This year’s Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory annual fundraising event is taking a new direction with events at the Mustang Drive-in and online on Sept. 22, 2020.

This annual event is the main fundraiser for the Observatory and evolved this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic from the sold-out Fundraising Dinner and Silent Auction held each Fall. Guest speaker for this years event is birder Bruce Di Labio.

“We needed to depart from our usual format for this year,” comments PEPtBO president Julie White. “We were very pleased to make an arrangement with the Mustang to host our evening. We are delighted to welcome as our guest speaker, birder par excellence Bruce Di Labio, who will highlight his experiences in visiting in an exclusive presentation on ‘Churchill—Point Pelee of the North’.”

Di Labio has had a life-long passion for and career in birding. He has traveled extensively in North America and specializes in birding tours to many Canadian destinations, including southern Saskatchewan and the Alberta Rockies, Churchill and southwestern Manitoba, Point Pelee National Park, Moosonee and James Bay, Grand Manan Island and numerous shorter trips around Eastern Ontario. Internationally, Bruce has led birding excursions to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Australia, South Africa and a number of Caribbean destinations, including Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Bahamas and Cuba, his favourite island.

His many trips to Churchill, MB will be his focus in both an online webinar and simultaneously on the big screen at the Mustang Drive-in. Following Bruce’s presentation, patrons at the Mustang will also enjoy the acclaimed, feature-length documentary The Eagle Huntress. The Eagle Huntress follows the story of Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl from Mongolia, as she attempts to become the first female eagle hunter to compete in the eagle festival at Ulgii. The men in her family have been eagle hunters for seven generations, and she wants to follow in their footsteps.

The simultaneous online webinar of Bruce Di Labio’s presentation will be available for registrants from outside the County or for those who cannot come to the Mustang.

White said 2020 has posed challenges to every birder, organization and business. The Observatory was closed for the Spring season and while banding and migration monitoring are underway this Fall, the observatory remains closed to visitors in direct contrast to every other year when they were most welcome. 

“This step has been taken with regret but was necessary to protect our banders and volunteers as they do their important work,” White explained. “Donations and membership renewals from visitors are a significant source of funds for PEPtBO. Losing that revenue meant finding innovative ways to keep the Bird Observatory operating.” 

If your interested in registering for the Mustang with Bruce Di Labio and the Eagle Huntress or to register for the webinar for his presentation and other interviews please visit www.peptbo.ca. 

All registrations and the payment of associated fees must be done online. Please register by September 10.