Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to disappear?  Birds need sleep as much as we do, and they have evolved unique sleep habits to match their intensely energetic lifestyle.  Instead of long stretches of obliviousness, they sleep in short bouts of several seconds or a few minutes, waking up to look around for danger, and then going back to sleep.  To increase their vigilance, birds can sleep, shutting off only half their brain and one eye at a time, leaving them able to respond instantly to any alarm.  The social habits of sleeping birds are also distinctive.  Most are solitary, some sleep in pairs or families, while others gain advantages of warmth, safety, and even social needs like finding a mate, by joining in flocks, not to mention guidance on where to get breakfast the next day.     

Join Roger Pasquier on September 16 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM for a member webinar about birds and sleep.

To register for the webinar log into your member account and got to Member Resources.

Roger Pasquier is an associate in the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History.   His career has been in ornithology and in conservation, at BirdLife International, World Wildlife Fund-US, Environmental Defense Fund, and National Audubon Society.  He is the author of several books on birds.  Roger is a native New Yorker.  His favorite birding places are Central Park and the Peruvian rainforest, and he enjoys his occasional visits to Mount Auburn.

Book cover: Birds at Rest by Roger Pasquier

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

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Upcoming Field Trips

The Quiet Beauty of Birding at Winthrop Beach

Winthrop - DCR Winthrop Beach Reservation - Sturgis St 59 Winthrop Shore Drive, Winthrop, MA, United States

Join DCR park staff for a leisurely walk across sandy stretches and areas of loose rocks at this Massachusetts State Reservation, a well-known hot spot for birdwatching. We'll be on the lookout for shorebirds, waterbirds, and gulls. Binoculars are recommended. Suitable for adults and children ages 8 and up (with an accompanying adult). Sponsored by [...]

Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

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All the nesting birds will still be around, with good views of young out of the nest being fed by parents: Veery, Indigo Bunting, Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Bobolink, Wood Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, and Warblers. Expect to walk about 2 miles on trails through meadow and woods with some steep sections. Heavy rain cancels [...]

Birch Hill WMA

Royalston - Birch Hill WMA Royalston, MA, United States

Includes three to five miles of walking relatively flat terrain. Might include some bushwacking. Driving on hard packed dirt roads. Co-sponsored with the Athol Bird & Nature Club.

Southwick WMA

Southwick WMA - Suffield WMA entrance Point Grove Road, Suffield, CT, United States

We will hike the fields focusing on grassland breeders, particularly Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow.

Millennium Park

Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United States

Join the Brookline Bird Club in collaboration with Boston Nature Center to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds.Target birds include bobolinks, egrets, flycatchers, grosbeaks, herons, owls, rails, ravens, sandpipers, swallows & swifts, vultures, warblers, and woodpeckers. Birders of all levels will enjoy this trip. The [...]

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