Skidaway Birds Presentation
Description
Lecturer: Russ Wigh, Landings Resident
Time: Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 4 pm
Location: St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 3 W Ridge Road, Savannah, GA
Landings resident Russ Wigh will discuss Skidaway Island’s bird migration habits and the possible impacts of noise pollution on bird populations here, as part of Skidaway Audubon’s speaker series.
Russ Wigh Biographical Sketch, September 2023
- We are 22-year residents of The Landings following our daughter and her family after 30 years in Atlanta, and we are a part of our three grandchildren’s lives still.
- Fortunate to spend 7 years teaching economics at SCAD as well as volunteering for Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary in the early years in pursuit of pelagic birds. That and private offshore trips allowed me to gather some useful data which altered long-standing views of species abundance and distribution on the South Atlantic Bight of the Atlantic Ocean.
- For over twenty years I have compiled abundance and distribution data of birds on Skidaway Island. And I spent several years surveying, photographing, and recording my observations of wintering Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on the coast of Georgia. More recently I have tried to discover the reasons Eastern Screech-owls are essentially extirpated from the island. In that I also looked at anthropogenic (human-caused) noise as a contributing factor.
- I have spent the last two years revisiting the butterfly distribution on the island.
The presentation is free for members of Friends of Skidaway Audubon (FOSA), and $5 for guests, payable at the door. Attendees are asked to pre-register online.
Skidaway Audubon’s mission is to enhance and conserve Skidaway Island’s natural environment. In addition to implementing a wide variety of projects, it strives to promote environmental awareness through education and outreach. For more information about Skidaway Audubon activities, or to make a much-needed and appreciated donation to help continue these programs, go to SkidawayAudubon.org. Information is also available on the Friends of Skidaway Audubon Facebook page.