BIRD BRAIN IS A COMPLIMENT

The regular monthly meeting will feature our own Conservation Educator, Denny Olson at the Gateway West Community Room on Monday, March14 at 7 PM. Birds have often been described in disparaging terms as “dodos” — incapable of anything but instinctive behaviors, and having tiny brains with limited learning capacity. After all, they’re just reptiles with feathers, right? Bird brains are smaller, to be sure, but mostly because of the weight limit demands of flight. Even though bird brain parts are arranged differently than ours, and our ways of gauging intelligence are much different than theirs, they operate at many times the speed of humans, have complex language-learning capabilities, show memories that dwarf our abilities, do complex trigonometry with sound and light, “see” magnetic lines of force during migrations, make an array of specialized tools, and even have those “human” qualities of altruism and empathy. Join Denny for a humorous examination of the avian brain and dozens of mind-boggling and fun examples of bird intelligence. Fair warning: if you are a human, it could be a humbling experience …

Denny Olson’s formal training as a biologist and geologist, as well as teaching nature for over 45 years in the north woods and mountain west, has given him expertise in many disciplines. He has done research on Common Loons, beavers and snowshoe hares , and received an M.S. Degree, (magna cum laude) from the University of Minnesota. From those scientific beginnings, he forged an unlikely union between science, humor, and drama, and established a reputation as an innovative performer and educator.

Denny has trained thousands of naturalists, teachers and students in acting techniques, lectured on Native American storytelling as a teaching tool, and conducted workshops nation-wide. He has performed his humorous alter-egos (inc. Critterman, Wolfman, The Grizz, Dr. Death, Prof. Avian Guano, Dr. Loonacy, The Lost Voyageur, The Mad Herbalist) over 3000 times, in 49 states, for over 2 million people,including 80+ conference keynotes, 44 national park presentations, and 26 university performances.

 He has published 5 books, did a five-year “newscaster” run on the Montana NBC network on “Critterman’s News from the Woods” and is now nestled into semi-retirement and working as Flathead Audubon’s Conservation Educator. 

The meeting will be held at the Gateway Community meeting room in Kalispell OR you can ZOOM in.  Email info@flatheadaudubon.org for information on how to join the group.