Maymont-VCU Discovery Institute Lecture Series to Explore Historical Perspectives of Birding on the James River

By Anne Buckley

The 2007 Maymont-VCU Discovery Institute presents birding along the James River with a focus on the historical perspective as part of the celebration of the 400^th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

This year's series, which will include field trips in addition to the lectures, features biologists and avian ecology and conservation scientists as part of the institute's continuing educational seminars to the general public, students and teachers to further their studies and training in the life sciences.

The lectures, which take place on Thursdays through April, beginning April 5, are held at 7 p.m. at the Maymont Robins Nature and Visitor Center,1700 Hampton St. Free and open to the public, they are preceded by a reception at 6 p.m., and reservations are recommended. For a PDF brochure of the series, with further reservation information, visit www.vcu.edu/lifesci/pdf/brochure.pdf.

The field trips will be led by Richmond Audubon Society personnel and are at 7 a.m. each Saturday in April at the following locations: The VCU Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences; Dutch Gap Conservation Area; Westover and Berkeley plantations; and Presquile National Wildlife Refuge. Reservations are required for the field trips.

This is the fifth year for the series, which began in 2003 and have included examinations of the James River; the life sciences through art; stem-cell research and bioterrorism; and backyard wildlife.

·         April 5 – "Landscape changes over 400 years and their effects on birds," Sergio Harding, bird conservation biologist with Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

·         April 12 – "Jewel of the wetlands: the Prothonotary Warbler, past and present," Robert Reilly, Ph.D., professor, VCU Department of Economics.

·         April 19 – "The James River, a gem in the recovery of the Bald Eagle," Mitchell A. Byrd, Chancellor Professor of Biology Emeritus at The College of William and Mary.

·         April 26 – "John James Audubon, his Virginia travels and his enduring art," Bill Steiner, entomologist, herpetologist, bird-watcher and horticulturist who has an extensive and varied collection of Audubon prints.