Internationally renowned birding field guide author David Sibley will be the keynote speaker at the Meadowlands Birding Festival on Saturday, Sept. 15. The family-friendly day will include bird walks, talks, raptor visits, kids activities and more celebrating the Meadowlands amazing bird population – for more info and to register click here

Sibley will speak at 1 p.m. on “The Art of Identification”

Sibley will talk about the universal appeal of nature study: our deep-seated desire to classify and understand the world around us.

Beginning with childhood drawings he will follow the gradual development of his ideas and the struggle to combine the artistic and scientific aspects of identification into his books, first the Guide to Birds and now the new Guide to Trees.

“But a field guide is more than just a reference book, it is a bridge that connects people to the natural world, and in the 21st century that connection is more endangered, and more precious, than ever before,” states Sibley, “Identifying the birds and trees around us can help us understand the most pressing environmental issues of today, by helping us to understand our own place in the natural system”