(Community Calendar - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

ATHENS, Ohio — The Southeast Ohio History Center Lyceum Speaker Series presents a program on Birds of Ohio – Then and Now with Bob Scott Placier at noon May 15.

The program will be at the History Center at 24 West State St. in Athens. The Lyceum Luncheon Speaker Series is generally scheduled for the third Thursdays of the month.

Placier has been an active ornithologist for decades. He taught courses about forestry and other natural resources for several decades at Hocking College. He has led bird walks and given bird talks. He writes articles about birds and the many attributes, characteristics, and challenges facing birds of various species.

Placier will talk about the birds in the Ohio Country at the time of settlement and he will compare that to the birds of Ohio today. Attendees will hear about the abundance of Ohio bird species, some of which did not survive to the 21st century. Other species struggled and some thrived in Ohio’s changing landscape in spite of pressures of growth and development. He will address habitat loss and other factors affecting the population of birds then and now.

Due to ongoing construction projects at the History Center, parking is very limited, and visitors should come early to find such accommodations for their vehicle which may be a block or more from the History Center.

For more information about this presentation or about the History Center call 740-593-2280 or visit www.southeastohiohistory.org.