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      Virtual Lecture

      How Birds Created the World

      Friday, February 6, 2026 from 7:45—9 pm

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      Artist in Korea, Hyungbae (rank badge) with two cranes, before 1899. Silk embroidery on silk. Gift of Gustavus Goward, 1899. E9785. Peabody Essex Museum.

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      Virtual Event

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      Artist in Korea, Hyungbae (rank badge) with two cranes (detail), before 1899. Silk embroidery on silk. Gift of Gustavus Goward, 1899. E9785. Peabody Essex Museum.

      Bestselling author Randi Minetor presents a lively virtual program based on her recent book The Complete Language of Birds. Discover some of the myriad ways that birds have influenced the culture and stories of people around the world, ranging from the Ancient Egyptians who believed that the Earth began as an egg laid by a giant goose, to the Ojibwa people, who mark a time when a bird braved the deep waters of a Great Flood to bring a bit of soil up from the bottom to restart the continent. Minetor will also share instances in which birds have served as enduring symbols, as well as agents of various superstitions over the ages.

      This event is co-hosted by the Essex County Ornithological Club. A brief meeting of the club will be held from 7:30–7:45 pm. All are welcome to attend!

      About the collaborator

      Randi Minetor
      Randi Minetor

      Randi Minetor writes books for the Birdfinding and Best Easy Bird Guides series for Falcon Guides/Globe Pequot Press, and is the author of Backyard Birding and Butterfly Gardening. Her most recent book, The Complete Language of Birds: A Definitive and Illustrated History (2024), is an encyclopedia that unites classic illustrations, science, folklore and legends about more than 400 bird species around the world. She writes for Birding Magazine, is a regional report editor for North American Birds and served for three years as president of the Rochester Birding Association in New York State. She and her photographer husband Nic have visited 364 (out of 429) National Parks, to date, which has served as inspiration for many of her books.

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