This summer, somewhere in Canada, a Blackpoll Warbler will hatch, fledge, and grow to young adulthood. Come August, this half-ounce bird will fly 3,000 miles to the Maritime provinces and then out over the Atlantic Ocean to catch a north-west tail wind that will take it south to somewhere in the Caribbean near Bermuda. A northeast trade wind will carry it back to land to complete its 80-hour journey over 2,000 miles of open ocean. Why? Join Bruce Mast for an exploration of the magic and mystery of bird migration. We’ll consider why birds migrate, the variety of migration strategies, how they know when and where to go, and how they fuel their marathon flights. Along the way we’ll highlight migration patterns along the West Coast.
Bruce Mast is a former Golden Gate BirdAlliance (GGBA) board member, adult education instructor, field trip leader, and 2024 recipient of GGBA’s Paul Covell Conservation Education Award. He has passionately observed and studied birds for more than three decades. The event is free and open to the public.