Rob Bierregaard, pictured here with an osprey, will talk
about the birds on July 28 in Lewes. Photo by Dick Jennings
The life and journey of ospreys is the feature of the University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies’ (CMES’) next Ocean Currents Lecture event.
The free lecture will take place Monday, July 28, 2008, at 7 p.m. in Room 104 of the Cannon Laboratory at the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus on Pilottown Road in Lewes.
Richard “Rob” Bierregaard, assistant professor in the University of North Carolina’s Biology Department, will present the lecture. Bierregaard has studied birds of prey around the world, including throughout the United States and in the Amazon and Mexico. He began studying the osprey population on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., in 1969.
In recent years, he has begun using satellite transmitters to track annual migration of ospreys from their breeding grounds to wintering areas in the Caribbean and Central and South America. These efforts have included several birds from coastal Delaware.
“Birds of prey have always fascinated me,” he said.
His lecture will highlight the life of the species when they are young. It also will explore the natural history of ospreys, their migration, the dangers they face, conservation efforts, and the various tools, including satellite transmitters, used to study the birds.
“Everybody loves ospreys and people get really attached to them,” he said. “Learning about ospreys and increasing people’s understanding of them makes them more devoted to protecting the species and their environment.”
To learn more about Bierregaard’s research, visit www.bioweb.uncc.edu/bierregaard.
Light refreshments are provided at the event, which is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. For reservations or to check dates, times, and topics of upcoming lectures, contact CMES’ Peggy Conlon at peggy@udel.edu or 302-645-4279. You can also visit the CMES web site at www.ocean.udel.edu and click on Workshop, Seminar, Lecture, and Event Schedules.
The final event in the Ocean Currents Lecture Series this year will take place Aug. 21, and will cover scientific exploration with ships and submersible robots. Be sure to check the CMES web site for details.
For more about UD’s College of Marine and Earth Studies, visit www.ocean.udel.edu.