Your yard might look beautiful, but how do you know if it's contributing to the local ecosystem? Numerous studies from around the world suggest that insect populations are currently in decline. This in turn, affects birds who rely on insects for food. To determine which insects are most important in bird diets, Ashley Kennedy, a board-certified entomologist, conducted a citizen science project. She crowd-sourced images of birds with their arthropod prey. More than 7,000 photos were contributed by participants across North America, demonstrating that caterpillars are the preferred prey for most terrestrial breeding birds. If you want to turn your yard into a better wildlife habitat, come learn about the food webs that connect plants, insects, and birds so you too, can make a difference!

Ashley Kennedy is a Board-Certified Entomologist, a Science Policy Fellow of the Entomological Society of America, and an environmental scientist for the state of Delaware.  She completed internships/seasonal positions at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the National Zoo, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and studied animal behavior during her undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. Her doctoral dissertation research in Doug Tallamy's lab at the University of Delaware focused on bird-insect food webs, specifically, investigating which insects are the most important in birds' diets. 

Join us for this monthly meeting of The Sussex Bird Club. The Sussex Bird Club's primary objective is to promote the knowledge and enjoyment of wild birds through guided field trips and monthly meetings about various aspects of birding. Meetings are open to all and beginning birders are always welcome.

NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer.

If you have need assistance with registration or getting your Zoom invitation, please email us.

Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for all our sessions. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.