Monthly Programs

CVAS holds general meetings on the evening of the first Monday of each month (second Monday, if the first one is a holiday), from September through May. These meetings are held at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology in Camarillo (see below), and are also available via Zoom at this link: https://zoom.us/j/6155249106

NOTE: November’s meeting will be in-person only! We will not be streaming the meeting over Zoom. We want to see your faces! Join us at the Western Foundation (details below).

Antarctica is a destination that is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. The South Polar region; including Antarctica, the Subantarctic islands, and the Southern Ocean; is one of the most remote places on earth and its jaw-dropping landscapes (and seascapes) host incredible numbers of marine birds and mammals. However, the travel season there is restrictive, trips are pricey, and sea conditions can change a trip’s itinerary at a moment’s notice. Travelers to this region assume a number of risks and uncertainties, but there is no other place on earth that offers the awe-inspiring experiences to be found there.

David Pereksta decided to finally add this destination to his bucket and recently made the trek to Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands. Tonight, he will share that experience, including highlighting the wildlife that can be found there, and provide insights on how to plan your own Antarctic adventure. If Antarctica is on your bucket list, or you want to live vicariously through David’s experience there, you will not want to miss this presentation. David is an internationally recognized birder and wildlife photographer, and his presentation will be full of stunning images from this trip of a lifetime.

David Pereksta is an Avian Biologist with the Marine Minerals Administration, where he studies and analyzes the effects of offshore energy development on birds off the Pacific coast, Hawaii, and the US territories in the Pacific. Prior to his position at MMA, Dave spent 16 years working
on endangered species issues with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura. Throughout his 40-year 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.

An avid birder for over 50 years, Dave’s travels have taken him to remote and little visited parts of North America, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Tropical Pacific, the Russian Far East, Europe, and Antarctica. He has led trips to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Antarctica as well as hundreds of pelagic trips in the Pacific and Atlantic. He has seen nearly 2,600 species of birds in his travels; photographing 2,000 species along the way.

CVAS’s meetings will be hybrid, simultaneously live at WFVZ – Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (recommended) and on Zoom. The link to join on Zoom is https://zoom.us/j/6155249106.

Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology collections