PHOTOS: ALECIA SMITH
MONTHLY PROGRAMS
APRIL 2026
Topic: "Endangered Shorebirds Get High Tech Help"
Speaker: Tim Fields
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Starting in 1979, Tim Shields documented how growing numbers of ravens in the Mojave Desert preyed on—and increasingly imperiled—the desert tortoises he studied for decades. In 2012, he went to the lab to create tools to address the threat. Among the first discoveries was the exquisite sensitivity of ravens to laser light. Tim's talk will describe the work he has done on non-lethal bird management and his focus on reducing raven predation on a range of threatened and endangered species. He’ll then describe the innovative use of emerging technology by OrniLogic, showing examples of several devices and methods that have borne fruit over the last 12 years. One highlight will be the role of raven psychology in designing the methods used in thwarting them. The planned application of OrniLogic’s tools to reduce raven predation on the snowy plover colony at Ormond Beach will follow, giving a Ventura County focus to the talk.​
The 1974 graduate of Santa Paula High and alumni of Ventura Junior College is excited to bring this story back to the place where he became a biologist.
SUPPORT US
The support of our community is critical to ensuring that people today and 100 years from now have the opportunity to connect with nature and will get to experience our state’s wild places firsthand.
Ventura's wildlife and wild places define our landscape, bring us joy, and show us how important it is that we protect our natural world.
UPCOMING EVENTS
NESTING BIRDS
Please postpone any tree-trimming until the fall when the tree can be reassessed for trimming. Much tree-trimming is unnecessary, not helpful for birds, and bad for the tree, such as topping and over-thinning.
Please see our Tree Trimming Guidelines for more recommendations on tree-trimming.
GO BIRDING
Ventura County provides many recreational opportunities in a beautiful natural setting. Good birding is one of the Central Coast’s finest recreational features. The Central Coast is strategically located on the Pacific Flyway and provides habitat to many resident and migratory birds.
