Speaker: Sarah Kendrick, State Ornithologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation

Title: Technology and Tracking Bird Migration: What We Are Learning and How You Can Help

Tracking birds during migration is a rapidly growing field of ornithological study due to development of new technologies that improve each year. Tracking devices small enough to be placed on songbirds, bats, and even insects are transforming our knowledge about migration. These technologies help scientists study birds’ migration destinations and the paths they take to get there, information that is invaluable for conservation efforts. Sarah’s presentation will help us learn more about these technologies, about bird migration in general, and about how Audubon can be a part of this booming field of study.

Sarah Kendrick is the State Ornithologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation; see this profile in the Columbia Tribune. Sarah is a native of northern Missouri who traveled south to earn her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri. She traveled farther south to conduct her Master’s research, studying the breeding demography of the Eastern Wood-Pewee on savanna and woodland restoration sites in the Missouri Ozarks. After graduating, Sarah spent a year crunching bird data at Mizzou and then became an Outreach and Marketing Coordinator for MDC’s Wildlife Division for three years before she landed her dream job as State Ornithologist in March 2017. Sarah lives in Columbia with her husband Kip, and their 21-month-old son Abram.