Celebrity Birders To Headline ‘Ding’ Darling 2022 Free Lecture Series

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

The 18th annual “Ding” Darling Lecture Series in 2022 will bring seven authors and wildlife and art experts to Sanibel Island from Feb. 4 through March 25, including highly acclaimed birding guide gurus David Allen Sibley and Richard Crossley. Lectures will cover topics from bald eagles to ornitherapy and nature art.

Renowned ornithologist David Allen Sibley with his newest book What It’s Like to Be a Bird is one highlight of the 2022 lecture series. Credit: Erinn Hartman

Due to the uncertainty of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions at the “Ding” Darling Visitor & Education Center, five of the lectures this year are again scheduled at The Community House at 2173 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel Island. The venue for the other two will be later determined.

The free lectures will occur on six Fridays and one Thursday throughout the season. Most start at 10 a.m. DDWS will be filming lectures and broadcasting them on YouTube and dingdarlingsociety.org when possible.

Seating for the free lectures is limited on a first-come basis. About 200 socially distanced seats will be available. Guests must wear face masks and submit to having their temperature taken before entering.

Note: Opinions expressed in guest lectures do not necessarily reflect the views of refuge and DDWS management, staff, and board of directors.

Below is the calendar of scheduled lectures and their sponsors. Book-signings will follow all lectures, most of which start at 10 a.m. at The Community House, unless otherwise indicated.

Feb. 4 – Author Richard Crossley, The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds (co-sponsors: Anonymous, HighTower/Thomas & Swartz Wealth Management)

Feb. 11 – Author Holly Merker, Ornitherapy for Your Mind, Body, Soul (co-sponsors: Anonymous, sponsorships available)

Feb. 24 (Thursday) – Amy Urich, “The Captivating Art and Times of My Father, Ikki Matsumoto” (sponsors: Bill and Laurie Harkey)

March 4 time and place TBD – Author Doug Chadwick, Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All (co-sponsors: Diane Esslinger, The Jenni & Kyle Foundation)

March 11 time and place TBD – Author David Allen Sibley, What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why (co-sponsors: Stan & Connie Grayson, HighTower/Thomas & Swartz Wealth Management, Drs. John & Wendy Kindig)

March 18 – Author Jack Davis, The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America’s Bird (sponsorships available)

March 25 – Author Stan Tekiela, Bird Nests: Amazingly Ingenious and Intricate (Sponsors: Vortex Optics, A Fellow Minnesotan, The Jenni & Kyle Foundation)

To become a lecture sponsor call Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566. For more information about the 18th annual “Ding” Darling Lecture Series, visit dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/ lecture-and-film-series.

ABOUT DDWS
As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, DDWS works to support J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s mission of conservation, wildlife and habitat protection, research, and public education through charitable donations and Refuge Nature Shop profits. To support DDWS and the refuge with a tax-deductible gift, visit dingdarlingsociety.org or contact Birgie Miller at 239-472-1100 ext. 4, or director@dingdarlingsociety.org.