Guest Speaker: Thomas Bancroft, PhD

Are you ready to go off to some exotic place but also see some of your friends? Join the Pilchuck Audubon for a virtual trip to Panama on October 8th. Be immersed in the sounds of Western Panama’s cloud forests as Thomas expertly guides you through layers of gorgeous bird life, exotic flora, and a quick trip through geologic history to understand how the isthmus of Panama has influenced evolution of some of our common North American birds.

The mountains of Western Panama are a mixing pot for birds. Neotropical migrants come to winter or pass through on their travels. Altitudinal migrants move in and out with the seasons, and then there are the permanent residents that make up a complex and diverse component. Central America is an active geological area, and over the last ten million years, the formation of the Isthmus has had a profound influence on the bird communities found throughout North and South America, including those in Washington State. Come learn more about this fascinating place, its influence on the Western Hemisphere, see some of flora and fauna, and listen to sounds from the cloud forest.

Thomas Bancroft is a writer-photographer focused on the natural world. His goal is to capture people’s imagination, hopefully getting them to think about life, nature, and the importance of protecting wild things. Through stories about birds and wild places, he uses his scientific knowledge, photography, and sound recordings to help the reader see nature in a new way, slow down, and ponder the earth. His Ph.D. is in Ornithology, and he was the Vice President of the Research Department at the Wilderness Society and Chief Scientist for National Audubon. He now lives in Seattle Washington where he also serves on the scientific advisory board for Birdnote and chairs the Naturalist Group at the Mountaineers. He teaches nature courses for Eastside Audubon Society, Whidbey Island Audubon, and the Mountaineers.