DOCUMENTARY: “BIRDERS: THE CENTRAL PARK EFFECT”
7 p.m., May 8 | Orchestra Hall | Free | 1h
“Birders: The Central Park Effect” reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds who grace Manhattan’s celebrated patch of green and the equally colorful New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration. Author Jonathan Franzen, an idiosyncratic trombone technician, and a septuagenarian bird-tour leader are among the lively cast characters.
LECTURE: OWLS OF OHIO WITH JIM TOMKO
7 p.m., May 9 | Orchestra Hall | Free
Twelve species of owls have been spotted in Ohio. Several are residents, some are migrants, and a few are accidental visitors. In this lecture, interesting owl trivia will be revealed and some tips on how, when and where to spot owls will be shared.
Jim Tomko’s interest in birds and wildlife began as a child. While his friends were assembling model airplanes and cars, he was painting and putting together models of a robin, bluebird or a goldfinch. His friends were often playing football and baseball while he was in the wooded ravines turning over rocks and logs searching for frogs and salamanders.
Tomko began birding scientifically since his ornithology class back in 1979 at Miami University where he majored in zoology. He earned a master’s degree in environmental biology and doctorate in optometry from Ohio State University, which helped support his “habit” of immersion in nature.
LECTURE: WARBLER WARM UP WITH MATT VALENCIC & KELLY STANEK
7 p.m., May 10 | Orchestra Hall | Free
According to the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Ohio, 20 warbler species have been documented as ‘probable’ or ‘confirmed’ breeders in Northeast Ohio, but several are only found in very specific habitats. This talk will cover where and when you should look, the birds’ unique behaviors and the vast variety of warblers in our area.
Matt Valencic started chasing birds in 1974 while a student at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He has a bachelor’s degree in forest biology and spent his career in science-based technical sales, all related to the biological system of animals and people. Valencic retired in 2015 and immediately joined an Audubon chapter where he started creating bird programs from his catalog of pictures. The most important message he wishes to share is that all of nature, plants, animals and water are inextricably tied together. It’s our responsibility to be good stewards and protect what is whole and repair what is damaged.
Kelly Stanek has been a birder for more than 30 years. Her interest began in her teens and her passion took off while earning her master’s degree in biology. Stanek enjoys the challenge of identifying birds not only by sight but by sound. Most of all, she enjoys the camaraderie of her friends who share the same passion and help each other find the birds.
LECTURE: MAMMALS OF OHIO – SURPRISING DIVERSITY IN FORM & FUNCTION
7 p.m., May 11 | Orchestra Hall | Free
Adaptive radiation is a hallmark of mammals; some 29 orders in the Class Mammalia exhibit a remarkable range of size, form and lifestyle. Compare the tiny four-gram Cinereus shrew feeding under the snowpack in Canada to the 200-ton blue whale filter feeding in the ocean. Surprisingly, many modes of the modes of feeding and locomotion seen in mammals across the world are also found in the 55 species and just seven orders of mammals in Ohio – including aquatic, ambulatory, cursorial, arboreal, fossorial, gliding and powered flight. Lecturer John Harder will demonstrate this diversity in a review of the salient features, natural history and fascinating behavior of four representative species: southern flying squirrel, star-nosed mole, red fox and hoary bat.
John Harder is Associate Professor Emeritus of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University where he taught courses in vertebrate reproduction, mammalogy and conservation biology. His research on the reproductive biology and ecology of mammals has focused on marsupials and involved field studies in Ohio, Australia, Venezuela and Amazonian Peru.
Harder’s interest in mammalian diversity in Ohio stems from his early work in compiling the Ohio Mammal Database and from a statewide survey of small mammal abundance, diversity and habitat associations on 31 study areas throughout Ohio. His talk will feature topics from his new book, Mammals of Ohio, coauthored with Guy N. Cameron, Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati.
LECTURE: GARDENING FOR MOTHS: A REGIONAL GUIDE WITH CHELSEA GOTTFRIED
7 p.m. May 12 | Orchestra Hall | Free
Though seldom seen due to their nocturnal nature, moths are every bit as beautiful and charismatic as their butterfly cousins. More importantly, moths and their caterpillars are food for birds, bats and countless other insects. In this lecture, we will take a photographic journey into the fascinating world of moths while also exploring which of our native plants are most enticing to these lovely Lepidopterans.
Chelsea Gottfried is a naturalist and nature-based preschool teacher for the Crawford Park District in north central Ohio. Additionally, she is an avid native plant gardener, passionate entomologist and co-author of Gardening for Moths: A Regional Guide.
MOVIE: “THE BIG YEAR”
7 p.m., May 13 | Orchestra Hall | Free |PG – 1h 40m
Three men find that they have come to a turning point. Stu (Steve Martin) faces a late-life crisis, Kenny (Owen Wilson) is in the gripe of a midlife crisis, and Brad (Jack Black) is wallowing in a no-life crisis. Determined to kick-start their stagnant lives, the three men decide to enter a prestigious contest. During the course of one calendar year, the friendly rivals cross North America in a quest to count more species of birds than anyone else.
The Upswing by Robert Putnam
If you’re traveling to the shores of Lake Erie for 
Spring is a season of new beginnings. Join Dr. Deforia Lane and Michael Shirtz in Lakeside on Saturday, May 13 for a special workshop that will revitalize and reinvigorate the soul.