Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Chautauqua soars into its 11th year

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

This post was written by Morgan, 2012 Policy Coordinator.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted a record number of nature enthusiasts who flocked to Lee Vining for the 11th annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua.

Quick, everyone look over here! Photo by Rose Catron.

Two hundred and sixty-three nature appreciators of all ages attended over 80 field trips, workshops, and presentations. There were plenty of walks focused on bird appreciation, but plant, flower, dragonfly, butterfly, mammal, geology, astronomy, photography, art, nature journaling, and story-telling events were also very popular.

Hannah Hinchman’s field sketching class wind their way through a meadow in Lee Vining Canyon. Photo by Elin Ljung.

New this year, celebrated author Hannah Hinchman brought her expertise in illuminated field journals to the Chautauqua. During two afternoon field trips, she encouraged budding nature journalists to explore the fantastic network of events and dramas happening all around us in nature. Participants each took time on their own to make a collection of small drawings, little moments from a day in the field.

Hannah’s engaging approach to teaching is guided by her own keen depth of observation. Her insightful attention to minute detail challenges participants to look deeper and see familiar sights in entirely new ways.

Also new this year was master falconer Joe Roy III, who delighted young and old with his  charismatic presentations and incredible depth of knowledge. Joe’s accessible descriptions of avian adaptations came alive with appearances from a variety of captive-born birds including a Homing Pigeon, Talkative Parrot, Peregrine Falcon, Arctic Gyrfalcon, and Eagle Owl.

Third-generation falconer Joe Roy III educates and entertains with the help of a captive-born Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo). Photo by Erik Lyon.

For 11 years now, the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua has been a successful eco-tourism event in the Eastern Sierra, filling local motels to the brim and bringing income to Lee Vining businesses. A special thank you to all of the event organizers, partners, presenters, and volunteers for helping to make the 11th annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua a success. We couldn’t do it without you.

Looking for birds beneath Mount Dana. Photo by Rose Catron.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 12th annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua: June 14–16, 2013.

One comment

  1. We really enjoyed meeting Joe Roy, III and his bird friends. His presentation was so interesting and entertaining. We hope he will return next year. Thank you!