Ornithologist to speak to naturalists

The Hancock County Naturalists will host speaker Jeremy Dominguez, birding outreach coordinator and ornithologist at the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium, at its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 11. Dominguez will talk about birding in Northwest Ohio, exploring what the area has to offer regarding birding opportunities and what the Toledo Zoo is doing to promote birding and bird conservation. The meeting will be held at the Doc Phillips Discovery Center at Oakwoods Nature Preserve, 1400 Oakwoods Lane. Dominguez became interested in birds while in Alaska, serving in the U.S. Navy. Upon his return to Ohio, his interest quickly grew to an obsession. Dominguez did an "Ohio Big Year" in 2015 to get better acquainted with the birds of his home state. In 2016 and 2017, he started to travel all over the United States, seeking out birds. In 2018, Dominguez returned to school in Southeastern Ohio, graduating from Hocking College with an ecotourism and adventure travel degree. He took on his biggest birding adventure yet in 2020, doing a "Lower 48 U.S. Big Year" and setting the record for it with 724 species seen. He has since explored places like China, South Korea, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico and the Bahamas. In addition to his work duties, he is an eBird reviewer for the Greater Toledo area and vice president for The Ohio Ornithological Society. The meeting is free and open to the public. The Hancock County Naturalists, a membership organization, was established for the purpose of furthering the study of the fauna and flora of Hancock County and the surrounding area and to participate in selected conservation and educational projects. The group and events are open to those ages 15 and older. Contact Jane Riker at 419-306-3697 or emaggin117@aol.com for more information. The group's website is hancockcountynaturalists.org