"Unusual Birds" to take flight at Kaler Science Lecture Series in March

The lecture series was named for UIUC astronomer Jim Kaler

Birds not often seen in central Illinois will take flight in the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College in March.

Jeffrey Bryant will present "Unusual Birds" on Friday, March 7, at 7 p.m., as part of Parkland College's James B. Kaler Science Lecture Series. The lecture series was named for UIUC astronomer Jim Kaler, who spoke at the series each year for over 20 years.

Bryant frequently travels around Champaign County and beyond to observe and photograph birds. His selection of images will be displayed through the planetarium's Digistar 6 projection system.

His wife, planetarium producer Waylena McCully, will display the photos as a gallery across the dome and offer flyover views of the regions where each photo was taken. The theme, "Unusual Birds," offers a selection of photos of birds he encountered outside of their normal range of habitats.

Bryant earned a bachelor’s degree and MS in physics at Ball State University. He now works for Wolfram Research and posts about visualizations of astronomical phenomena using the Wolfram Language.

Tickets for Kaler Lectures are $2 or free for the Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium. Tickets may be purchased in person or online. For a show schedule, call 217/351-3446 or visit parkland.edu/planetarium.