Adams County Amish Bird Symposium
Click here: Registration Opens January 1, 2025

Symposium Presentations
The Hidden History of Warblers, Kenn Kaufman
The many species of small, colorful warblers are popular with birders, providing some of the peak excitement of spring migration. But they have a complicated history. Two centuries ago the American warbler family hadn’t been defined yet, and naturalists were identifying some of the warblers as flycatchers, creepers, titmice, or thrushes. The females, males, and fall plumages of some warblers look so different from each other that they were originally described and named as separate species. Even after these were figured out, some warblers wound up with misleading names because of old mistakes, some hybrids have caused confusion for years, and at least one mysterious warbler vanished for no obvious reason. Kenn Kaufman has been studying this fascinating history, and in this talk, he’ll present some highlights. The program draws on his most recent book, A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration(2019), but most of it is based on a chapter from his forthcoming book, The Birds That Audubon Missed, scheduled for release in late spring 2024.

Kenn Kaufman burst onto the birding scene as a teenager in the 1970s, hitch-hiking all over North America in pursuit of birds, an adventure later chronicled in his cult-classic book Kingbird Highway. After several years as a tour leader, taking birding groups to all seven continents, he transitioned to a career as a writer, editor, and illustrator. He has authored or co-authored 13 books, including seven titles in his own series, Kaufman Field Guides. Currently, Kenn is a field editor for Audubon, a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society, and the only person to have received the American Birding Association’s lifetime achievement award twice.

A Celebration of Bird Song, Wil Hershberger
Wil Hershberger has been an avid naturalist most of his life. After becoming an accomplished and well-respected birder, photography skills learned in his Dad’s basement darkroom were rekindled. Today his photography has become an extension of his passion for the natural world. He has an innate ability to capture the natural world artistically. Wil is also an accomplished nature sounds recordist with over 5,100 recordings, including birds and bugs, which are archived at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds. Wil’s images and sounds have been published in books, calendars, and in museum exhibits around the US. Through his photography and sound recordings, he hopes to instill in others the desire to protect and save these sacred natural treasures.

We’ll examine some of the songs in detail by slowing them down with visual displays to help us “see” what they are hearing. We’ll explore what the birds are conveying to one another and other fascinating aspects of bird communication that are being revealed in the current literature. We will also explore the wonders of the Merlin Bird ID online app.

From Rescue to Release – Rehabilitating Local Birds of Prey, Marc Alverson
This presentation will provide an overview of RAPTOR Incorporated, including our mission, volunteers, facilities, and history. In addition, we will discuss how we care for injured birds of prey – from their admission, evaluation, treatment, and finally, release back to the wild.

How did an electrical engineer who worked as an engineer and program manager for a defense contractor building radio systems get involved with saving raptors? Easy – I was drafted. My wife, Cindy Alverson, the Executive Director of RAPTOR, Inc. immediately wanted to get involved with rehabilitating raptors as soon as she found out about the organization and she asked me to help. Today, I am currently serving on RAPTOR Inc.’s Board of Trustees.

For the Love of Birds, Marty Dermody
S. Marty Dermody, SC is the current Director of the Spirituality Center for the Sisters of Charity and loves sharing her work of photography and watching birds. She is an avid birder (birdwatcher) and enjoys sharing her knowledge with those willing to learn. She enjoys spending time in the woods, lakes and ponds looking for a variety of bird species that live in various habitats. Birding is her passion and she looks forward to sharing her knowledge and love of birds with others.