Celebrity birders to headline refuge’s free lecture series
Running from Feb. 4 through March 25, the 18th annual “Ding” Darling Lecture Series will feature authors and wildlife and art experts, including highly acclaimed birding guide gurus David Allen Sibley and Richard Crossley. The lectures will cover topics from bald eagles to ornitherapy and nature art.
Due to the uncertainty of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor & Education Center, five of the lectures will again be scheduled at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. The venue for the other two lectures will be later determined.
The free lectures will occur on six Fridays and one Thursday; most will start at 10 a.m.
Seating is limited; about 200 socially-distanced seats will be available on a first-come basis.
Face masks will be required and temperatures will be taken.
The complete schedule is as follows:
– Feb. 4: Author Richard Crossley, “The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds,” co-sponsored by anonymous and HighTower/Thomas and Swartz Wealth Management
– Feb. 11: Author Holly Merker, “Ornitherapy for Your Mind, Body, Soul,” co-sponsored by anonymous (sponsorships available)
– Feb. 24: Amy Urich, “The Captivating Art and Times of My Father, Ikki Matsumoto,” sponsored by Bill and Laurie Harkey
– March 4: Author Doug Chadwick, “Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All,” co-sponsored by Diane Esslinger and The Jenni and Kyle Foundation
– March 11: Author David Allen Sibley, “What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing — What Birds Are Doing, and Why,” co-sponsored by Stan and Connie Grayson, HighTower/Thomas and Swartz Wealth Management and Drs. John & Wendy Kindig
– March 18: Author Jack Davis, “The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America’s Bird” (sponsorships available)
– March 25: Author Stan Tekiela, “Bird Nests: Amazingly Ingenious and Intricate,” sponsored by Vortex Optics, A Fellow Minnesotan and The Jenni and Kyle Foundation
Book-signings will follow all of the lectures.
When possible, the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge will film the lectures and broadcast them on YouTube and dingdarlingsociety.org.
For more information, visit dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/ lecture-and-film-series.
To become a sponsor, call DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566.