Date: 7/8/26 11:35 am From: San Mateo County Bird Alliance via groups.io <office...> Subject: [pen-bird] Thurs. July 9 - Birding New Zealand & Australia's Subantarctic
*This Thursday's Monthly Meeting - ZOOM*
As a recipient of the True Young Explorer scholarship, John Tsortos will share highlights of a 16-day expedition to the subantarctic islands of New Zealand and Australia with Heritage Expeditions. This region encompasses multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is known for its unparalleled diversity of nesting albatross and penguin species. It is also home to endemic landbirds, unique marine mammals, and undiscovered marine invertebrates—not to mention that this region is the primary breeding ground for Sooty Shearwaters and Cook's Petrels—two annual visitors to California waters. The talk will focus on seabirds through stunning photos and entertaining videos, but will also touch on the region's natural history, the other incredible wildlife that lives there, and the unprecedented conservation efforts that have allowed these islands to flourish. If you're interested in seabirds, you don't want to miss it!
John is a seabird photographer and volunteers both as a pelagic birding guide with Alvaro’s Adventures and as an aquarium guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Although he spends much of his time along the coast, he lives in Los Gatos and leads field trips for the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance.
