Kenn & Kim Kaufman.
Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
Take a good look at the Kaufmans. Do they look like bookish nerds? No. They look more like rugged adventurers.
The nerd stereotype is what Kenn Kaufman wants to combat with his Keynote Presentation at the 13th Annual Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival.
“Pride in the Name of Birding” is the topic of Kaufman’s Keynote. During his lifetime of birding, Kaufman has shrugged off any negative stereotypes associated with birding, but in this day of increasing threats to our amazing birds, he believes birders should actively challenge such stereotypes which might keep many conservation-minded people from picking up a pair of binoculars and joining this very rewarding pursuit.
If you aren’t familiar with Kaufman, he’s one of the most well-traveled and prolific authors in birding. He began as a teenager hitch-hiking around North America pursuing birds. His adventures produced the book that is now a birder’s cult-classic: Kingbird Highway. Kaufman has led birding workshops in nearly every state in the U.S. and has led birding tours on all seven continents. I could go on and on. But let me tell you what he and his wife Kim are doing at the Birding Festival that might interest you.
Field Trips:
- North Brevard Hotspots – A stop at some of the well-known and not-so-well-known birding hotspots in Brevard County. this trip had the second highest species count of any festival field trip last year with 110 species accumulated on the three trips offered. The Kaufmans, along with Caleb Gordon will be leading the January 30th trip, which begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends shortly after noon.
- Pelagic Birding Offshore New Smyrna Beach – Kim and Kenn Kaufman will be among the many trip leaders on this full-day journey into the Atlantic Ocean aboard a 100-foot fishing boat, Pastime Princes, out of Ponce Inlet. Expect to see many seabirds that rarely touch their feet to dry land. Dolphins, sea turtles and northern right whales may make an appearance as well. Monday, February 1, 2010.
Classroom Presentations:
- Expert Bird ID Forum – Kenn Kaufman will be on the panel of the top five North American birders who will reveal their techniques for identifying birds. The panel and audience will be shown photos of birds and the experts will identify the birds and discuss the ID points that led to their conclusions. This should be fun.
- May-hem in the Warbler Capital of the World – Kenn and Kim will explain the phenomenon that produces the high concentration of migrating warblers along the Lake Erie shoreline each spring, and will share their stories of living at the center of “warbler madness” during the month of May-hem.
- Mentoring Young Birders -Kim Kaufman of the Ohio Young Birders Club, will discuss the success of this program aimed at encouraging more kids to go outside. She’ll talk about how she got the club started and how you can get young people off the couch and outside through involvment in birding.
- Principles & Pitfalls of Field Identification – Kenn Kaufman teaches basic principles that will help us identify birds without a lot of detailed memorization.
Download or request a program catalog at the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival 2010 web site. Class descriptions are also shown on the web site’s pages.
Roseate Spoonbill in flight. Photo courtesy of Kenn Kaufman and SCBWF.
FTC Disclosure of Material Connections: I receive compensation from the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival for writing about the 2010 Festival.
