A recording of a presentation hosted by Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society (DOAS) on Friday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Elm Park Church in Oneonta, NY (and on Zoom) , “The Nature of a World Cruise” with DOAS members Kathryn and Al Davino.
In order to escape the winter cold of 2024, Kathryn and Al Davino did a rather unusual thing and booked a world cruise. On January 6, they boarded the Viking Sky in Los Angeles and sailed 30,872 nautical miles by the time they disembarked in Greenwich, England, 120 days later on May 6. Along the way, Kathryn chronicled their adventures, and she has compiled a photo slideshow presentation of the fascinating plants and animals that they encountered along the way.
There were frequent dolphins and flying fish accompanying the vessel, and interesting plant forms like the Cannonball trees in Malaysia and the Baobabs of Africa.
Throughout Indonesia, raptors known as Brahminy Kites were commonly seen, often in large flocks swirling near the water’s edge, and they spent an evening observing a breeding colony of little blue penguins on Phillip Island, near Australia.
There were large flocks of fruit bats hanging like limp black towels in the trees of Sri Lanka, and noisy Sulfur-crested Cockatoos feasting upon Juniper berries in Australia.
In Komodo National Park, the people were the ones restricted to the caged-in walkways, as they walked through the land of the venomous Komodo Dragons. Tourists were warned to tuck away any loose items, like sunglasses and food, while visiting the Batu Cave temples in Malaysia, since the colony of mischievous Long-tailed Macaques found there were adept at thievery. Kathryn found them fascinating to photograph, and she was able to keep all of her belongings. Others in the crowd were not so lucky!
They found the wildlife in Africa to be utterly amazing. Lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, ostriches, and a variety of antelopes were seen, just to name a few.
Join DOAS for this presentation to enjoy the highlights of their trip.
Birds are facing significant population challenges all over the world. Changes in habitat, seasons that are shifting, severe storms, and increased temperatures are all playing a part in an overall decline in numbers. The National Audubon Society is working to find ways to change those trajectories through significant and ambitious goals in conservation from both ends of the spectrum: increasing the chances for successful breeding bird seasons and reducing bird mortality rates.
We hear a good deal about bird-window collisions that occur in urban environments, because really, when you can show pictures of hundreds of bird deaths in a day during migration season, it becomes news. We read about it, we see pictures of it, and in response, we work to find solutions to prevent it from happening again. What we don’t hear about are the average of two birds per residence per year that occur from window strikes in suburban and rural neighborhoods. Although these don’t feel significant in comparison, if you add those numbers up, the deaths of birds as a result are staggering—more than in any city. It is estimated that over 1 billion birds die as a result of window collisions per year in North America. It is considered to be the third highest cause of bird mortality, following habitat loss and predation by domestic cats.
Susan provides an overview of the issues that surround building collisions and actions that can be taken at our homes, businesses, schools, and other public buildings to help reduce the number of bird deaths each year.
Susan O’Handley has been involved with local Audubon chapters for over thirty years and has served on the Board of Directors for the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society since 2012 (ten years as a co-president). Susan also works with the Audubon NY/CT Council Board, which is composed of twenty-seven Audubon chapters in NY State and six chapters in CT. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Audubon NY/CT Regional Office as the Chapter Representative. Susan owns and operates a small digital marketing agency in Hartwick, NY.
