The exciting world of bird migration [opinion] - Reading Eagle

I felt very lucky that I was able to attend the historic annual banquet of the Baird Ornithological Club recently. Lucky because it was the organization’s 100th anniversary. Lucky because I was able to sit among some of Berks County’s most ardent naturalists and birders and get to know a few without my notebook at hand. Lucky because I got to hear Scott Weidensaul speak.

My big takeaway, other than how incredibly generous the people of Baird and the Mengel Natural History Society are, was learning about quantum entanglement.

Weidensaul, formerly of Schuylkill Haven, shared an illustrated program on his latest book, “A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds.” Weidensaul is a world-renowned naturalist, writer and researcher specializing in birds and their migration.

Weidensaul introduced me to quantum entanglement. I dare not try to thoroughly explain it, but the gist is that photons and electrons linked in radical pairs inside a bird’s eye enable it to see something that helps it sense its position relative to the ground and the magnetic field of the Earth.

I’ll just say that I need to read his description a couple of times to truly appreciate its import. It was fascinating.  

Weidensaul spoke about how our understanding of what it takes for birds to migrate great distances has changed in the last 20 years. Weidensaul shared how birds can forgo sleep for days or weeks and remain in unbroken flight for months. Migratory birds continue to surpass what we think they can do. 

Weidensaul’s talk fit perfectly in my mind with the history of the Baird Ornithological Club. That sense of wonder and appreciation. Everyone who attended received a scroll with a two-page synopsis of the storied group’s history written by Bill Uhrich.

“If there is one outstanding characteristic of the Baird Ornithological Club, it is this patient attention given to nature enthusiasts of all ages and abilities by its members during the monthly meetings and the many field trips to various spots in Berks County and beyond,” Uhrich wrote.

Uhrich thought it important to point out: “The first published reference to the BOC occurred in Bird-Lore, the forerunner of Audubon magazine, for the 1923 Christmas Bird Count. The Reading Christmas Bird Count began in 1911, and only individuals submitted their records to Bird-Lore.

“Beginning in 1923 and continuing to the present, the BOC has organized and compiled every Reading Christmas Bird Count. One distinguishing characteristic of the early BOC was its egalitarian nature. Very few scientific societies at the time admitted women to their ranks.”

I was touched by the tribute to Matt Spence, Berks County’s preeminent naturalist and birder, who died on Oct. 17.  I did not know him and sure wish I had. The group shared a wonderful glimpse of the man captured in a recent interview, which you can view at https://bairdornithological.club/history%2Fabout-us.

Thanks to Baird president Lucy Cairns for including me.

Here is the video of Matt Spence

https://player.vimeo.com/video/645303018?h=3b4acf3071

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The exciting world of bird migration [opinion] - Reading Eagle
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