David Pereksta is an Avian Biologist with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, where he studies and analyzes the effects of offshore oil and gas, and renewable energy development on birds off the Pacific coast, Hawaii, and the US territories in the Pacific. David’s quest as a birder and ornithologist often takes him to far away corners of the world. Taking advantage of a number of unique opportunities, both personal and professional, his adventures have taken him to remote and little visited areas of North America, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Tropical Pacific, the Russian Far East, and Europe. He has also been to several islands that are nesting sites of some of the world’s rarest seabirds.
David will take attendees on a journey to some of these incredible destinations sharing stories and photos of a diverse array of rare, endemic, and just plain spectacular birds that he has encountered during these travels. This promises to be a fun and inspiring talk with lots of great photos and crazy stories. Prior to his position at BOEM, Dave spent 16 years working on endangered species issues with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura. Throughout his career with various Federal and State agencies, he has studied several imperiled bird species including Snowy Plovers, Piping Plovers, Least Terns, Ospreys, Northern Goshawks, Brown Pelicans, Spotted Owls, Marbled Murrelets, and Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. He has seen over 2,400 species of birds in his travels; photographing more than 1,800 species along the way. The program will be at Poinsettia Pavillion on October 8 from 7 – 9 pm and also streaming via Zoom. For more information visit www.venturaaudubon.org/speakers.
