Shorebirds 101: An Introductory Overview by Gene Scarpulla

Gene Scarpulla’s presentation will concentrate on how to get started with shorebird identification and will be appropriate for new birders; for experienced birders who have never gotten around to figuring out shorebirds; and for birders of all levels who need a brush-up in preparation for the upcoming shorebird migration season. Gene will review the different groups and species of shorebirds found in Maryland, with tips on their identification. Gene may be known primarily as a gull guru but his expertise on shorebirds is just as deep, having been honed through weekly trips to the Delaware Bay shore and to Hart-Miller Island over many years’ time.

Gene Scarpulla is retired after working 30 years at the City of Baltimore’s Reservoir Natural Resources Section, his last eight years serving as the City’s Watershed Manager, in charge of Loch Raven, Prettyboy, and Liberty Watersheds. He earned a B.S. and an M.S. in biology with a concentration in ecology at Towson State College and Towson State University, respectively. Gene serves as Editor of The Maryland Entomologist and recently retired as Editor of Maryland Birdlife. He lives in Phoenix (MD) with his wife Marcia Watson and Rudy, their highly intelligent Lower Eastern Shore cat that adopted them.