OSBC Annual Meeting

The Ocean State Bird Club is hosting its 2026 Annual Meeting at the Cumberland Public Library from 2:00 - 4:30 on Saturday April 11th.

Our keynote speaker this year is Derek Lovitch. Derek is a biologist, conservationist, bird guide, and author. He owns and operates in Maine with his wife Jeanette. The shop is home base for a growing tour guiding operation with a focus on Maine specialties and instructional learning experiences. Derek's first book, , was published in 2012 and will be the focus of his keynote address. His 2nd book, , was published in 2017.

Derek also worked as an editor for Birding magazine for 6 years. His writing has been published in various publications, including Scientific American, Birder’s World, Bird Observer, and Bird Watchers Digest. Derek holds a degree in Environmental Policy and has worked on many conservation, avian research, and education projects in the US. He organized and conducted the first comprehensive Fall Avian Survey ever on Alaska’s Pribolif Islands.

He founded the Bradbury Mountain Raptor Research Project in 2007, with his wife Jeanette, to “quantify the extent and duration of the northbound raptor flight over Bradbury Mountain State Park” in Maine.

Info: Come early to visit with friends, catch-up on the latest bird sightings all while enjoying a cold drink and light refreshments.

Info: Club President Nick Pacelli kicks off the meeting by introducing our Board members while the club's interim Treasurer, Tim Metcalf, provides members with a financial overview of club coffers. Additionally, members will vote on the Board's selections for officers to serve for another year.

Info: Derek's keynote presentation is based upon his 2012 book, How to be a Better Birder. According to the Princeton Press website, "This unique illustrated handbook provides all the essential tools you need to become a better birder. Here Derek Lovitch offers a more effective way to go about identification—he calls it the “Whole Bird and More” approach—that will enable you to identify more birds, more quickly, more of the time. He demonstrates how to use geography and an understanding of habitats, ecology, and even the weather to enrich your birding experience and help you find something out of the ordinary. Lovitch shows how to track nocturnal migrants using radar, collect data for bird conservation, discover exciting rarities, develop patch lists—and much more."

Info: Stick around for our door prize drawings. Raffle tickets are free for members and will be distributed at the start of the meeting. Prizes include two tickets on a whale wacth tour and one special gift from the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Warwick.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Cumberland Public Library, 1464 Diamond Hill Road, Cumberland, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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