Program Meeting Tuesday Sept. 22
Beaked Whales: Widespread but Least-known Whales
The Coast to Cascades Bird Alliance is presenting a really unusual and superbly interesting program on September 22. You will meet Robert Pitman, a guy who is the new Jacque Cousteau. He travels the world looking for and studying marine mammals, including these almost unheard-of creatures called “beaked whales.” In this talk, we’ll take a deep dive into their weird and wonderful world.
Although beaked whales (Ziphiidae) are common and widespread in all the world’s oceans, few people have ever heard of them, much less seen one. They are the least-known, large animals on the planet, and three species have never been identified alive in the wild. They are also amazingly diverse. With at least 24 described species, they represent one quarter of the world’s known cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises).
About Robert Pitman:
From 1976-2019, Bob worked as a marine ecologist for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service in La Jolla, California. He participated in over 170 scientific research cruises in all the oceans of the world, including more than 30 trips to Antarctica. He has published over 150 papers in the peer-reviewed literature and co-authored two editions of a Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
Bob’s main research interest has been the ecology of killer whales. He led efforts to describe five different ‘ecotypes’ of killer whales from the Southern Ocean, each with their own unique color patterning and different food and foraging habits, and recent genetics analyses suggest that these might, in fact, be separate species. He is an expert on beaked whales, was a member of the expedition that chronicled the extinction of the Yangtze River Dolphin, and has continued to be closely involved in efforts to prevent extinction of the Vaquita Porpoise, now the most critically endangered marine mammal on the planet.
Currently, Bob lives in Newport, Oregon, and is an affiliate of OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute. His wife and colleague, Lisa Ballance, is director of the Institute.
Come to the Campbell Center, 155 High St., Eugene, on September 22. The doors open at 6:30. The program begins at 7:00. There will be a zoom link available on the CCBA website about one week before the event.
Upcoming Programs
On October 27, our own Forest Tomlinson will tell us about his recent birding adventure to Thailand. Forest is always good for photography, stories, and the ups and downs of travel. This will be Forest’s third CCBA program. He never disappoints.
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
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