by Thomas Bancroft

Birds are amazing. Here in Washington, they range in size from minute hummingbirds to swans and eagles. Some stay here all year; others fly incredible distances in their migration. Thrushes have songs like a woodwind quartet, while hawks and vultures squawk and screech. These creatures always leave me with a sense of awe. Their hollow bones and air sacks make them light enough to fly, and their cardiovascular system is far more efficient than the best mammalian athletes. Evolution has blessed the world with more kinds of birds than mammals, heck, more perching birds than mammals. This is
unquestionably the age of birds.

This talk will explore birds that are in Washington during the spring and summer. We will look at common ones, hard-to-identify ones, and some rare or more difficult-to- discover ones. Songs, distributions, and migrations will all be topics to ponder. Oh, and then how have they evolved? Our journey will jump from Puget Sound lowlands over the top of the Cascades to Eastern Washington, all with the goal of leaving us mesmerized by our feathered friends.

Perhaps we can make some sense of why birds leave us with wonder, awe, and incredible joy.

Thomas Bancroft’s lifelong passion for birds and nature has been the driving force behind his illustrious career. His earliest memory is of his mother helping him identify Black-capped Chickadees. He was five. Growing up on a farm, he was constantly immersed in the beauty of nature. This love for the natural world led him to pursue these interests in undergraduate and graduate school. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Biology and an M.A. in Zoology, both from the University of South Florida. He led a research program on Everglades conservation for over a decade, during which time he helped craft restoration and management plans for this spectacular wild area.