Sacramento Bird Alliance’s General Meeting includes a Monthly Speaker event that focuses on birds and/or the natural world. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month, September through May (except in November and December).

Past programs have included presentations on Yellow-billed Magpies, exotic bird locations, and conservation. Since September 2020 most of these presentations have been recorded. If you missed any of these past presentations, links to the recorded presentations are below.

Upcoming Speaker Presentations

Speaker presentation will be back in January 2027. Check back for more information.

Past Speaker Presentations

Since September 2020, Sacramento Bird Alliance has recorded most of their monthly speaker presentations. Click on the link provided to watch these presentations on YouTube.

2026 Programs

September 2026
The Wonders of Oak Galls at Effie Yeaw
Presented by Rachel Cowan

May 2026
The Art of Avian Imagery
Presented by Michele McCormick
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/U8kVSQPgWcU

March 2026
Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers
Presented by Paul Bannick

January 2026
Climate Change and the Birds of the Zuni Mountains Region of New Mexico
Presented by John Trochet, M.D.
Due to technical difficulties John’s presentation to Sacramento Audubon was not recorded. John and Bird Alliance of Central Mexico generously shared this link to the program John presented for them on February 19, 2026.
Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgVNXIyIQ4k

2025 Programs

October 2025
Status and Conservation of the Purple Martin in California in 2025
Presented by Dan Airola
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/Q9ckjtfsnwY

September 2025
Three Decades at the Bufferlands
Presented by Chris Conard
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/Hr9yhlFHCOg

May 2025
The Waterbird Habitat Project: Addressing a Decades-Long Problem on the American River
Presented by Dr. Willey
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/3ItXcCjBQXU

April 2025
Bushy Lake Restoration Project
Presented by Dr. Michelle Stevens, Dereck Goodwin-Martinez, and Joel Craven
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/BRrxPQ8PYGM

March 2025
Birds of the California Delta
Presented by Aaron Talbot
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/KPNuh7gYkjo

February 2025
Sparrows – The Masters of Bird Song
Presented by Ed Pandolfino

January 2025 Speaker Presentation
Sacramento Waterfowl and Salmon Sharing the Floodplain
Presented by Cliff Feldheim
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/le9y5Uoqsyc

2024 Programs

November 2024 Speaker Presentation
The November General Meeting and Speaker Presentation was canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

October 2024 Speaker Presentation
Raptor Quest: Chasing America’s Raptors
Presented by Scott Harris
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/NuuEqyVQUCs

September 2024 Speaker Presentation
Colombia: South America’s Birding Mecca
Presented by Benny Isaac Jacobs-Schwartz
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/7DdD-umhbUA

May 2024 Speaker Presentation
Amazing Adaptations: How Birds Cope with Hardship
Presented by: Jamie Cornelius
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/6qHyZNw-apM

April 2024 Speaker Presentation
Falkland Islands
Presented by: Michele McCormick
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/6h6NKbjRf50

March 2024 Speaker Presentation
Magnificent India
Presented by: Andy Engilis
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/e4_6fOjlfM4

February 2024 Speaker Presentation
South America: Diversity and Rare Birds
Presented by: John Sterling

January 2024 Speaker Presentation
Birding Above the Artic Circle
Presented by Glyn and Sylvia Dawson
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/pnE9sLGu9b0

2023 Programs

November 2023 Speaker Presentation
Monarch Butterflies - A Conservation Opportunity for Native Species
Presented by Melissa Burns
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/-6yR3Jq4CMg

October 2023 Speaker Presentation
From Sea to Summit: The Marvelous Hummingbird
Presented by Benny Isaac Jacobs-Schwartz
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/mpbFM5WGSU0

September 2023 Speaker Presentation
The Language of Birds
Presented by Nathan Pieplow
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/qilaNEATcUQ

May 2023 Speaker Presentation
Understanding Common Raven Behavior and Movement to Protect Western Snowy Plovers
Presented by: Janelle Chojnacki
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/GnG_SsRWJZk

April 2023 Speaker Presentation
Cancelled

March 2023 Speaker Presentation
A 27 Year Wildflower Journey: The Making of Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change
Presenters: Rob Badger and Nina Winter
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/GnG_SsRWJZk

February 2023 Speaker Presentation
Papua New Guinea
Presenter: Chris Conard
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/MO-a3S941S4

January 2023 Speaker Presentation
Presentation by Jonelle Mason of Project Learning Tree
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/Pp0cnrmay-c

2022 Programs

November 2022 Speaker Presentation
Birds of Belize
Presented by Richard Cimino
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/aY2uId0pzVQ

October 2022 Speaker Presentation
Multiple Lines of Evidence Indicate Survival of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Louisiana
Presented by John Trochet
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/4F-PfPQwfYg

September 2022 Speaker Presentation
CalTrout: Fish and Bird Management and Conservation
Presented by Cliff Feldheim and Molly Ancel
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/7aBAh5FCgwI

May 2022 Speaker Presentation
Following the Scent of Avian Olfaction
Presented by Dr. Gabrielle Nevitt
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/QFRV9IfJgaI

April 2022 Speaker Presentation
Desert Exploration, Desert Birding
Presented by: Chris Conard
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/YmMc3_uEsbw

March 2022 Speaker Presentation
International Bird Rescue
Presented by: JD Bergeron, IBR

February 2022 Speaker Presentation
Birding the Capital: A nature photographer’s exploration of bird life across Sacramento and its regional parks
Presented by Jamieson Scott
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/GaKYi2axS4w

January 2022 Speaker Presentation
Successful Backyard Nestboxes
Presented by Mike Azevedo and Georgette Howington of the California Bluebird Recovery Program
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/GaKYi2axS4w

2021 Programs

November 2021 Speaker Presentation
A Galápagos Adventure
Presented by Susan Goodrich
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/MTNndQzqkuU

October 2021 Speaker Presentation
Breeding Birds of Sacramento: A Tale of Two Atlases and Three Decades of Change Presented by: Ed Pandolfino
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/cGpyKtSsfAM

September 2021 Speaker Presentation
How to Photograph Birds
Presented by: William J. Carroll III
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/Vq1U83vrPPg

May 2021 Speaker Presentation
Populations and Habitat of the Yellow-billed Magpie in Sacramento
Presented by: Dan Airola
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/pxUKdKHU98w

April 2021 Speaker Presentation
In Search of Meadowlarks
Presented by: John Marzloff
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/pxUKdKHU98w

March 2021 Speaker Presentation
Learning to Fight the Climate Crisis
Presented by: Susan Schneider
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/-vRwRQhYwpg

February 2021 Speaker Presentation
Tricolored Blackbird Conservation
Presented by: Xerónimo Castañeda
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/VMLtLVzBB4g

January 2021 Speaker Presentation
Sierra Pollinators
Presented by: Helen Loffland
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/Op2DmN8Z4vQ

2020 Programs

November 2020 Speaker Presentation
Biking for Birds: 365 days, 18,000 miles, 618 species, 1 amazing adventure
Presented by: Dorian Anderson
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/gBsx2hZwBJw

October 2020 Speaker Presentation
My Favorite Bird
Presented by: David Yee
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/NiJb8vr_69M

September 2020 Speaker Presentation
Southern Ecuador: In Search of Rare, Local, and New Species
Presented by: Vayun Tiwari
Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/NiJb8vr_69M