Pollinator Series: Wednesday, April 27: 7pm – 8:15pm
Join Anusha Shankar, a Rose Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and a National Geographic Explorer and Young Leader who has been studying hummingbirds and their amazing adaptations.
Hummingbirds live fast. They have among the highest metabolic rates of all vertebrates, and must eat constantly to stay alive. Their existence is closely tied to the availability of their food resources – nectar plants and insects. What do hummingbirds do when they can’t see their food plants at night or eat? Do they starve, or perhaps… go into a hibernation-like state? Find out some of the surprising nightlife of hummingbirds!
Bio: Anusha Shankar studies hummingbirds as a Rose Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She is fascinated by hummingbirds’ ability to use a hibernation-like state called torpor to save energy at night. She is investigating how they can get cold (50°F) and rewarm safely every night, without damaging organs like their hearts and brains. During her PhD, Anusha captured hummingbird nightlife with infrared video, and before that tracked king cobras and studied giant birds—hornbills—in India. Anusha is also a National Geographic Explorer and Young Leader and loves mentoring students, dancing salsa, bachata, and swing, and reading fiction.
New Hampshire Audubon Pollinator Speaker Series: Celebrating and Engaging in Pollinator Conservation
Join New Hampshire Audubon for our 2022 Pollinator Webinar series as we celebrate Pollinator Conservation. This series seeks to inspire involvement and engagement in pollinator conservation through close focus programs that will allow participants to gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of pollinators and the plants they depend on. Programs are free to the public, streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live. Presentations are supported by a grant from the Benjamin and Gertrude Couch Trusts.
The Pollinator Series will kick off on Earth Day, Friday April 22 and culminate with a Pollinator BioBlitz at the McLane Center in Concord, NH on June 25.
Photo: Bumblebee pollinating flowers in the McLane gardens (Diane De Luca).