The Santa Barbara Audubon Society will present a free talk on the magical birds of Costa Rica, 7:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 in Farrand Hall at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Long regarded as one of the world’s top tropical birding destinations, Costa Rica, which is about the size of West Virginia, is home to about 5% of the world’s biodiversity.
More than 900 species of birds with many regional endemics are found only in Costa Rica and Western Panama.
The Audubon Society program will discuss a variety of ecosystems, including the cloud forest, Caribbean lowlands, and Pacific tropical dry forest, as well as the ecological factors that have made Costa Rica an international birding mecca.
Presenter of the talk is Benny Isaac Jacobs-Schwartz, who owns and operates a bird-guiding business and lifestyle brand called BIRDS by BIJS (pronounced Bee-jus).
Working professionally for more than 10 years as a naturalist guide, expedition trip leader, and international bird guide, Jacobs-Schwartz is an educator and photographer. He said he hopes to inspire others to put down their phone and pick up their binos (binoculars).