Flight Paths, the story of how the scientific community came together to understand bird migration, is the topic of the Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s free program, 7:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, April 19 in the Faulkner Gallery at Santa Barbara Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St.

Co-hosted by Audubon and the Santa Barbara Public Library, Flight Paths is the story of how a group of migration-obsessed scientists in the 20th and 21st centuries engaged nearly every branch of science to understand bird migration — from where and when birds take off to their flight paths and behaviors, their destinations, and the challenges they encounter getting there.

Bird enthusiast and science writer Rebecca Heisman will trace the development of each technique used for tracking migratory birds, from the first attempts to mark individual birds to the cutting-edge technology that enables ornithologists to trace where a bird has been, based on unique DNA markers.

Heisman will share the almost-forgotten stories of the scientists who harnessed breakthrough inventions to further our understanding of nature.

She will discuss how the real power of science happens when people work together, focusing their minds and knowledge on a common goal.

Heisman is a science writer based in eastern Washington. She has contributed to publications including Audubon Magazine, Sierra Magazine, Hakai Magazine, Living Bird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), and Bird Conservation (American Bird Conservancy).

From 2015-20, she worked for the American Ornithological Society (AOS), the world’s largest professional organization for bird scientists.

For more, visit https://santabarbaraaudubon.org/programs/.