Meetings & Events

Monthly Meeting - September

New Zealand - An Avian Ark

With Brent Stephenson, PhD
Via Zoom

Wednesday, September 23
6:00 pm (In-person) 6:30 pm (Zoom)

Join ornithologist and birder, Brent Stephenson, for an introduction to New Zealand, its conservation story, and its incredible birds. Isolated for millions of years, New Zealand developed a unique avifauna. When humans first arrived around 800 years ago, they found a group of islands dominated by birds.  Colonisation by Maori and more recently Europeans, has drastically changed the landscape in New Zealand, with significant extinctions, and the country struggles to keep other species from slipping away.  Many conservation success stories can be found, and techniques now used in the conservation of endangered species Worldwide, were developed in New Zealand.  With around 370 species of birds currently forming the New Zealand list, a significant proportion of those are seabirds, not surprising with the landmass adjacent to the Southern Ocean and sub-tropical waters to the north.  Landbirds make up a smaller proportion of the avifauna, but in many cases those that exist are endemic, and found nowhere else on the planet.  Join Brent to discover the unique New Zealand bird families, a diversity of seabirds, and tales of rediscovery and conservation-the Kiwi Way.

Brent Stephenson was born in New Zealand and has been a birder since childhood. He completed his PhD. in 2005, studying the breeding biology of Australasian gannets in New Zealand.  In 2003, along with Sav Saville,  co-owner of their bird-guiding business, he rediscovered the “extinct” New Zealand Storm-Petrel (pictured above),  a bird known previously from only three museum specimens collected during the 1800s.  With support from National Geographic, he led a team conducting further research on this enigmatic seabird.

His passion for travel, birds, and the ocean has led him to many corners of the world, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, working and birding in all seven Continents. Brent's passion and talent for wildlife photography has led to increasing publication of his photos and articles in books and magazines, both within New Zealand and overseas, and more recently submissions with image libraries.  The Birds of New Zealand: A Photographic Guide with co-author Paul Scofield was the culmination of an eight-year project.

In his “spare time” Brent conducts ecological research, conservation work, and co-owns and runs Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ.  Brent divides his time between the East Coast of the United States and the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. His presentation comes to us by Zoom from Vermont.

In-person | 6:00 pm social | 6:30 meeting

If you plan to attend the meeting in person at Alamo Colleges District, 2222 N. Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX 78215 at 6:00 PM, please sign up here .

Zoom | 6:30 pm

You do not need to sign up if you will attend via Zoom.

Click here to Join Zoom Meeting at 6:30 pm

Meeting ID:   813 0414 8307
Passcode:    001461

Find your local number to call in HERE.

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