The Aquatic World of Penguins - Biology of Fish-Birds
2026-05-14 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Aquatic World of Penguins – Biology of Fish-Birds
Thursday, May 14, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Speaker: David Ainley
Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series.
Topic:
Centuries ago, when penguins were first encountered by European explorers, they were not thought to be birds but rather a fish-like relative. Subsequent accumulation of knowledge has shown penguins to be an avian species with unrivaled aquatic attributes owing to a number of evolutionary adaptations. David Ainley will introduce us to the incredible aquatic nature of these creatures, highlighting the foraging ecology and marine lives of penguins.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. David Ainley is a senior Avian ecologist at H. T. Harvey & Associates. He is one of the most published marine scientists globally and has received numerous awards for his research. David has studied all aspects of marine ecosystems, including seabird ecology, for more than 40 years. He has led annual research on marine birds and mammals in Antarctica for more than 35 years and has conducted research for more than 20 years on the distribution of birds and mammals at sea on the West Coast of the United States and in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Photo Credit: Emperor Penguins
By David Ainley

Birding the Southern Oceans and Antarctica
2026-06-11 19:00 - 21:00
Birding the Southern Oceans and Antarctica
Thursday, June 11, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Speaker: Alvaro Jaramillo
Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series.

Topic:
There is no greater wilderness than the Southern Ocean! Between Antarctica and the southern points of the continents, there are islands with hundreds of thousands of penguins, millions of prions (a small seabird) and astounding numbers of fur seals, elephant seals and whales.

Alvaro will talk about some of the wonderful birds and wildlife of the subantarctic islands of New Zealand, as well as South America. Places like South Georgia, the Chatham Islands, Macquarie and of course the Antarctic Peninsula.
Speaker Bio:
Alvaro Jaramillo, owner of international birding tour company Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution studying the co-evolution in cowbirds. He has published several books and field guides, including the Birds of Chile, a major New World sparrow chapter for Birds of the World, and the ABA Field Guide to Birds of California. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips in central California. He now lives with his family in Picton, Ontario, Canada.
Photo Credit: Royal Penguin
By Alvaro Jaramillo
