Masks are required to attend this live event in Library Hall.

Cranes have fascinated humans for thousands of years. To some who work with cranes, these tall, vocal birds are often described as “people with wings.” Over the last 30 years, more bird festivals in the U.S. have been dedicated to viewing cranes than any other bird species. Why is this?  Paul Tebbel explains why we are drawn to cranes. Through the use of video footage and sharing stories collected over his decades of working with and watching cranes, Tebbel combines the biology of their survival with explanations of their behavior to help better understand these amazing birds.

About the Speaker

Paul Tebbel retired as the Executive Director of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center on the Lower American River in Sacramento, California. Prior to that, Paul was the manager/director of the Lillian Annette Rowe Sanctuary, owned by the National Audubon Society, in Gibbon, Nebraska for 11 years. Paul received a bachelor's in biology from Northern Michigan University and a master's in zoology from the University of Western Ontario, with his master’s thesis on sandhill cranes. One of Paul’s main hobbies remains watching sandhill cranes and their behavior. He uses his own video programs to show the unique characteristics of these birds.