Anyone who has been on a group bird walk knows that it’s the male Scarlet Tanager, the male Indigo Bunting, the male Blackburnian Warbler that draw the attention.

But are there conservation implications if females, whose plumage is as beautiful in subtler ways, are overlooked?

"The Most Overlooked Birds in North America: Females" is the topic of the next Young, Gifted and Wild About Birds, with Joanna Wu, an ornithologist and ecologist at UCLA.

Conservation gaps caused by overlooking female birds are the focus of her Ph.D. work.

It promises to be a real eye-opener.

Joanna's presentation is set for 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 2.

You can buy a ticket for her presentation but we're still offering a discount, the 4 remaining presentations for the price of 3.

It's the best deal. To register for all 4 presentations for the price of 3, click HERE .

Remember: 100% of your ticket cost for the this series will go toward improving bird habitats on our 22 sanctuaries.

At check-out, you'll have an opportunity to make an additional donation, if you choose to. Consider it an investment in our nature sanctuaries, improving habitat throughout the state.

There's lots more about Joanna on our website.

Suffice it to say, she is a serious scientist and birder, and is passionate about supporting under-represented voices.

My guarantee: Her presentation will be smart, lively and deeply relevant.

The rest of the 2023 series features:

• Mikko Jimenez of Colorado State University: "Tracking Migration with BirdScan," Thursday, March 2, 7 p.m.

• Allison Black, sea bird and marine mammal observer for NOAA. She will talk about her experiences "Birding the High Seas," Thursday, March 16, 7 p.m.

• Kathi Borgmann,Ph.D., Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "From Sound Recording to eBird Status and Trends Maps: How Citizen Science Informs Bird Conservation," Thursday, April 13, 7 p.m.

These hour-long talks are all via Zoom.

Each is a window into the amazing work being done by young conservationists to solve the problems we all care so much about.

I invite you to subscribe to all 4 or to choose individual presentations. Click HERE!

Your generosity will make a real difference.