MVEFF: SHORT FILMS ABOUT BIRDS discussion with Matt Pelikan, Luanne Johnson and Rich Couse of BiodiversityWorks

Sat May 23, 1:00 pm @ Martha's Vineyard Film Center

$15 General Admission, $12 Member, $10 child (age 14 or younger)

Doors open for admissions 30 minutes prior to screening. Buy tickets at The Film Center or online now

Followed by a discussion with Matt Pelikan, Luanne Johnson and Rich Couse of BiodiversityWorks

THE BIRDS

Told through the cinematic experience of wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn, THE BIRDS finds meaning and pathos as it gets up close to one of England’s little-known wonders of the natural world. As Martin chases down the twisting and turning of giant flocks of shore birds on England’s Wash estuary, he attempts to literally record evolution in action as a peregrine falcon scythes through the mind-blowing murmurations – astonishingly large numbers of birds flying in synchronized patterns and creating shapes in the air. Ultimately, this feature short reveals important insights not only into the hidden mechanisms of nature, but also into the psyche of a man facing up to the end of his career.

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WILD HOPE: BUILDING FOR BIRDS

Millions of birds pass through our yards during their bi-annual migrations, but they face an invisible killer along the way: glass windows. In the US alone, an estimated one billion birds die each year when they collide with windows. Now, two organizations help pave the way to a bird-friendly future.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. is located in the middle of a major migration route that birds have flown for thousands of years. To stop collisions from happening on their campus, the Zoo’s team uses patterned decals to make glass visible to our feathered friends. In New York City, migrating birds face a gauntlet of concentrated glass – and many do not survive. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was once one of the city’s worst offenders, but creative renovations have transformed the building into a wildlife oasis.

The Zoo and the Javits Center have inspired groundbreaking legislation that reimagines what our cities can do for birds, but a critical obstacle remains: our residences account for nearly 50% of bird strikes. However, simple solutions—like window paint, decals, or even a bar of soap with patterns spaced 2 inches apart—could save the lives of millions of birds.

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A MYSTICAL ORNITHOLOGY

In this lyrical portrait, ornithologist, poet, and professor Drew Lanham invites us into his South Carolina farm, where birdwatching becomes both refuge and revelation. As he listens for absent songs in the spring air, Drew not only reckons with loss and memory but also takes action—cultivating his land as a sanctuary, an underground railroad for winged migrants. His reflections move beyond science into wonder, blurring the line between human and bird. For Drew, they are more than names on a list—they are companions, teachers, and a last wild hope.

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About Luanne Johnson

I founded BiodiversityWorks because I saw the need for a conservation organization focused specifically on wildlife monitoring and research across the entire island of Martha’s Vineyard. I envisioned a collaborative organization that promoted biodiversity conservation through participation. An organization that works with conservation groups, private landowners, federal and state agencies, community members, students and scientists to ask questions and find answers together. I was fortunate to find accomplished professionals in conservation, science, and education to become board members and join me in making this vision a reality.

I have a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies/Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England, a B.S. in Zoology from Butler University, and 30 years of experience as a conservation biologist.

Matt Pelikan, director of the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life, is a lifelong naturalist with a broad range of interests. An Oak Bluffs resident since 1997, Matt has devoted countless hours to the study of wildlife groups including birds, butterflies, tiger beetles, Odonates, Orthoptera, and bees on Martha’s Vineyard. Before joining BiodiversityWorks and the MVAL in February 2021, Matt had worked as an ecologist for The Trustees of Reservations and, before that, in various roles for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. He is a former Editor in Chief of Bird Observer, a regional birding journal, and worked as an editor for the American Birding Association from 1993 to 2005.

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About Rich Couse

As a conservation biologist, I am a firm believer that everything is connected through the ecological web of life. As such, I create meaningful connections between people and nature through stewardship, research, education, and the arts. My path to becoming the Natural Neighbors Program Director reflects a fascination with all creatures.

I’ve studied the effects of mercury poisoning in marsh nesting birds in Maine, the spatial ecology of Eastern hognose snakes on Cape Cod, protected piping plovers and least terns on Massachusetts beaches, and participated in research on the state-threatened frosted elfin-butterfly and the federally-endangered New England cottontail rabbit.

My passion is raptor conservation, and I served as the first executive director of the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch in Northern Michigan and was the raptor counter at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for several years before I came to work with the Nature Conservancy on Martha’s Vineyard in July of 2022 in their Stewardship department.

I am currently the President of the Martha’s Vineyard Bird Club and am fascinated with the island’s biodiversity. I’m excited to make the Vineyard a place where supporting native biodiversity is important to everyone.