Thursday, January 22, 2026. Zoom only. Zoom link.

Understanding Bird Songs

Speaker: David Lucas

Since the dawn of time, humans have been fascinated and inspired by bird songs. But how do we study bird songs today, and what have these studies taught us about the world of bird song? In this talk, we will explore how and why birds sing, and how we study bird songs as a way of understanding what they are saying to each other. This talk will open a new world for you because bird songs and vocalizations are a huge part of how birds interact with each other, and they are one of the most important ways we appreciate birds.

David Lukas is a well-known speaker, writer, and naturalist who has led thousands of walks, talks, classes, workshops, and tours, including more than ten years working as a hiking guide and educator in Yosemite National Park. David has written seven books and contributed chapters to another forty books on a wide range of bird and nature topics, including Sierra Nevada Birds, Sierra Nevada Natural History, and Language Making Nature (www.languagemakingnature.com). David’s most recent project is producing the Lukas Guides Newsletter, a weekly nature newsletter at www.lukasguides.com.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukasguides/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.lukas.735
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidLukas

A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers 

Speaker: Paul Bannick

Woodpeckers are the heart of North American forests in many ways. Their distinctive drumming sounds out a familiar rhythm, while their presence supports owls and a myriad other creatures. They have evolved in ways that make them ecologically critical to forest health, serving as keystone species in a variety of wooded habitats across the continent.

In this new presentation, which accompanies the release of his new book, Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers, Paul explores the often secret lives of woodpeckers from Alaska’s boreal forests to the oak woodlands of the West and Midwest and from the ribbon of Ponderosa Pine habitats that stretches from British Columbia through much of the Western states until they transition in southern Arizona to the Sierra Madre pine-oak that forms the spine of Mexico. Paul also explores the diversity in arid ecosystems straddling the US-Mexico border and the wet tropical habitats from Florida through the Caribbean Islands and southeastern Mexico.

Through first-hand experiences, more than 200 never-before published photographs and the latest science, Paul examines woodpeckers in every season: their courtship and nest selection in spring; life in the nest during summer; fledging and gaining independence in autumn; and the challenges of surviving the winter.

Paul also takes a closer look at the most important woodpecker habitats in North America and what we can do to protect them.

Paul Bannick is an award-winning author and photographer who makes images to inspire education and conservation. He is the author and photographer of five books including two best-selling bird books, Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls and The Owl and The Woodpecker: Encounters with North America’s Most Iconic Birds.

Paul’s photography has won awards from prestigious contests, including those hosted by Audubon Magazine and the International Conservation Photography Awards. It is also featured in many bird guides, including those from Audubon, Peterson, and The Smithsonian.

Paul serves as a Director for Conservation Northwest, a Seattle based conservation non-profit. Read more about Paul’s new book, Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers, here. Visit Paul’s website, here.

A female Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis) greets her mate at the entrance to their nest cavity. The two look very similar except for the female’s (foreground) dark markings on her forehead. Photo: Paul Bannick.

A male Gilded Flicker greets his mate as she arrives to share pollen from a Saguaro blossom. Displays of the colorful undersides of males or females are less intense after the period of courtship and establishing territories is complete. Photo: Paul Bannick.

Red-tailed Hawk, adult, photo: George Vlahakis

Nashville Warbler, male, photo: Ellen Stepniewski

The following programs and videos can be found here:  YVAS Facebook page. At the top of the Facebook page, click on “More.” A drop down menu will appear. Click on Videos.

2025

January 23, 2025 – Exploring Madagascar’s Otherwordly Wildlife – Jason Fedorra

2024

March 28, 2024 – Whose Track is That? Exploring for Wildlife Sign – Deborah K. Essman
April 25, 2024 – Tropical Wildlife and Conservation,  Peru and Kenya – Eric Heisey

2023

October 26, 2023 –Bluebird Country – Karen Zook
August 24, 2023 – Travels in Africa – Deborah Essman
May 25 , 2023 – Nutcrackers and Whitebark Pine – Taza Schaming
March 23, 2023 – Wild America 2022 – Andy Stepniewski
February 23, 2023 – Woodpeckers 2 – Denny Granstrand
January 26, 2023 – Madagascar – Eric Heisey

2022

December 8, 2022 – Forests and People – Ken Bevis
October 27, 2022 – Tahoma’s Biggest Stories – Jeff Antonelis-Lapp
September 22, 2022 – White-headed Woodpeckers – 20 years of Research in WA – Jeff Kozma
August 25 ,2022 – The Secret Life of the Deserts of the Pacific NW – Mike Denny
May 26, 2022 – Yakima Valley Audubon’s Vredenburgh Bluebird Trail Marks its 40th Year! – Andy Stepniewski
March 24, 2022 – Bird’s Eye View – Gina Roberti
February 24, 2022 – Westport Seabirds – Bill Tweit