Napa-Solano Audubon Speaker Series Presents: Exploring Florida's Birds with Mark Stephenson

April 10, 7PM

About the presentation: 

Mark hadn’t been birding back in Florida since he was a teenager in the 60’s wading through swamps in search of Limpkins, Wood Storks, and flamingos with his brother Tom. His family used to drive down from Ithaca, NY in their Rambler station wagon every couple of years on a Christmas or Spring vacation to visit his grandparents who lived in Brooksville, North of Tampa. During those years they convinced their parents to take them on birding excursions to visit the Everglades, Pine Island, Sanibel Island’s Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and as far South as they could travel down into the Keys. Those were the good old days with plenty of Spoonbills, Wood Storks, and Limpkins to go around.

During the last 2 years he has returned to birding in Florida in April 2024 on the Atlantic side from Orlando to the tip of the Keys. He traveled there again over New Year's 2025 with his siblings for his brother Tom’s 75th birthday celebration on the Gulf side in the vicinity of Fort Myers. He visited a number of new exciting birding locations and photographed some of Florida’s most exciting birds! His presentation will take a look at some of the best birding locations that Florida has to offer as well as close-up looks at Florida’s many Herons, Gulls, Terns, Shorebirds, Raptors, Woodpeckers, Warblers, and other impressive Passerines.

About the Presenter: 

Mark has been the President of Napa-Solano Audubon for the past 5 years. He began birding in the 4th grade and his birding knowledge expanded dramatically when his family moved to Ithaca, NY and he birded regularly with Dr. Arthur Allen, founder of Cornell’s Laboratory of Ornithology and other leading experts from the Lab. After High School he worked summers at Sapsucker Wood’s and for the Massachusetts Audubon Society before heading west and directing Environmental Education Summer Camps, Expedition and Education Programs at Foresta Institute in Washoe Valley, Nevada. 

After a career of more than 30 years in public education in Benicia and Napa, he is enjoying retirement and Northern California birding. Lucas, his youngest son, rekindled his excitement for birding after they went backpacking at Point Reyes in 2014 and listened to a Great Horned Owl calling outside their tent all night and woke up to a brilliant, Varied Thrush singing its eerie song. Mark turned from his passion for portrait and landscape photography to focus on birds. With Lucas, he has traveled to every corner of California, Arizona, Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Costa Rica searching for birds and taking their photos. So come over to the Library and enjoy his presentation of Florida’s amazing birds and learn about some of the best birding hotspots and where you can locate them!