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May Meeting
May Meeting
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - a wildlife pandemic
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - a wildlife pandemic
Dr. Scott Taylor
Dr. Scott Taylor
Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder
Monday, May 11, 2026, 7:30pm
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)—specifically the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b lineage—is widely considered the largest disease outbreak ever documented in wildlife. Since ~2020–2021, it has spread across every continent except Australia (for now...), with unprecedented mortality in wild birds and spillover into mammals. Scott will discuss the history of the virus, why its behavior is so unprecedented, what it means for people feeding birds and the current outlook.
About the Speaker: Scott Taylor is an Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and Director of the Mountain Research Station. His research combines genomics, natural history, and fieldwork to investigate hybridization, speciation, and the processes shaping biodiversity, with a focus on birds. He has received the Linnean Society of London’s Bicentenary Medal for his contributions to evolutionary biology. In addition to his academic work, he is the host of the Okay, But... Birds podcast, where he brings bird science to a wide audience through conversations that span research, culture, and conservation.
Cayuga Bird Club meetings are held on the second Monday of each month, September through June, and are free and open to the public. In-person meetings are held September through May at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road. Doors open at 6:45pm for social time before the reading of the basin bird list at 7:20. Club business begins at 7:30pm, followed by the speaker's presentation starting around 8:00pm and ending by 9:00pm.
Meeting Schedule 2025-2026
Meeting Schedule 2025-2026
September 8, 2025 - Mountain chickadees change their tune when they live beside black-capped chickadees, by Kathryn Grabenstein.
Recording: youtu.be/AYNQHzjmHFY
October 13, 2025 - The Birds and People of Cuba – a land so near and yet so far, by Jody Enck, Stephanie Herrick, and Kevin McGowan.
Recording: youtu.be/1wCLeUatsig
November 10, 2025 - Bird Love: Why Identify With Birds? by Wenfei Tong.
Recording: youtu.be/r-Ouy3LWty4
December 8, 2025 - Every Bird A Connection, by Grete Pasch-Valdes
No recording available.
January 12, 2026 - Members’ Share Your Photos Night! Hosted by Kevin McGowan.
Recording: youtu.be/UDmb0slTU4A
February 9, 2026 - Birding in Australia and Papua New Guinea, by Diane Morton and Suan Yong.
Recording: youtu.be/fiWaaBTTqwg
March 9, 2026 - Grassland Birds on Cornell Lands: survey results and opportunities for conservation, by Adriaan Dokter.
Recording: youtu.be/0HLf5qPleEM
April 13, 2026 - Saving the Peregrine: Six Decades of Raptor Conservation Inspired by a Single Charismatic Species, by Tim Gallagher.
Recording: youtu.be/a5Xo3sfOIOA
May 11, 2026 - Avian Influenza and our back-yard birds, by Scott Taylor.
June 8, 2026 - Annual Picnic
Meeting Schedule 2026-2027
Meeting Schedule 2026-2027
September 14, 2026 - Birding Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu, New Zealand, by Meena Haribal.
October 12, 2026 - Bird Up Close - A renowned engineer reveals the marvel of how birds work—from the tips of their bills to the sheen of their tailfeathers, by Lorna Gibson.
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