Keynote Speaker: Bill Thompson
Keynote Reception
There just can’t be a better way to end the day than taking a leisurely stroll through the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island while enjoying a relaxing
drink and then having dinner right in front of the shark tank. And when dinner is over, sit back and enjoy the great humor, music and insight offered by this year’s keynote speaker, naturalist, editor, musician and birder, Bill Thompson who comes armed with rave reviews and books to sign! Thompson will talk about the Perils of Birding but you won’t need to be a birder to enjoy this lively monologue. Cost $35. Social 6 pm. Dinner 7 pm. Followed by keynote, Bill Thompson.
Registration is required.
Bill Thompson – 21st Century version of Renaissance Man!
Bill Thompson, guitarist with The Swinging Orangutangs, rocks in both the music world and as a naturalist.
And he’s coming to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island as the keynote speaker for the 2010 Wings Over Water
Wildlife Festival on Friday, Nov. 12.
After graduating from Western College at Miami University of Ohio with a bachelor of philosophy degree, he worked as a professional musician in Columbus, Ohio, and as a senior account executive at the advertising fi rm of Ogilvy & Mather in New York before joining the staff of Bird Watcher’s Digest in May 1988. In January 1995, he became the magazine’s editor, a position he still
holds.
The popular bimonthly magazine has been published by his family since 1978. When his parents decided to start a magazine, the family’s interest in birds seemed a natural topic for the publication. Bird Watcher’s Digest was launched in the Thompson’s family room in September 1978. Even though he was just a sophomore, Bill knew that he’d someday work for the family business.
He is the author of numerous books on birds and bird watching, including his most recent book, The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (Houghton Miffl in, 2008). Part of the legendary Peterson Field Guide series, The Young Birder’s Guide was created with the help of Bill’s daughter Phoebe’s elementary school class.
The result is a field guide for kids developed by kids that’s both interesting to read and useful in the fi eld. Bill hopes that the book will give today’s young people (ages 8 and up) an easy and enjoyable entry into the world of birds and nature. Connecting kids with the natural world via bird watching is a wonderful alternative to their spending too much time in front of the computer, game console, or TV.
Bill has written several popular booklets for backyard bird watchers, including The Backyard Bird Watcher’s Answer Guide and An Identifi cation Guide to Backyard Birds. He edits the Backyard Booklet Series for Bird Watcher’s Digest. This series includes 15 titles and has sold more than 5 million copies since its inception.
His articles on birds and birding have appeared in many books, including Natural Gardening for Birds (Rodale Organic Living Press, 2001); Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2007); Good Birders Don’t Wear White (Houghton Miffl in, 2007), Once in a Lifetime Trips (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2008); and periodicals, including National Gardening, Cooking Light, and Bottom Line Personal.
Outgoing and funny, Bill enlivens bird walks and programs with his not-so-dry humor and ever-present guitar. A frequent guest on bird and nature radio shows, and he often serves as a consultant on editorial projects, on birding ecotourism programs, and on product development for the birding industry. He also has served since 2006 as a member of the Birding Roundtable, which consults with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on making National Wildlife Refuges more bird- and birder-friendly. He is also the founder of the Whipple Bird Club.
There just can’t be a better way to end the day than taking a leisurely stroll through the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island while enjoying a relaxing drink and then having dinner right in front of the shark tank before sitting back and enjoying the great humor, music and insight offered by Bill Thompson who comes armed with rave reviews and books to sign!
Cost $35 and includes social at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 and keynote.
Source: OBX Wild - page 27.
