Seminar Series: Kirtland’s Warbler Overview and Conservation Efforts

Kirtland’s Warbler Overview and Conservation Efforts with Dr. Dave Ewert

The Kirtland’s Warbler is one of the rarest migratory songbirds in North America, breeding almost exclusively in young jack pine stands in northern Michigan and wintering almost exclusively in dense scrub in the Bahamas. This presentation will give an overview of the biology of the Kirtland’s Warblers and how successful conservation efforts have brought the species from near extinction to recovery, including potential delisting as a U.S. endangered species.

Dr. Dave Ewert is a Kirtland’s Warbler Program Director and Conservation Specialist with the American Bird Conservancy. He focuses primarily on the conservation of the Kirtland’s Warbler, especially on the Bahamas wintering grounds, and also works on protection of stopover sites for migratory birds in the Great Lakes region, and Great Lakes coastline and island protection. Dr. Ewert received his B.S. from the University of Michigan, and Ph.D. from the City University of New York. His research and conservation projects have taken him to the West Indies, Central and South America, and other travels to Europe and South Africa. He has served on boards of conservation organizations, currently on the Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance, and teaches field ornithology at the University of Michigan Biological Station.

This event is part of the Michigan Audubon Seminar Series. Seminars are free and open to the public. Sessions take place on the second Monday of each month from 7 – 8 p.m. at the Michigan Audubon office located at 2310 Science Parkway, Suite 200, Okemos, MI 48864.