Paul Collins, the primary author of a guide to Channel Island birds, is giving a lecture and signing copies of his book in Los Olivos on Oct. 14. Join the researcher at St. Mark’s in the Valley Episcopal Church from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for an evening of lively conversation about the avifauna Collins covered in the two volumes of Birds of California’s Channel Islands.
“His presentation will provide a sweeping overview of the changing status and distribution of Channel Island birds, from prehistoric times through the present,” according to press materials. “Drawing on a breadth of data sources from museums and collections all over the country, and 50 years of personal fieldwork on the islands, he will share key takeaways about how biogeography and the effects of humans on the landscape have shaped bird populations and diversity.”
As curator emeritus of vertebrate zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Collins used the collections as foundational sources for his fieldwork. Birds of California’s Channel Islands is available for purchase at the Santa Barbara museum or online at sbnaturestore.org.
The presentation is free to the community thanks to the Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society and will be held at 2901 Nojoqui Ave. in Los Olivos.
