Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) hosted an event on Tuesday July 11, 2023, featuring Aaron Givens, Kiawah Assistant Wildlife Biologist, speaking about Painted Buntings and the use of technology to learn more about them. More than 50 people attended, but we know many of you could not. If you missed the program, or just want to view again, you can stream it on SIB’s YouTube Channel:
Timeline:
00:00 – 1:35 Introduction
1:35 – 1:05:17 Aaron Given Presentation
1:05:17 – 1:17:22 Q&A
Program Description:
Stunning, vivid, and spectacular are a few of the adjectives that come to mind when we describe the Painted Bunting. In Louisiana, the Painted Bunting is called “nonpareil”, French for “without equal”. In Mexico, it’s commonly known as “siete colores”, or “seven colors”. Fitting terms for this gorgeous bird. At our Seabrook backyard feeders, or greeting us on Boardwalk 1, it’s always a treat to view one!
Join us for Aaron Given’s informative talk on Painted Buntings. Aaron will provide an overview of the species and their life history. He’ll discuss his research on Kiawah Island tracking Painted Buntings using the Motus Network, and the collaborative research of tracking Painted Buntings using geolocator technology across the southeast.
Aaron has been the Assistant Wildlife Biologist for the Town of Kiawah Island since 2008. In his role, he manages one of the largest bird banding stations in the southeast focusing on fall migration, wintering marsh sparrows, Painted Buntings, and Wilson’s Plovers.
Speaker Biography: Aaron has been the Assistant Wildlife Biologist for the Town of Kiawah Island since 2008. He grew up in Oswego, IL (a far suburb of Chicago) and graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University in 2000. Aaron went on to attend Southeast Missouri State University where he received a M.S. in Wildlife Biology in 2005. In graduate school, he studied the wintering ecology of yellow rails in coastal Texas. This is where he got his first exposure to bird banding and was fascinated with being able to study and observe the birds in such fine detail. His primary research interest is in ornithology with a special focus on avian ecology and management, passerine migration ecology, and secretive marshbird ecology. Aaron currently manages one of the largest bird banding stations in the southeast focusing on fall migration, wintering marsh sparrows, Painted Buntings, and Wilson’s Plovers. He is also a statewide eBird data reviewer for South Carolina but mainly focuses on Charleston, Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry Counties. Aaron also serves on the South Carolina Bird Records Committee and is the 2nd Vice President of the Eastern Bird Banding Association.
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