We in Santa Barbara are very lucky to have amazing natural history and birding experts available to present to us monthly. Our programs are usually the fourth Wednesday of the month at Fleischmann Auditorium at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History unless otherwise noted. The doors open at 6:30pm with programming starting at 7:00pm.
Subscribe to the SBAS events calendar, learn how on this page.
For program details click on a program title below.
-
Program: Birds of California's Channel Islands
Tuesday, September 29, 2026, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pmFleischmann Auditorium,
Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History
2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA
MAP$5 general admission. Tickets available in advance on the Museum website here and at the door the evening of the event, if still available
Presented by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Courtesy of the Museum, copies of Birds of California’s Channel Islands (2 volumes / $129 plus tax) will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
-
Program: Wild Work: Adventures of Women Field Biologists (illustrated)
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Fleischmann Auditorium,
Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History
2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA
MAP$5 general admission. Tickets available in advance on the Museum website and at the door the evening of the event, if still available.
Sophie Osborn returns to Santa Barbara to present the often untold stories of intrepid and dedicated women field biologists and conservationists featured in an inspiring new anthology, Wild Work, which she co-edited with freshwater ecologist Susan B. Adams. This illustrated lecture and onstage conversation will also include readings of exciting and entertaining short first-person accounts by women field biologists studying birds, fish and wildlife across the globe. Osborn will also talk about the demands of scientific fieldwork, the lifelong friendships forged, and the transformative power of connecting deeply with the natural world.
Osborn will talk about the experiences of field biologists studying birds in a variety of habitats including White-bearded Manakins and Duianan Cock-of-the-rock in Suriname, songbirds in Belize, raptors in Colorado, Yellow-naped Amazon Parrots in Guatemala, Harpy Eagles in Panama, Ruppell’s Vultures in Kenya and California Condors in Arizona and here in Santa Barbara.
-
The Feather Wars: The Great Crusade to Save America's Birds (illustrated)
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Fleischmann Auditorium,
Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History
2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA
MAP$5 general admission. Tickets available in advance on the Museum website and at the door the evening of the event, if still available.
Courtesy of Chaucer’s Bookstore, books by James McCommons will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
James McCommons will speak about his newest book, The Feather Wars: The Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds, which tells the dramatic story of early conservationists who fought back when America’s birds were being slaughtered for fashion, food, and trade. The action takes place 100 plus years ago, but the lessons are as contemporary as ever, affirming the value of community action as a force for good in the conservation of nature. The complex and misunderstood relationship between birds and humans is examined in this history of bird conservation in America.
