Description

You are cordially invited to the next meeting of the Highlands Bird and Nature Club on Monday, October 14 at 7 pm at the Highland Center in Monterey. 

Our speaker will be Dick Rowe, recently retired faculty member at the Virginia Military Institute. He will be speaking on two birding trips to Maine that focused on southern Maine near Portland, the Bar Harbor area, and Cutler/Quoddy Point. One of the primary goals of visiting Maine was a trip to Machias Seal Island - a nesting site for Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common Murres, and Arctic Terns.

His talk will include photographs of birds and scenery on these trips. He began birding in his early teens with his parents. After that, he focused on bird biology during his undergraduate and graduate studies. 

Dick Rowe received a BA from Ripon College (WI), MS from Bowling Green State University, and PhD from Michigan State University. Since finishing graduate school, he has been a college professor. In May, 2024, he retired after teaching at VMI for 33 years.

 At VMI, his research focused on Tree Swallows and their communication and nest defense behaviors. In addition, he is an avid bird photographer and plans trips with photography in mind. He serves as the coordinator and compiler for the Lexington Area Christmas Bird Count, and with the able help of his daughter Lucy, he conducts two Breeding Bird Surveys. He has served on the Virginia Avian Records Committee of the Virginia Society of Ornithology and has also been on the Virginia Society of Ornithology Board of Directors.