Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Presenter: Tom Plath
My love for natural history began early and by my teens had participated on numerous bird inventory projects. Sharing my passion with others, I was given the VNHS (Nature Vancouver) Garibaldi Award for outstanding service in 1993. Following a Diploma in Renewable Resources, I worked for BC Environment as a Non-game Wildlife Specialist for the Lower Mainland Region from 1992 to 2003. I reviewed development proposals and impacts to Species at Risk; collected population and habitat data on designated species; developed and administered funding proposals; and designed and implemented research projects. Following lay-off (down-sized) I started consulting in 2003. Since then, I’ve has worked on numerous wildlife-related projects in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the Yukon; and on a variety of taxon including Species at Risk, terrestrial mollusks, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, seabirds, raptors, owls, songbirds, small mammals and marine mammals.
I enjoy passing my knowledge to others and have led over 150 bird watching field trips both locally and abroad for many natural history groups; organized and conducted ornithology workshops for non-government and government agencies; and taught courses on identification, biology and behavior of birds at Capilano College, for the Vancouver School Board and Vancouver Community College. In 2010 I created Satipo Tours and now organize and lead birding tours worldwide.
The southern Africa country of Namibia has several outstanding birding areas holding one endemic, about 20 near-endemics and many bird species hard to see elsewhere. This sparsely populated, dry country also boasts one of Africa’s premier game viewing areas – Etosha National Park where springs and man-made water holes attract hordes of animals during the dry season. We visit the country’s finest bird and wildlife viewing sites starting at the escarpment forest of the Waterberg Plateau, riparian and floodplain habitats of the Caprivi Strip, westward to the “Rolls Royce” of Africa’s parks – Etosha, ending at the coastal shorebird-rich Walvis Bay area.

Photo: Tom Plath

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