“Thailand – In Search of the Dream Bird”
Presented by Mary and Nick Freeman
For PV/SB Audubon Society
Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 7:00 PM
Madrona Marsh Nature Center
Come and share the experiences of finding one of the rarest shorebirds in the world, the Spoon-billed
Sandpiper. Mary and Nick Freeman will give a talk on their recent trip to Thailand. They will go over some of the
diverse birding opportunities to be found in this great tropical birding destination. Mary will feature photographic
highlights of their trip, and will talk about the remarkable search for their dream bird.
Mary Freeman, Glendale, California
Mary is a Los Angeles native who has been birding for over 40 years. Mary first learned the Spanish nicknames for neighborhood birds from her mother, and then learned their proper names from the first bird book she saw in elementary school. As a child she would watch birds in the Los Angeles basin and went on many trips with her family. Her high school teacher recommended she become a member of her local Audubon chapter, of which she is past-President and presently Programs Chair.
She has been leading birding trips since the late 70s. Mary is passionate about owls - especially Northern Saw-whet Owls. She got her start studying owls during her involvement with the Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Survey, during which she and Nick spent many a night adding to the knowledge about the breeding status and distribution of small owls of the San Gabriel Mountains, and summarized in a Western Field Ornithologist conference abstract. She has since been thrust into the role of trending the recovery of Northern Saw-whet Owl in the western San Gabriel Mountains after the horrific 2009 Station Fire. Mary enjoys birding by ear, has a BA in art design, illustrates birds, designs jewelry, and has searched for owls throughout the Americas.
Nick Freeman, Glendale, California
Nick Freeman can remember identifying birds at the young age of 8, first taking a systematic approach while in the Boy Scouts working towards his bird watching merit badge. He has birded all four corners of the US along with trips to Baja California, and Central and South America. Thailand was the first foray for Nick
and Mary out of the Americas. As new bird sightings have become fewer, Nick finds more and more joy in finding and “breaking down” birds for others; as well as studying the unending stream of new behaviors and plumages to be understood, and engaging in citizen science projects.
Nick has been a field trip leader for over 20 years, and has led innumerable trips for his chapter, as well as many for bird festivals. His special interests are flycatchers, gulls, owls, hawks, and reptiles. He also has a burgeoning interest in dragonflies.
Photos courtesy of Mary and Nick Freeman
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Light refreshments will be served. Everyone welcome! Come and enjoy the program, socialize with friends, and fill out a ticket for the door
prize drawing. Prizes are donated by Wild Birds Unlimited in Torrance, courtesy of Bob Shanman. http://www.torrance.wbu.com/
The Madrona Marsh Nature Center is located at 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, CA, 90503:
http://www.friendsofmadronamarsh.com/j/
Next Month’s Meeting: Ann Dalkey, PV Land Conservancy, “Habitat Restoration and the Bird Community,” April
15, 2014
Photos courtesy of Mary and Nick Freeman
