Penguins have sparked human imagination for centuries. What are these birds doing living in some of the most inhospitable places on earth? What does it mean for conservation when we say they are a “canary in a coal mine” species in every ecosystem where they are found?
Penguins are cute and charismatic. They have been subjected to anthropomorphism for years. Humans have created cute stories about them, attributing human emotion and characteristics, and so, these wonderful birds have proved they are quite capable of sparking our imagination. There are now nineteen recognised species of penguin, according to Cornell Ornithology, so seeing them all seems to be quite doable. But is it? Elizabeth will take us on her journey-in-progress to see them all.
Additional Details
Webinar link - https://meet.google.com/inp-jtpa-rhq
Meeting ID - NA
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Event platform - google_meet
Organizer
Elizabeth Szekeres (pronounced Sek-e-resh, all of the e’s are short) is a geographer with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies. Born in England, she grew up in Canada with parents who were great walkers and nature lovers. Elizabeth was a free-range child, living close to the north shore of Lake Ontario. Rattray Marsh, the last intact wetland in the Greater Toronto Area, was her playground.
Since Elizabeth retired from full time work in 2017, she has spent a lot of time traveling the globe to explore the natural world and observe birds. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she visited New Zealand, Southern Africa, Hungary, Spain, Ecuador, California, Oregon, The Galápagos Islands, Costa Rica, Newfoundland, Baja California, Mexico and the Sea of Cortez. Once lockdowns were over, she returned to travel, visiting Newfoundland, and then second visits to New Zealand and Costa Rica. She continued with Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland and Costa Rica again in 2023, and then Belize, Guatemala and southern Alberta in 2024.
Elizabeth writes the newsletter for her local naturalists’ club and loves to share her stories and photographs of the birds she observes. She presents regularly for nature clubs and seniors’ centres in the Greater Toronto Area, and has been a previous contributor to the Learn The Birds webinar series.