LCAS presents “Birds of the Aleutians”
Bob Martinka will present “Birds of the Aleutians” this Tuesday, February 19th, at 7:00 p.m. in the L&C Library large meeting room. The event is sponsored by the Last Chance Audubon Society and is free and open to the public.
The Aleutians are an arc of islands that extend westward approximately 1100 miles from southwest Alaska toward Russia.
In 2006 the avian bird flu was spreading through Asia. There was mounting concern as to when and where the virus would first enter North America. Numerous monitoring plans were implemented including extensive sampling of birds in the outer Aleutian Islands. Bob was fortunate to be selected as a volunteer to assist in the monitoring of birds as they migrated from Asia through this region of Alaska. For three weeks in September 2006 he was stationed on Shemya Island, very near Attu Island, which is the farthest west island in the Aleutian Chain. This has become a hallowed place for avid birders due to the Asian rarities that temporarily immigrate to the U.S. there.
Bob’s presentation will cover his experiences with monitoring, some of the history of the area, and birding in this remote portion of the world.
Bob retired from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks after 30 years as a wildlife biologist and administrator. In 2007 he celebrated his 40th year as a permanent resident of Montana. Among the many interests and activities he currently pursues, birding and photography have come to dominate his time. He is a board member of Last Chance Audubon and keeps track of bird comings and goings in the Helena area.