Join SCAS for our March Meeting: Andy Bankert's Life in the Arctic

Every summer millions of birds migrate to the arctic tundra of the far north to breed. Many shorebirds which are familiar to birders along their migration routes perform bizarre courtship displays, changing our impressions of these incredible creatures. Semipalmated Sandpipers make noises like a UFO and Buff-breasted Sandpipers throw their wings in the air to impress females. All four of the world’s species of eiders breed along with many other ducks in the tundra’s marshes. The Arctic Ocean also provides an important staging area for seabirds, some of which will follow the perpetual daylight to the Antarctic during our winter. Lifelong Floridian Andy Bankert will share some of the sights and impressions from his travels to the cold western Alaskan arctic. This talk will range from the small lemmings that drive life on the tundra to the Snowy Owls that hunt lemmings through the summer, from the shorebirds that travel the globe to the Eskimos who find everything required for life within a few miles of town.