Urban sprawl has increased the chances of humans interacting with wildlife under different scenarios. Dr. Esteban Fernández-Juricic will present a guest lecture, “Birds, aircrafts, and airports” at the San Bernardino County Museum on Wednesday, September 24 at 7:30pm. This lecture is free to the public.



 “The tolerance of different bird species to humans seems to be related to the distance at which birds detect disturbance,” said Dr. Fernández-Juricic. “To reduce the rate of human-wildlife interactions, different strategies may be needed depending on the type of human activity. For example, within protected areas, it is important to reduce the chances of wildlife detecting humans. In airports, however, it is better to increase the chances of wildlife detecting aircrafts to enhance avoidance behaviors and to minimize bird-aircrafts collisions.”



Dr. Esteban Fernández-Juricic specializes in sensory ecology, in particular how animals process information visually in foraging and anti-predator contexts. Currently on the faculty of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at California State University, Long Beach, he earned his B.A. in Biology at the National University of Cordoba, Argentina; his Ph.D. in Animal Ecology at the University of Madrid, Spain; with post-doctoral studies at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom and the University of Minnesota.



This program is part of a series of guest lectures offered at no charge by the county museum.  The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org.



The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.