Joseph Morlan, a man who teaches accomplished birders, as well as the general public, will be appearing at the Visitor Center in San Pedro Valley Park on Saturday, May 17. The program will start at 8 p.m. His program will be "Capturing Birds Through a Lens."

Morlan has been in the San Francisco Bay area since the late 1960s. He has lived on both sides of the Bay and has taught birdwatching classes through the San Francisco adult school system since the 1970s, classes which include field trips, taking Joe and his students throughout the Bay Area, especially to Pt. Reyes.

Joe's knowledge of Bay Area birds is perhaps unmatched. He first appeared in American Birds in winter 1972-73 (he is cited for a half-dozen records) and rapidly became one of the best birders in the Bay area as a prot g of the renowned Van Remsen.

He is now an instructor at City College in San Francisco, where he has taught Field Ornithology for over 30 years. Morlan also serves as vice-chair of the California Bird Records Committee and featured photo editor of the journal "Western Birds." He coordinates the Northern California "Birdbox," a voicemail system for reporting rare birds at (415) 681-7422, and maintains a web site devoted to California birding at: fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan.

San Pedro Valley Park is located at the junction of Linda Mar and Oddstad Blvds, where you will see the sign for the park by the entry road. There is plenty of parking. The event is free, but donations to the sponsor, The Friends of San Pedro Valley Park," are encouraged.