UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Vultures may not have warm and fuzzy associations for most people, but author and conservationist Katie Fallon hopes to create new appreciation for the much-maligned birds in an Aug. 17 talk at Penn State’s Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center.
Fallon, a Penn State graduate and author of “Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird,” will speak at 10 a.m. in the Hamer classroom. The talk is free, but advance registration is requested because of space limitations.
Fallon will answer questions following her presentation, and at 11 a.m. Shaver’s Creek will offer a bird walk focusing on vultures.
Fallon also will sign copies of her book, a new edition of which was released in 2020 by Brandeis University Press. Shaver’s Creek will have copies of Fallon’s book available for purchase in advance of her talk while supplies last.
International Vulture Awareness Day
Fallon’s talk comes ahead of International Vulture Awareness Day on Sept. 7, when Shaver’s Creek will feature vultures in its free “Meet the Creek” program, and a meetup on Sept. 21 for people who want to join a free guided discussion about the book.
Fallon said she hopes people come away from her talk with a new appreciation for turkey vultures and avian scavengers in general.
“Vultures are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem; they slow the spread of disease and help keep our environment clean,” she said.
Paige Sutherland, wildlife education program director at Shaver’s Creek, called Fallon “a great pioneer of our industry and an amazing educator.” Fallon’s avian conservation work “is just so inspiring,” she said.
Fallon, a 1999 graduate of Penn State, is executive director of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, Inc., based near Morgantown, West Virginia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving wild birds through research, education, and rehabilitation.
She is also the author of “Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird” and co-author of two books for children, “Look, See the Bird!” and “Look, See the Farm!” She writes the column "WINGBEATS" for Bird Watcher’s Digest and her essays and articles have appeared in a variety of journals and magazines as well as several anthologies and collections.
Learn more about Shaver's Creek, including resident vulture Matilda, on the Shaver's Creek website.