Joy of Birdwatching – This talk is free! No registration required.

Birds have fascinated humankind for centuries. Ancient texts, and journals kept by emperors have
vivid descriptions of birds and their behavior. Aristotle and the Roman Emperor Fedrick II have
authored books describing the Avian Species.This talk is a gentle introduction to the hobby of Bird Watching, also referred to as Birding. This talk
targets first-time birders, or those who like to learn more about the avian species. Topics covered in
this talk will include what it takes to be a birder, startling facts about birds, why we care about birds,
studies in mental health benefits associated with this hobby, an overview of bird anatomy, bird song,
and bird conservation. We will finish our discussion with a review of both apps and resources which
help us to practice mindfulness and learn at the same time.

Bio for Amurthur Ramamurthy
Ramamurthy, who goes my Ram was trained as a Scientist and served the first thirty years of his
career in the Chemical, as well as Automotive Industries. For little over a decade Ram spent time with
Amazon Corporation teaching, and training managers and shop floor associates in continuous
improvement methods.
Ram is now retired but serves as a Research Volunteer at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory at Oak
Harbor, OH. My current focus is to provide statistical analysis for Bird Banding Data.
In 1978 while completing his Graduate studies at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, a
visiting professor from Georgetown University, USA encouraged Ram to start a hobby in addition to
focus on research in the laboratory. After collaborating with an ornithologist at a Tiger Reserve in
India, Ram chose to start birdwatching as a hobby.
After moving to the US in 1980, he spent the next few years learning bird identification mostly using
field guides. Over the past forty years, Ram’s journey in his spare time has focused on several areas
related to birds. Ram has taken several courses offered by Cornell Ornithology laboratory, on-line
courses on Ornithology from India. Currently Ram is enrolled in a Basic Ornithology Course
conducted by NPTEL (India Government’s online educational platform) India.
Ram has visited various birding festivals in the US, travelled to, UK, Poland, Costa Rica, Southern
Africa, Ecuador, Peru and extensively in India to observe birds in these diverse habitats. Ram
routinely visits National Parks which further offer opportunities to bird while hiking trails. He has
currently seen over 2300 birds.
Ram has co-directed a Young Bird Camp (December 2023) in Indian Institute of Science Education
and Research (IISER), Tirupati, India. A similar camp is being planned for December 2025 in IISER
Tirupati, India.
In June 2025, Ram is teaching a Masterclass on Bioacoustics at a Young Birder Camp in Portal, AZ.
At the Young Birder Camp in Portal, AZ, Ram will be offering a Master Class on Bioacoustics.
Participants will learn how, why, and when birds sing. They will learn the basics of Biodiversity, and
the role of Bioacoustics in the study of birds. This Master Class would discuss techniques and ethics
for recording bird sound, display, and analysis sonograms. Participants will have an opportunity to
record bird sounds during field trips, followed by hands on learning the use of Raven, Software
specifically designed for Bioacoustics. Using Raven Pro Software, participants will extract key
parameters which are unique to a given bird.
Ram is a frequent speaker at The Canton Public Library (Canton, MI) and Canton, Canton Summit in
the Park, Club 55+, and Washtenaw Bird and Nature Alliance, Ann Arbor, advocating for birds, and
citizen science. His seminar topics have included various destinations birding, Joy of Birdwatching
and Bird Migration. In addition to speaking about Birds, Ram is scheduled to give five talks on
National Parks at the Canton Summit during the later part of this year.