Amherst Cinema Amherst, MA
Geoff LeBaron
Christmas Bird Count Director (Worldwide), National Audobon Society
Birders: The Central Park Effect— Ornithology in Central Park
Program Description
A discussion of New York City's Central Park and its surprising importance to ornithologists in the field of citizen science.
Presented At
Amherst Cinema Amherst, MA
Film Synopsis
A diverse group of full-of-attitude New Yorkers reveals how a hidden world of beautiful wild birds in the middle of Manhattan has upended and magically transformed their lives.
This documentary reveals the unexpected array of wild birds that grace Manhattan's Central Park and the equally colorful New Yorkers who plan their lives around the rhythms of migration. Renowned author Jonathan Franzen, an eccentric trombone technician, an amiable fashion-averse teenager, and a bird-tour leader who has recorded every sighting she's made since the 1940s are among the film's cast of characters. Featuring spectacular wildlife footage capturing the changing seasons, Birders reveals the dazzling world that goes all but unnoticed by the 38 million people who visit America's most famous park each year.
About the Speaker
Geoff LeBaron has been Christmas Bird Count Director at Audubon since 1987. An experienced field ornithologist and marine biologist, LeBaron is involved with all aspects of Citizen Science at Audubon and serves as a consultant to AUDUBON magazine, guides international natural history tours, and has conducted ornithological field work for the USFWS, the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. He holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Miami, and a master's in zoology from the University of Rhode Island.