WORKSHOPS and TALKS
How the Experts Do It: A Photo ID Panel - Workshop
(moderated by Kevin Karlson - Thursday at 3:30pm)
Did you ever wonder how the experts identify birds so quickly? Want to get into their heads and ‘see’ their thought processes? Come to this interactive ID discussion and follow along as four experts identify photos of birds from both Maine and North America. Not intended to trick the experts, but to bring to light their different ID approaches in a very informative, fresh way. Bring your field guide, notepad, and try your own luck as well. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn a lot and laugh a lot.
Golden Wings - Keynote Presentation
(with Pete Dunne - Thursday night at 7:00pm)
Once there was a boy who climbed Swede Hill and came across a bird he thought was dead that burst to life with the touch of a finger--an encounter between two living things that changed the earth. But what about heaven? Join Pete Dunne as he recounts the story of Roger Tory Peterson's--as it happened here and the hereafter.
Tips for Capturing and Composing the Best Possible Digital Wildlife and Nature Images
(with Kevin Karlson - Friday at 1:00pm)
This short indoor photo workshop covers a number of basic photographic
principles that are important for creating the best wildlife and nature
images. Photographers of all skill levels will benefit from the varied
topics covered. The introduction covers basic composition and awareness of
lighting, with compensation settings for light and dark subjects explained.
Tips for evaluating background scenes and anticipating action in the field
are discussed, as well as making use of the different perspectives for each
field scenario. A short section on your personal artistic freedom is also
included, with encouragement to see and compose a unique photo that sets
itself apart from the rest. The emphasis of this workshop is wildlife, but
general nature photography is also covered.
A brief introduction to cutting edge techniques for flight and action photography ends this workshop, with instruction on how to capture the best possible flight or action photo. Different camera settings for a variety of field situations are covered, and hand-held versus tripod telephoto techniques are explained.
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Birding
101 Workshop(with Pete Dunne - Friday at 3:00pm)
Take the first step into a world of discovery. Long time beginning birder Pete Dunne will give you the basics, show you how to avoid frustration, offer tips on equipment, clothing, etiquette, and most of all how to find and identify birds. Afraid to come because you don't know anything about birds? Just remember the difference between an experienced birder and an inexperienced one is that thus far inexperienced birders have misidentified very few birds. Experienced birders have misidentified thousands.
eBird for you: Keeping records, planning trips and contributing to science
(with Marshall Iliff - Friday at 4:30pm and Saturday at 4:15pm)
eBird is an online bird checklist entry program, free and open to anyone who participates and is now the largest citizen science dataset in existence. Not only does it provide an integrated, backed-up, online place to store your bird sightings and keep your bird lists, but it aggregates the data of tens of thousands of users to create a massive database on bird occurrence that is accessible to all, with a wide range of scientific and conservation applications. Within eBird you can explore the data to see global range maps, locally relevant bar charts, or bird lists for a specific site like Cadillac Mountain. eBird can be used to plan a trip to a new birding destination, get news about rare birds in your area, or to check to track the return of spring warblers.
Marshall Iliff will provide a hands-on introduction to using the eBird website. We will step through the process of submitting data, review how to track your lists, and will also touch on how best to get information back out of eBird. If you are already an eBird user bring your laptops and bring your questions. If you have a computerized dataset of bird records, we can discuss how to upload those sightings as well (bring them along on disk if you want). This will be somewhat informal, with time for discussion. Best of all, Marshall will share eBird migration animations, which are revealing the patterns of migration as never seen before.
Visions: Birds and Nature – A Digital Keynote Presentation
(with Kevin Karlson - Friday night at 7:00pm)
Everyone has visions, and some of these have the power to transform our lives. This visual and musical program contains an exciting collection of bird and nature images that reflect the personal visions of nature by eleven contributing photographers as perceived through the camera lens. These images are themed to the elements of the planet: earth, fire, air and water, and include some of the finest action and behavioral photographs available. The unique theme and musical interludes in this program will capture your fancy and take you on a riveting visual ride through the world of birds and nature.
The coffee table book Visions: Earth’s Elements in Bird and Nature Photography will be released by Schiffer Publishing in July, 2012. The author is Kevin T. Karlson, and the main contributing photographers are Kevin T. Karlson, Lloyd Spitalnik, and Scott Elowitz.
The
Art of Pishing Workshop
(with Pete Dunne - Saturday at 1:00pm)
Throughout history, birds have been studied in one of two ways.
You blunder into a bird or you wait for the bird to blunder into you. There's a
third way. It's called "pishing" and it involves mimicking the scolding calls of
birds to entice them to approach close enough for study. Pete Dunne, author of
the Art of Pishing, purports to induct you into the Order of Pishers. Learn how
who wheeze, squeak, shush, and warbler your way to peace of mind, spiritual
enlightenment and a few good birds. Those easily embarrassed need not attend.
