Join the NH Audubon Seacoast Chapter for their in person March program: Woodpeckers: A Unique and Fascinating Family.

Come and hear Dana and Bob Fox tell the fascinating story about the woodpecker family of birds. With 233 species in the world, they are found almost worldwide where trees are abundant. They can’t sing like some other birds, but they certainly can make a lot of noise. They don’t migrate, but survive on a variety of foods. They are the super craftsmen of the bird world using their bill like a chisel. Their four toes hold them vertically firm on a tree while they carve out their spacious homes and find food. We will go a bit deeper to see how this family evolved, their special biology and how they live in difficult locations. Of course, we have come up with some interesting stories about many of the most interesting species that might surprise you.

Dana and Bob Fox both began birding in their youth. They have birded the US (list 750 species) and the world (6500 species) visiting 6 continents and over 40 countries. They have given numerous talks in New England about the birds of countries they have visited and on crows, loons and most recently hummingbirds.

Dana joined the South Shore Bird Club (SSBC) in 1951 when she was 12 years old. She has spent most summers in Tuftonboro, NH where she became fascinated by loons. The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) presented her with their Spirit of the Loon Award. She is a past Secretary of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Past President of the Merrimack Valley Bird Club and frequent speaker. She has written articles on birding and crows in the American Birding Association’s Birding magazine and one on the Lawrence Crow Roost in Bird Observer. Dana coordinates the Tin Mountain Conservation Group’s Loon Monitoring Project for LPC and helps to train the LPC summer biologists on interacting with volunteers.

Bob, as a student at Harvard and living in Quincy, MA, was an early leader of the SSBC. With Allan Keith, a former member of the SSBC, he co-authored, Birds of New Hampshire, a 477 page book describing the status and distribution of birds known from NH (2013). He has published in Auk and Wilson Bulletin, written species accounts for the first MA Breeding Bird Atlas as well as articles in publications of both NH and Mass Audubon Societies. His MA species list is 451. In the past, Bob collected specimens for five museums including the Museum of Comparative Zoology. In addition, he helped found Manomet Bird Observatory, and is past President of South Shore Bird Club. He received the Goodhue-Elkins Award (2014) from NH Audubon for “contributions to the ornithology of NH.”

The Seacoast Chapter meets monthly on the second Wednesday except the months of July and August unless there is a special program. Refreshments are served at 7pm and the meetings begin at 7:30pm unless otherwise noted (entrance doors locked at 7:45pm). The public is welcome free of charge. 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, (603) 332-4093 or danielhubbard@peoplepc.com. Cancellations will be posted on The Seacoast Chapter website.