Join the NH Audubon Seacoast Chapter for their October in-person program: Empty Skies: The Decline of Aerial Insectivores in the
Northeast

Aerial insectivores are those birds that feed primarily on insects captured in flight and include nightjars, swifts and swallows. Many of these species, particularly swallows and the Chimney Swift, are experiencing significant population declines both in NH and across the Northeast and sometimes across their entire ranges. This program, presented by Pam Hunt, NH Audubon Avian Conservation Biologist, provides an overview of these species’ biology and population trends with a focus on swallows. What are the threats faced by swallows in the Northeast and what is and can be done to conserve them?

Pam Hunt has been interested in birds since the tender age of 12, when an uncle took her to Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge in NJ. She went on to earn a B.S. in biology from Cornell University, an M.A. in zoology from the University of Montana and, in 1995, a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College. Pam came to NH Audubon in 2000 after five years as adjunct faculty at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH. In her current position as Avian Conservation Biologist, she works closely with NH Fish and Game to coordinate and prioritize bird research and monitoring in the state and also authored NH’s “State of the Birds” report. Specific areas of interest include habitat use by early successional birds (particularly whip-poor-wills), conservation of aerial insectivores, and the effects of events outside the breeding season on long-distance migrants. Pam also coordinated the “NH Dragonfly Survey,” a five-year project that mapped distributions of these insects throughout the state and remains active in the dragonfly field.

In person 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. Cancellations will be posted on the Seacoast Chapter website. To attend remotely, please register in advance for the Zoom program at the chapter website. Zoom programs begin at 7:30 pm, but feel free to sign on early after 7:15 pm to socialize. You can register right up through the start time. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the program.