Calendar of Events
Understanding and Learning the Birds of Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa
Our counties, cities and backyards are filled with a stunning variety of birds. These creatures play important roles in our ecosystem and provide beauty, song and personality to our everyday lives and environments. This four-week forum presented by Associate Professor of Biology Jesse Ellis will introduce the bird populations that inhabit and migrate through eastern Iowa and provide knowledge and resources to begin learning bird identification. We will learn about the permanent winged residents of our area, seasonal visitors and those that choose to breed here, as well as the major habitat types that influence which species we see. The first session in the series will focus on the birds of our area who are year-round residents and winter visitors. We will offer an introduction to the biogeography of Iowa and Cedar Rapids, including its major habitat types of woods, water and grassland, and its most common year-round and winter resident birds and how those creatures survive the winter. In week two, we will turn to migration and migratory birds. This session will explain why and which birds migrate and how migrating birds use our local habitats. Week three will highlight summer breeding birds, including surveying which species breed in our area and the basics of territoriality, mate choice and nesting behaviors. The series will culminate in week four with communication and conservation. We will learn how and why birds communicate, how we can identify birds by their songs and calls, which areas of Cedar Rapids and eastern Iowa are important hotspots for birds and how we can conserve such areas. Throughout the series, participants will learn some ornithology of the species that live in and move through our area as well as the basics of identifying birds, the challenges of identifying certain birds and the joys of getting to know the feathered friends who share our environment.
Thursday Forum is held in Kesler Auditorium on the first floor of Hickok Hall. Each weekly session begins with registration and refreshments from 8:45-9:15 AM, followed by the lecture until 11:30 AM. The presentations blend lecture, media such as film and music, and discussion.
Admission to each four-week forum series is $40. Admission to individual lectures and one- and two-week forums is $12 per week. Admission includes the lecture and morning refreshments of coffee, tea and pastries. Payment can be made in person on Thursday mornings by cash or personal check. Credit card payments can be processed by registering online in advance at www.coe.edu/thursday-forum. For more information, visit the Thursday Forum website or call 319.399.8523.
In the event of inclement weather, consult local media outlets to find out if the day’s forum will take place.