Rusty-collared Seedeater. Photo by Steve Hunter.

Bobcat film preview and Total Uruguay

Mount Diablo Bird Alliance will meet Thursday, May 7 in the Camellia Room at the Gardens at Heather Farm, 1540 Marchbanks Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598.

6:30 PM Doors Open
7:00 PM Bobcat Film preview
7:15 PM Announcements
7:30 PM Refreshments and Raffle
7:45 PM Main Program: Total Uruguay
*as a conservation organization we encourage you to bring your own mug for coffee or tea

Our meeting will begin with a short preview of an upcoming film about bobcats. Vishal Subramanyan is a National Geographic Young Explorer and Osher Fellow at the California Academy of Sciences. For nearly a decade, he’s been observing the life of an urban bobcat living along the Diablo Range, and is now producing a long-term documentary film that follows this animal’s story. In this short pre-program presentation, Vishal will share a teaser from the film and behind-the-scenes footage from years of fieldwork, highlighting what bobcats can teach us about coexistence in the East Bay Area. He’ll also touch on habitat connectivity and the ripple effects of rodenticides on local wildlife, and share what’s ahead for completing the film.

Main Program: Total Uruguay with Viviana Wolinsky

Viviana Wolinsky and Steve Hunter began birding within the last decade, combining this new passion with their love of travel. Steve focuses on bird photography and provided all the bird images for the presentation. Viviana has a life-list of over 3,000 birds, more than half of which she observed in South America. She has visited Uruguay twice for birding, most recently on the Golden Gate Birding Alliance’s (GGBA) “Total Uruguay” trip, and currently holds the number 121 spot on the eBird lifetime list for the country.

Both are active GGBA volunteers. Viviana serves as an assistant instructor for Steve’s intermediate birding and sparrow classes. Together, they have led numerous local field trips and a special Birdathon trip to Colorado. Viviana also serves as the co-compiler for the Oakland Christmas Bird Count.

This presentation offers a preview of what to expect on a birding trip to Uruguay such as GGBA’s upcoming 2027 trip. While the country is roughly the size of Washington state with a climate similar to California’s, it possesses a wide range of habitats, including the Pampas, Atlantic Forest, savannas, wetlands, and palm tree forests. This diversity allows for a great variety of bird species to be seen easily across short distances. Uruguay is also a vital feeding and breeding destination for many migratory species.