Saturday, Sept. 26 Seminars

Update (posted at 9:00 am on August 2): The MOS Convention Committee will be updating the website with new information as it becomes available.

Two seminars will be hosted on Saturday afternoon in the banquet room at the DoubleTree by Hilton. You are not required to sign up for seminars. There is room for more than 50 attendees on Saturday afternoon at the DoubleTree.

Saturday, Sept. 26, 1:15 pm – Rethinking BirdNET-Pi: A Technical Approach to Better Bioacoustic Monitoring

*Tyme as a co-field trip leader at Susquehanna State Park with the Harford Bird Club.*

Tyme Anusonti-Inthra will present a systematic approach to improve the effectiveness of BirdNET-Pi, a bioacoustic bird monitoring system, which could be an innovative tool to revolutionize global bird research and conservation efforts. His talk will highlight BirdNET-Pi, an accessible and cost-effective platform for automated identification of bird vocalizations, and will address its limitations, particularly reduced audio quality from low-grade microphones. Emphasizing the importance of accurate species identification, he will introduce an experimental approach that integrates parabolic reflectors with field microphones and measure the effectiveness of the reflectors at various distances and angles, and will conclude by sharing results from his study evaluating the optimal shape and size of parabolic reflectors for improving the detection and identification of bird calls. He will also present a live demonstration of the BirdNET-Pi system.

*Tyme and his sister, Nara, competing for the youth carbon-free division at the World Series of Birding.*

Tyme Anusonti-Inthra is a freshman at the Science and Mathematics Academy at Aberdeen High School and has been an active member of the Harford Bird Club for 10 years and the Youth Maryland Ornithological Society for 8 years. As a four-time winner in the youth elementary and carbon-free divisions at the World Series of Birding, he has demonstrated a sustained commitment to ornithology and conservation. In addition to birding, Tyme is an accomplished musician who plays violin and piano and has represented his county in the Maryland All-State Junior Orchestra. He enjoys fishing and mountain biking, serves as a family-friendly trip leader for the Harford Bird Club alongside his sister, Nara, and is the editor of the club’s newsletter, Wrenderings. He is also an educational speaker who presents at schools, libraries, and community venues throughout his county.

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2:30 pm – Shorebirds 101: An Introductory Overview with Gene Scarpulla

*Gene hand-feeding Ruddy Turnstones in the Dry Tortugas.*

Gene Scarpulla’s presentation will concentrate on how to get started with shorebird identification and will be appropriate for new birders; for experienced birders who have never gotten around to figuring out shorebirds; and for birders of all levels who need a brush-up in preparation for shorebird watching. Gene will review the different groups and species of shorebirds found in Maryland, with tips on their identification. Gene may be known primarily as a gull guru but his expertise on shorebirds is just as deep, having been honed through weekly trips to the Delaware Bay shore and to Hart-Miller Island over many years’ time.

*Gene leading a shorebird trip at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.*

Gene Scarpulla is retired after working 30 years at the City of Baltimore’s Reservoir Natural Resources Section, his last eight years serving as the City’s Watershed Manager, in charge of Loch Raven, Prettyboy, and Liberty Watersheds. He earned a B.S. and an M.S. in biology with a concentration in ecology at Towson State College and Towson State University, respectively. Gene serves as Editor of The Maryland Entomologist and recently retired as Editor of Maryland Birdlife. He lives in Phoenix (MD) with his wife Marcia Watson and Rudy, their highly intelligent, Lower Eastern Shore cat that adopted them.