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Dr. Rob Butler is an ornithologist and author. He is a Fellow of
The Explorers Club
and the American Ornithologists Union, and an Outstanding Alumnus of
two universities. Rob co-founded the
Pacific WildLife Foundation
in 2003 to enhance research and education of the ocean and where he
serves as President. He is also a scientific advisor for
Bird Studies Canada,
and a board member of several national and international nature,
research and academic organizations. He is an adjunct professor of
biology at Simon Fraser University. He has a lifetime of stories from
expeditions and travels studying and conserving birds. He is a
frequent guest of the Canadian media.
Rob Butler uses scientific enquiry to guide social and biological
decisions about conservation. |
Explorations and Adventures
From the field notebook:
“The
horses stood seeming as much in awe at the beauty as the seven
of us. The Besa wound off to the west toward the misty Northern
Rockies still holding substantial snow packs. At the end of a
spur a monumental mountain with no name rose in front of us. The
foothills reached off to the east and the Rockies to the west.
The view here was heart stopping.” – Muskwa-Kechika, June
2011
In 2011,
The
Explorers Club
awarded Wayne Sawchuk and me the honour of a Flag Expedition to
the Muskwa-Kechika region of British Columbia. The
Muskwa-Kechika is a vast wilderness region that has the full
complement of large predators and their prey. Our expedition on
horseback required all food and gear for a 12 day outing in
remote backcountry. A party of seven people made the trek
covering over 100 kilometers of mountain terrain. The aim of the
expedition was to document the birds in the area for the
BC
Breeding Bird Atlas
project that I will edit with
Dick
Cannings
beginning in 2012.
“My first walk ashore was life changing. I had heard of the
tameness of the Galapagos fauna but I couldn’t imagine how so
many species were totally unconcerned with me being just outside
of arms reach. These islands overwhelm the naturalist spirit. So
much to do with a panoply of oddities. It feels like I’ve landed
on another planet. My spirits soar to know such places still
exist. However, I understand why there is concern that tourism
is destroying these islands.” - The Galapagos October
2009.
“Last morning in the Amazon begins as all mornings begin with
the serenade of the oropendolas. The watery gurgle of males,
[and the] squawks and squeals of females awakens the
neighbourhood. The hoatzins soon join in as they move out of the
camp to the lagoon. At 0610 a flyby of parrots is raucous and
egocentric. The background trill of crickets that sang all night
is incessant but overlooked. The abundance of life drips in this
forest.” - Cuyabeno River, Ecuador October 2009.
“As we rounded the point, a cluster of 30 terns chattered on a
round large boulder. One Chinese crested tern stood out in the
flock. Everyone screamed. I am one of the first North Americans
to see this species in the wild. It is a great day to be alive.
It gives hope that the rarest species can sometimes surprise us
by hanging on to a thread of life. The excitement raises my
spirits- happiness abounds through us all.” - Matsu Islands,
June 2005.
The Chinese crested tern is one of the world’s rarest birds. It
was thought to be extinct until 2000 when a few pairs were
located breeding on the remote Matsu Islands.
You can also read more at
Rob’s blog
and on Facebook at ‘Rob Butler on Nature’.
Click on to my ‘contact’ page to read about technical
requirements and details for talks and public addresses.
