bird species in our area have the ability to fly, and many of them make contact with their food from the air. Of the 232 species on Whidbey Audubon’s checklist, however, less than 10% feed almost exclusively on flying prey. These are the aerialists: swallows, swifts, nighthawk, flycatchers, accipiters and falcons.
There’s a simple reason why seed eating species such as sparrows are so numerous: their food can’t escape. And while we rightfully marvel at a Red-tailed Hawk dropping on a vole, try catching an evasive insect traveling six inches above the ground while you’re flying 25 to 45 miles per hour. Or attempt to single out a bird in flight from a twisting flock of 500 Dunlin. The slightest miscalculation will result in serious harm.
The aerialists are some of the most overlooked and underappreciated bird species. Each has its unique adaptations and habits that allow them to exploit food sources unavailable to other birds. Each also faces daunting challenges.
The Ellis’s are longtime Coupeville residents. Steve is a past president of Whidbey Audubon Society and Martha is a member of the Washington Native Plant Society. Together they have been leading field trips and giving talks on a wide range of natural history topics for more than 30 years.
