Guest Speaker: Peter Zika
Little is known about the interactions between our urban bird life and the numerous fruit-bearing shrubs and trees that brighten up our greenbelts. This talk by Peter Zika examines what species of birds consume the fruits and are necessary to spread the seeds of some of our native species like madrone and bitter cherry. Showy fruits serve to attract a surprising diversity of avians. Yet some of the same birds also gobble down the berries of our worst pests, like ivy and blackberry. Meet some of our feathered friends as they reveal their broad dietary interests. Learn a little about urban seed predators, and puzzle over the mysteries of seed dispersal for snowberry and stinking iris.
Peter is a field biologist from Seattle, investigating and describing new species of plants from western North America. Working at the herbarium of the University of Washington, he is contributing new treatments to the published floras of California, Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest. He teaches wetland plant identification, and conducts biological inventories of National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and Nature Conservancy preserves. An active birder, he has long studied the diet of fruit-eating birds. His interests have led him to the tropics and into polar regions over the last 30 years. Peter has published numerous scientific notes, articles and books; as well as occasional photographs, cards and reviews in the popular press.