2027 Jackson Hole Birding Festival
Featured Speakers
Thursday, May 27
Walter Wehtje, Ricketts Conservation Foundation
Protecting the Call of the Wild: Common Loon conservation in Yellowstone
The Yellowstone Ecosystem is home to the most isolated breeding population of Common Loons in North America. Numbering no more than 25 pairs, these birds differ significantly in size, breeding habitat, and behavior from most of their congeners elsewhere. Since 2013, the Ricketts Conservation Foundation has funded and conducted research efforts to protect this unique population. Dr. Wehtje will discuss the birds’ ecology, threats to their survival, and measures that have been taken to protect this iconic wilderness species.
About the Speaker
Originally from Sweden, but living in the U.S. since he was 12, Dr. Wehtje completed his Ph.D. in Biogeography from UC Riverside on the range expansion of, and secondary contact between, three subspecies of Great-tailed Grackles in the U.S. A lifelong birder, his interest in how species and ecosystem distributions change in space and time has allowed him to conduct fieldwork throughout the country, while building his life list. He has led the Ricketts Conservation Foundation’s conservation efforts across the Yellowstone Ecosystem since 2018.
Thursday, May 27
Freya McGregor, Access Birding
Adventures of a Disabled Birder: Seeking accessible birding experiences across the US.
Birdwatching can do more than add species to a life list. It can support physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Drawing on her perspective as both an occupational therapist and a disabled birder, Freya explores how time spent watching and listening to birds can benefit people of all abilities, and what nature organizations, festivals, and fellow birders can do to make the experience welcoming and accessible to everyone. Attendees will leave with a fresh appreciation for the health benefits of birding and practical ideas for making birding more inclusive.
About the Speaker
Freya McGregor (she/her) is a disabled birder and an occupational therapist. Through her business, Access Birding, she provides consulting and training services to help nature organizations improve access and inclusion for disabled birders. She is also a research associate in the Dayer Human Dimensions Lab at Virginia Tech, where she researches access, inclusion, disability, and birding. Her writing on these topics has appeared in Audubon and Birding magazines and the LA Times. Her forthcoming book, A Field Guide to Accessible Birding in the United States, will be published by Princeton University Press in April 2027.
Friday, May 28
Tom Murphy, Photographer and Explorer
Yellowstone Behind the Lens
Yellowstone National Park is Tom Murphy’s passion and specialty. Since 1975, he has traveled extensively across its 3,400 square miles, hiking and skiing thousands of miles on extended backcountry trips, including three ski crossings of the park, the first a solo, 14-day, 175-mile trek in 1985. Tom is driven by a desire to experience Yellowstone’s wilderness firsthand and to photograph the behaviors of free-roaming wildlife alongside the colors, shapes, and textures of the land.
You may recognize Tom from the PBS Nature episode “Christmas in Yellowstone,” which airs regularly around the world and follows his journey into the park’s frozen depths. His photography is held in private, public, and museum collections across the globe, and his images have been published in National Geographic, Audubon, Time, and The New York Times Magazine.
A talented naturalist and gifted lecturer, he has traveled the U.S. presenting his photographic slide shows, and his career has taken him to Alaska, Antarctica, and Africa, where he photographed mountain gorillas.
Based in Livingston, Montana, Tom was the first person licensed to lead photography tours in Yellowstone and has taught workshops through his company, Wilderness Photography Expeditions, since 1986. A longtime advocate for wild places, he donates his photography to conservation organizations. His newest book, Yellowstone Bison: Return of the Last Wild Herd, is co-authored with Chris Geremia, who spent 20 years managing the park’s bison, and celebrates the strength and resilience of the herds. We’re delighted to bring his knowledge and images of Yellowstone to the festival.
Friday, May 28
Denver Holt, Owl Research Institute
The Hidden Hunters: Exploring Evolutionary
Owl Adaptations
The ORI is one of the most active owl research groups in the world, reinvigorating the essence of “boots on the ground” field research. For over 40 years, Denver and the ORI have pursued in-depth, long-lasting studies that illuminate the enigmatic world of owls and their intricate ecology. Listeners will come away understanding why long-term studies are essential for revealing population trends and climate change, unraveling complex ecological puzzles, and shaping conservation strategies for owls.
Learn how owls have evolved to become masters of camouflage and stealth. From cryptic plumage and stillness to their remarkable ability to fly silently, owls are perfectly equipped for their lives as nighttime hunters. Denver will explore their exceptional senses, explaining how they see in near darkness and hear with pinpoint accuracy. You'll also gain insights into locating these mysterious birds by understanding their breeding seasons, vocalizations, and habitats.
About the Speaker
Denver's research has been published in many academic journals, and he is currently team leader for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Snowy Owl species account. He has been featured in a National Geographic cover story (December 2002) and the New York Times (2011), and his work has appeared in film and television, including Audubon's Up-Close series, PBS's Bird Watch, David Attenborough's Life of Birds, The Magic of the Snowy Owl, the BBC's Frozen Earth, and documentaries for National Geographic Explorer, NHK, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Company. In 2011, he worked with a PBS film crew documenting Snowy Owl breeding ecology at his research site in Barrow, Alaska. A keynote speaker at many major U.S. bird festivals and a TEDxBozeman speaker in 2023, Denver returns to Jackson for a third year, and we’re happy to welcome him back!
https://www.owlresearchinstitute.org
