2024 Presentations and Workshops
The Birdiest Festival takes great pride in presenting a stellar lineup of experts this year, poised to both educate and entertain you.
Please be sure to avoid scheduling a presentation that overlaps with your chosen field trips to make the most of your festival experience!
Presentation:
"Quirky Bird Facts – Trivia About Texas Birds, Things I Learned While Writing The Birds of Texas Field Guide" by David Sarkozi
Texas Birds are amazing. Texas has more birds than any other state. There is more to know about Texas birds than fits in a field guide. Let’s go beyond the field guides. Let’s take a lighthearted look at some quirky factoids about Texas birdlife and answer some of those questions you never knew you wanted to know. Is Bonaparte’s Gull named after that Bonaparte? Who was this Rivoli the hummingbird is named after? What about Anna’s Hummingbird? What makes a Roseate Spoonbill pink and why do humans take it in pill form? What killed John Kirk Townsend the namesake of Townsend’s Warbler? What bird can fly the fastest in Texas? Your birding friends will be amazed at the depth of your bird knowledge after this program.
WEDNESDAY – APRIL 24
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
David Sarkozi is a well-known Texas birder who started birding in high school after reading Ken Kaufman’s 1973 Big Year. David has since become a fan of Big Days and Big Years. He has served as president of the Texas Ornithological Society and worked on its executive board for 16 years. He recently retired from the University of Houston where he worked for 35 years.
Workshop:
"Shorebird Identification"
by Cameron Cox
Displaying Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Hudsonian Godwits at their most gorgeous, Upland Sandpipers trotting through fields with their weird windup toy gait, Wilson’s Phalaropes spinning in small puddles, Solitary Sandpipers giving their sharp call as they rocket through the air; few places on earth can compete with the quality and quantity of the shorebird show that unfolds on the Texas Coast every Spring. Now the only problem is sorting them all out!
Shorebirds are usually found in flocks; thus, multiple species can be compared side-by-side. Using comparisons rather than obsessing over each bird individually triggers the more analytical parts of our brain and enhances memory, allowing us to learn more quickly.
This workshop will be less stressful, taking a step back to take a large picture approach rather than obsessing over details. The aim is to celebrate these incredible birds while learning in a fun way.
WEDNESDAY – APRIL 24
3:00 – 4:30 PM
$20.00 Per Person
Cameron Cox is the owner and operator of Avocet Birding Courses (www.birdingABC.com) a company that offers workshops and tours that reexamines the standard narrative of how birders identify birds and offers and alternative approach based on cognitive psychology. This approach aims to make learning birds faster and more fun, reducing frustration in the bargain. Cameron is the coauthor of the Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching as well as articles on shorebird and waterfowl identification. He is a former editor of Birding Magazines’s photo quiz. He lives with his wife and small herd of dogs and cats in coastal Maine.
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Steve Cook received his Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri. He has been a casual birder ever since. Upon moving to Corpus Christi in 2016, birding and bird photography has become a borderline obsession. He is passionate about preserving and enhancing habitats for all wild creatures, especially our feathered friends. Most recently he has served as the President of the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. He is excited to welcome you to the exciting world of birding.
Workshop:
"Intro to Birding" By Steve Cook
Ever wondered how to get started in birding or how to take your casual interest in birding to the next level? Then this is the class for you. We will discuss everything the beginning birder or even intermediate birder will need to know. Discussions will include Bird ID and optics selection and use. We will also teach you how to find local birding hot spots and what birds you might find there while you are travelling. We’ll even cover how you can participate in “citizen science” as part of your birding hobby.
THURSDAY – APRIL 25
9:30 – 11:30 AM
$20.00 Per Person
Cameron Cox is the owner and operator of Avocet Birding Courses (www.birdingABC.com) a company that offers workshops and tours that reexamines the standard narrative of how birders identify birds and offers and alternative approach based on cognitive psychology. This approach aims to make learning birds faster and more fun, reducing frustration in the bargain. Cameron is the coauthor of the Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching as well as articles on shorebird and waterfowl identification. He is a former editor of Birding Magazines’s photo quiz. He lives with his wife and small herd of dogs and cats in coastal Maine.
Workshop:
"Birding 201" by Cameron Cox
Getting a basic grasp on birding but still interested in improving? The session will start with a quick exploration of birding basics needed to continue to improve past the beginner level. We then will get into the techniques it can take ten years of birding experience to develop: how to break down flocks, how to bird a patch of wood, how to learn faster. We will finish the session with some audience choice, pick the group of birds you would like to learn more about and if your jeopardy fingers are fast enough, we’ll go over your favorite subject.
THURSDAY – APRIL 25
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
$20.00 Per Person
Sara is the Preserve Manager of the Oso Bay Wetlands, a municipal nature center owned and operated by the City of Corpus Christi. Sara has a background in marine biology and environmental education. Beginning in 2010, Sara has had the opportunity to lead school trips, adult education programs, and a variety of other groups first at the Nueces Delta Preserve in Odem and now at the Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve in Corpus Christi’s southside. She is passionate about introducing our local community to their native wildlife. SPECIAL NOTE: Sara has already created an APP for the Birdiest Festival in America 2023. Check it Out and Join in the Fun and help other Birders and Naturalists.
Presentation:
"iNaturalist, A Way to Enjoy Nature More" By Sara Jose
You may have heard of eBird, which allows you to keep a bird list – but have you ever wanted a way to keep track of the other things you see in the field? Or maybe you wanted to know the name of an interesting flower, bug, or snake you saw while birding? Then you may need iNaturalist. This is a different kind of social media dedicated to the identification of plants, animals, and fungus all over the world. The iNaturalist App can help individuals document their wildlife sightings and can be used for community science. Find your fellow nerds and learn all about this useful tool.
SPECIAL NOTE: There is an iNaturalist Board already set up for the Birdiest Festival in America 2023!
THURSDAY – APRIL 25
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Workshop:
“Macro Photography on the Cheap”
By Patty Beasley
Longing to take close up shots of your garden spiders? Butterflies and other critters? Or the center of your favorite flower or drop of rain? Bring your existing equipment - from your iPhone to your camera, lenses and filters and Patty will help you get those shots. After classroom time, this class will walk around the botanical gardens, including the butterfly house for hands-on practice.
FRIDAY – April 26
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
$20.00 Per Person
Patty Beasley is not only a photography instructor, journalist, and birder but one of the original hawkwatchers at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch. She works at Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center and enjoys traveling throughout Texas with her husband, Bill.
Brent Ortego is retired from the Texas Parks and Wildlife. He has been a wildlife biologist since 1982 who primarily worked with conservation of endangered species. He has been a speaker and field trip leader at many of the festivals in Texas. Brent is still active with breeding bird surveys and Christmas Bird Counts. He runs the CBC for the Guadalupe Delta WMA, one of the largest counts in the country and is the leader for the Birdiest Festival to this destination.
Presentation:
"Hummingbirds -
Their Amazing Lives" By Brent Ortego
Everything about hummingbirds fascinates most birders. Their biology includes adaptations on how they feed, keep warm, or just fly. Their nests and nesting habits are interesting to study. The different species have different foraging habits. Join Brent Ortego, who has banded over 30,000 individuals of 14 different species of hummingbirds. We know you will Enjoy!
FRIDAY – April 26
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Join Libby Even, a long-time raptor enthusiast! She counted raptors at the United State’s largest hawk migration site for HawkWatch International at Corpus Christi for the past 17 Fall seasons. When not counting hawks at home, she is chasing raptors, and other birds around the United States, Mexico, Central and South America.
Workshop:
"Hawk Watching 101" By Libby Even
Have you ever enjoyed the thrill of a raptor kettle at a hawk-watch site? What’s a kettle? You will find out. You will also learn how they count all those migrating hawks. We will discuss hawk watching techniques such as scanning, counting groups of migrating hawks, and identifying both close and distant raptors. This workshop will culminate outside the meeting room as our group will scan the South Texas sky, searching for northbound raptors. Bring your Binoculars!
FRIDAY – April 26
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
$20.00 Per Person
Liam is a research scientist at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies where his work supports the conservation of colonial waterbirds on the Texas Coast. He has been a passionate birder since his childhood and now strives to make a difference for both birds and birders alike, serving as President of the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi and volunteering as a regional reviewer and hotspot editor for eBird. Liam enjoys birding throughout Texas, having visited 75% of the state’s incredible 254 counties, as well as across the United States and occasionally abroad.
Presentation:
"Birding Texas’ Ecoregions"
by Liam Wolff
Texas has some of the greatest bird diversity (664 species) in the United States due to its central location in the continent, proximity to the tropics, arid mountain ranges, and its nearly 370 miles of coastline. Texas has desert, mountains, plains, forests, wetlands, and beaches and its diverse geography creates 10 distinct “Ecoregions” in the states with unique habitat types and birdlife in each. In this Presentation, Liam will discuss the various Ecoregions of Texas, what makes each one distinct, and where you can find those special target bird species.
SATURDAY – April 27
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Tony Clements was raised in Baltimore Maryland and spent 8 years in the USAF while stationed in Florida, England, and San Antonio Texas before moving to Corpus Christi in 1983. He retired in 2015 after a 32-year career servicing and installing medical diagnostic imaging equipment in Corpus Christi and the surrounding areas. His duties included servicing and installing CT and MRI scanners, ultrasound systems and monitor or laser-based printers. As a home theater enthusiast, he has experience installing and calibrating CRT monitor and LCD chip-based video projection systems. He acquired the bird photography "bug" after upgrading his photography equipment in 2015 when tasked to photograph a family wedding in San Diego (California). As a Canon brand shooter, he started with basic general photography equipment and has worked his way up to using some of the best lenses and cameras available for bird and wildlife shooting. Since retiring he has studied the methods, images, and equipment used by many professional photographers and acquired hundreds of thousands of bird photos. His images have won first place in photography class awards at the Art Center of Corpus Christi in 2019 and again in 2023. He was also awarded first place in the “Small in Frame” category by the Houston Audobon Society in 2022. He subscribes to the idea of “Bird as Art” and tries to maintain a knowledge of the various cameras and lenses available for bird photography and their capabilities and compromises.
David Sikes grew up fishing, hunting, and camping in the Bayou Teche area of South Louisiana. He is an Eagle Scout with a Journalism degree from the University of Houston. David joined the Corpus Christi Caller-Times newsroom in 1997, covering Port Aransas, Rockport, and Aransas Pass. In 1998, David became the paper’s Outdoors columnist. He retired in 2019, after 23 years. He spent the first two years of retirement writing and editing articles for Saltwater Angler Magazine and other Texas publications. Beyond Texas, David has written stories and photographed for magazines and newspapers about fishing and/or hunting in Alaska, Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, the Bahamas, and Nicaragua. David is a past president, chairman, and board member for the Texas Outdoor Writers Association. And for many years, he’s been board secretary for the Wildlife in Focus conservation/education nonprofit, and is editor of the Wildlife in Focus book series. David is a founding and life member of FlatsWorthy, a nonprofit of diverse anglers with mutual respect, who promote boating courtesy, while denouncing behavior that destroys or degrades our shallow-water coastal fisheries and wildlife habitat. He lives on north Padre Island with his dog Pepper. His photos of coastal scenes, birds and other wildlife are displayed, and occasionally sell, at the Padre Island Art Gallery and the Port Aransas Center for the Arts.
Workshop / Field Trip:
"Really! You Want to Photograph Birds?" by Anthony Clements and David Sikes
We will begin with a 30–45-minute classroom session that will highlight the Dos and Don’ts of photographing birds, along with a Q&A on camera settings, etc. This will then be followed by a short ride to the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas. While at the Center, the leaders David Sikes and Tony Clements will give hands-on, side-by-side instructions on how to achieve the best photos in various conditions. Be prepared to photograph small migratory birds, as well as waterbirds, both year-round residents and migrants.
SATURDAY – April 27
1:30 PM – 5:45 PM
$85.00 Per Person
Ben Horstmann serves as the Reginal Interpretive Specialist for South Texas State Parks. His addiction to birding was a direct result of moving to the Coastal Bend and birding with park staff and volunteers. His favorite pastime is birding in the parks and natural places in Texas.
Presentation:
"Finding Birds 101" by Ben Horstmann
How do I find out what birds are near me? If you’re a new birder or new to an area, it can be tough to find places to bird or find out about rarities quickly. Ben Horstmann, an avid birder in the coastal bend, will share some pointers and resources for finding birds and birding hot spots near you, and in the locations you plan to travel. He will also discuss ways to report, keep your lists, and contribute to citizen science. Bring your smart phone if you want to try them on the spot!
SATURDAY – April 27
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM