Irruptions of finches from the north in recent years inspired Matthew Young to launch the Finch Research Network (FiRN) in fall 2020. Join us for his lively presentation about redpolls, Evening Grosbeaks, the distribution and ecology of different Red Crossbill flight calls, and the launching of FiRN and its future.

November and December Zoom programs begin at 7:30 pm, but feel free to sign on early after 7 pm to socialize. You may need to download Zoom to attend the program. Please register in advance for this Zoom meeting at the chapter website. You can register right up through the start time. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the program.

Bio: Matthew A. Young, M.S., President and Founder of the Finch Research Network (FiRN): Matt has been observing and enjoying nature since a very young age. He’s lived in Central New York the past 23 years and it was during this time, when he’s worked as a social worker for 10 years, that he really started studying everything from birds to orchids, and bogs and fens. Matt received his B.S in Water Resources with a minor in Meteorology from SUNY-Oneonta and his M.S. in Ornithology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry/Syracuse University in 2003. Matt did his masters research on avian diversity in restored wetlands of central New York at the Great Swamp Conservancy. He was a Regional Editor of The Kingbird, the state ornithological journal in New York, for 10 years, was an Adjunct Professor in Environmental Studies at SUNY-Cortland, and currently teaches an Intro to Birding class for Cornell University and is the Board Chair at The Wetland Trust.

He worked at the Cornell Lab across 15+ years where he did extensive field work for the Lab’s Cerulean and Golden-winged Warblers atlas projects, and was project lead on the Lab’s first Finch Irruptive Bird Survey for Bird Source in 1999. He was the Collections Management Leader/Audio Engineer at the Macaulay Library ~12 years where he edited sounds for several Merlin packs around the world in addition to being the lead audio engineer on guides, the Songs of the Warblers of North America, Audubon Society Voices of Hawaii’s Birds, and the Cornell Lab’s Guides to Bird Sounds, the North America Master and Essential Sets. He’s been a tour guide leader for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, written finch species accounts for breeding bird atlases and Birds of the World, has published several papers about the Red Crossbill vocal complex, and is the President and Founder of the Finch Research Network (FiRN). Email: may6@cornell.edu or info@finchnetwork.org.

The Seacoast Chapter meets monthly on the second Wednesday except the months of July and August unless there is a special program. 7 pm social and the meetings begin at 7:30 pm unless otherwise noted (entrance doors locked at 7:45 pm). The public is welcome free of charge. Meetings are held at the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne State Park, Route 1A, Rye, NH. Wheelchair accessible. For more information on chapter programs, please contact: Dan Hubbard, (603) 332-4093 or danielhubbard@peoplepc.com. Cancellations will be posted on The Seacoast Chapter web site: http://www.seacoastchapter.org.