Pr
ogram Meeting Tuesday Oct 27
Thailand is For the Birds
Local birder, photographer, and amateur naturalist Forest Tomlinson will share highlights from his recent journey through Thailand in a presentation that takes audiences on an exploration of the country’s extraordinary biological diversity.
This program is for anyone interested in birds, wildlife, photography, travel, or the natural world. Whether you are an experienced birder or simply curious about the extraordinary creatures of Southeast Asia, Forest’s photographs and stories promise an entertaining and visually rich journey into the wilds of Thailand.
His presentation will feature photographs and stories from the field, with special attention to some of the region’s most sought-after birds—including pheasants, broadbills, and pittas—as well as the remarkable reptiles and colorful butterflies encountered along the way. For birders, few sights are more exciting than a pheasant disappearing into the forest or a brilliantly colored pitta emerging from the shadows of the understory. Forest will share the challenges, surprises, and rewards of searching for these elusive species, along with the landscapes and people that madethe journey memorable.
“Thailand is one of those places where you never quite know what you’re going to find around the next corner,” says Forest. “You can be searching the forest for a pitta or pheasant one moment and find yourself completely distracted by a spectacular butterfly, an unusual reptile, or some other creature you’ve never seen before. That sense of discovery is what makes traveling for wildlife so rewarding.”
Forest is a retired school teacher who started birding in 1986. He has traveled extensively in Central and South America and many places in the southwestern Pacific and had a camera at his side for the past twelve years. Forest has presented programs for many local bird groups as well as two earlier for the Coast to Cascades Bird Alliance. He is well known for producing professional programs to show his spectacular photographs and illuminating stories.
Please join your friends on October 27, Tuesday, at 7 pm at the Campbell Center, 155 High Street in Eugene. Doors open at 6:30; the program begins at 7.
It can also be viewed over a Zoom link which will be available here about one week before the event. It will be recorded and viewable on our website about a week later.
Upcoming Programs
November 24 will be the date for Thomas Meinzen’s presentation about birding by bicycle. Thomas has been adding many miles to his tires and many birds to his life list via his bicycle. His two-wheeled perspective on birding is becoming a new trend. You will be amazed at how far he has traveled to see birds on a bike.
On December 11 we will be sharing a joint program with the Eugene Natural History Society. Nolan Clements will provide us with “A 50-Year Snapshot of Change in Oregon Coast Range Bird Communities.”
Coast to Cascades Bird Alliance presents Program Meetings the 4th Tuesday of the month from January – May and September – December.
The following is a list of the programs from 2020 to the present. To view the videos, click on the year.
In September 2020 the programs were presented on Zoom and recorded and made available for viewing on YouTube. The practice continued after in-person meetings resumed in 2021.
2026
1/27/2026 Debbie Schlenoff — How Not to Get Eaten
2/24/2026 Tom Titus — Breathless: Celebrating Salamanders
March 2026 Dan Gleason — Colorful Birds: Iridescence and Other Color Attributes
April 2026 Ram Papish — Papua New Guinea: The Best Birds in the World
5/26/26 Marina Richie — Feathered Forest
6/16/26 Rich Hoyer — Brazil’s Cristalino Lodge
9/22/2026 Robert Pitman — Beaked Whales
2025
January 2025 Dennis Arendt — Birding is Good for You
February 2025 Tim Shelmerdine- — Birds of the Ocean
March 2025 Maeve Sowles, Dick Lamster — Our Amazing Swifts
April 2025 Sue Anderson — The Monarch Butterflies’ Journeys
May 2025 Steve Shunk — Living with Woodpeckers
September 2025 Barbara Bryson — From Sod to Songbirds-Habit Haven
October 2025 David Lukas — Understanding Bird Sounds
October 2025 Forest Tomlinson — Birdlife of the South Pacific
November 2025 Magnus Persmark — Birds of the Southern Ocean
2024
January 2024 Magnus Persmark — Borneo: Vignettes of a Vanishing World
February 2024 Dave Kollen – Gardening for the Bees (and the Birds)
March 2024 Ram Papish — Drawing on Nature
April 2024 Tim Griffith — Landscaping for Wildlife in an Urban Environment
May 2024 Sue Anderson — Winged Flowers — A First Look at Butterflies
September 2024 Forest Tomlinson — Endemic Wonderland: Santa Marta Mountains Colombia
October 2024 Ram Papish and Roy Lowe — Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest and Pantanal
November 2024 John Sullivan — Bolivia: Birds, Bugs and Boas
2023
January 2023 John Sullivan and Laura Johnson — An Adventure to Brazil and Argentina
February 2023 Joe Moll — A Confluence of Interests: Nature and People
March 2023 Magnus Persmark — Antarctica and the Sub-Antarctic Islands
April 2023 Marina Richie — Dive Into the World of the Belted Kingfisher
May 2023 Carina Kusaka — Tufted Puffins and Their Oregon Coast Habitat
September 2023 Sarah Merkle — Birdability = Birding and Accessibility
October 2023 Steve Shunk — Tongues, Toes & Tales of Oregon Woodpeckers
November 2023 Tim Griffith — Birding the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
2022
January 2022 Pepper Trail — Fighting Crime with Feathers: From a Forensic Ornithologist
February 2022 Vjera Thompson — eBird Tools – Terrific Technologies
March 2022 Magnus Persmark — Three Weeks in Southern Ecuador
April 2022 Bruce Newhouse — Native Pollinators and Native Plants
May 2022 Bob Fleming — The Himalayas
September 2022 Bill Sullivan — Hiking Trails of the Pacific Northwest
October 2022 Mary Coolidge — Back to the Night: Why Preserving the Stars Is Not Just for the Birds
November 2022 Ram Papish — The Reverse Bucket List: How I Learned to Love Alligator Farms
December 2022 Eugene Natural History Society — The Winter Raptor Survey Project
2021
January 2021 Rich Hoyer — Polyglottal Passerines – Mimicry Is Not Just for Mockingbirds
February 2021 Bill Sullivan — New Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades
March 2021 Vjera Thompson — Exploring eBird — An Extravaganza of Resources
April 2021 Nate Senner — Saline Lakes, Flamingos, and Life in Extreme Environments
May 2021 Rick Ahrens — Hawaiian Birds
September 2021 Noah Strycker — The Chinstrap Penguins of Elephant Island
October 2021 Gina Roberti — Birding at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
November 2021 Ram Papish — The Bear Necessities
2020
September 2020 Ken Bevis — Dead Trees: Why We Need Them
October 2020 Janet Essley — All Tied Up in Knots: Seven Years with Calidris canutus
November 2020 Ram Papish — Ultimate Africa