Week of Events
“The Warden” – Mill Valley Film Festival Streaming Event
Marin Audubon Society is partnering with the Mill Valley Film Festival to present “The Warden (De Vogelwachter)"
On the deserted beach of tiny Benty Island, the warden (Freek de Jonge in a wonderfully understated solo turn) follows a strict daily routine at the bird sanctuary he has overseen, alone, for decades. With the same precision as his beloved grandfather clock, he monitors the flocks of resident and migrating sea and shore birds that are his only companions and his constant source of wonderment. But everything in his world shifts tectonically when he learns that his post will be shut down. The warden must find a way to resist his fate—but how? Writer-director Threes Anna (The Bird Can’t Fly, MVFF31) captures the quiet joys of solitude and self-imposed isolation in a beautiful film allegory that fits the pandemic era we have now entered—and offers a glimpse of what joy there is to find oneself, after so long alone, face to face with another human being and kindred spirit.
Online Birding: The Natural History of Osprey in Marin County: Colonization and Population Growth
Online Birding: The Natural History of Osprey in Marin County: Colonization and Population Growth
Zoom Program - CLICK HERE to signup
Start Date: Wednesday: October 21, 2020
Time: 7 PM to 8:30 PM
With Jules Evens
Since the establishment of a nesting colony of Osprey at Kent Lake beginning in the mid-1960’s, the local population grew exponentially, at least over the next three decades. Beginning in the mid-1990’s, the numbers leveled off and then began to decline somewhat. This presentation will trace the dynamics of that founding population, discuss the reasons for its local decline as well as the population’s expansion in the greater Bay Area.
Born and raised in New England, Jules lived with his family and worked as a wildlife biologist in western Marin County for over three decades. He currently lives in coastal Oregon but returns to Marin for field work and friendships. His primary research focuses on tidal wetlands, avian population trends, and species at-risk. He has written three California Natural History Guides: The Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula (3rd ed. 2008), An Introduction to California Birdlife with Ian Tait (2005), and Birds of the Northern California Coast with Rich Stallcup (2014).
Photo Credit: Dave Strauss