Speaking

Here are Tiffany Kersten's upcoming Big Year presentations. It’s been a joy for her to share the birds, healing and growth she experienced during her big year with so many people. 

Texas Monthly did a great job summarizing her multi-faceted Big Year in the article here. Another great article in Audubon Magazine can be found here. 

Podcast interviews by the American Birding Association, Naturally Adventurous: Episode 1 and Episode 2, New Jersey Audubon. 

Video interview by Badgerland Birding. 

 

Birdie Big Year: Elevating Women Birders

Tiffany Kersten didn't set out to do a Big Year, but after a series of unanticipated and serendipitous events, she suddenly found herself amidst one. As a sexual assault survivor, she spent 2021 traveling to all corners of the Lower 48 States, tallying birds and gifting personal safety alarms to women she met along the way. Her goal was to see 700 species, and to raise awareness of women's safety in the outdoors. She ended up surpassing her goal and setting a new record, of 726 species. In her presentation, Tiffany will lead us through the fear, empowerment, struggles, and healing that all played vital roles in the personal growth she experienced on this wild adventure.

Biography:

Tiffany Kersten is a Wisconsin native. She holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Northland College, and has spent over a decade as an environmental educator, teaching about bird migration with the Cape May Bird Observatory, monitoring shorebirds on Cape Cod, banding Honeycreepers in Hawaii, and finally landing in South Texas where she worked at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and then managed the McAllen Nature Center. After completing her Lower 48 States Big Year in 2021, she founded her own company, Nature Ninja Birding Tours. She guides primarily in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, and offers international tours as well.

2025 Presentations:

January 30: Houston Audubon (Virtual Presentation)

February 22: Port Aransas Whooping Crane Festival, Port Aransas, TX

April 26: National Butterfly Center Mission, TX

May 1: Baton Rouge Audubon Society, Baton Rouge, LA

May 4: Audubon Society of Ohio, Cincinnati, OH

May 6: Morgan County Master Gardeners, McConnellsville, OH

May 8: Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, Cleveland, OH

From May 9 to May 14, I'll be at Biggest Week in American Birding in NW Ohio, showing products for Swarovski Optik!

May 15-18: Speaking and guiding at Indiana Dunes Birding Festival in Porter, Indiana

May 22 - 25: Jackson Hole Birding Festival, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

August: Southeast Arizona Birding Festival (presentation date TBD)

Third Annual Birdie Big Year Speaking Tour - 2025! Dates and Locations are still being added - email NatureNinjaBirding@gmail.com to inquire about hosting Tiffany at your event!

A map of all of Tiffany's in-person presentations to date!

Past Presentations: 

2024

Fort Worth Audubon, Fort Worth, TX

Grosse Point Audubon, Michigan (Virtual Presentation)

Kitsap Audubon, Washington (Virtual Presentation)

Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club (Virtual Presentation)

El Paso Audubon (Virtual Presentation)

Tennessee Ornithological Society, Knoxville, TN (Keynote)

Urban Ecology Center, Milwaukee, WI

Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, IA

Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival, Cortez, CO (Keynote)

Carpenter Nature Center, Hastings, MN

Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival, Ashland, WI (Keynote)

North Dakota Birding Society, Fargo, ND

Montana Birding Festival, Helena, MT (Keynote)

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Aspen, CO

Llano Estacado Audubon, Lubbock, TX

Trinity River Audubon Center, Dallas, TX

Bexar Audubon / San Antonio Audubon, TX

San Diego Field Ornithologists, San Diego, CA (Virtual Presentation)

2023

Alabama Ornithological Society, Guntersville, Alabama

Laredo Birding Festival, Laredo, Texas (Keynote)

Napa-Solano Audubon Society, California (Virtual Presentation)

South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center, Texas

Chequamegon Audubon Society, Ashland, Wisconsin (Virtual Presentation)

Northwood Woman's Club, Dallas, Texas

Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, Dallas, Texas

Texas Woman's University, Denton, Texas

Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, San Antonio, Texas

New York Audubon & Connecticut Audubon (Virtual Presentation)

Lek Treks Festival, Hays, Kansas (Keynote)

Stockton College Bird Club, New Jersey (Virtual Presentation)

The Birdiest Festival in America, Corpus Christi, Texas (Keynote)

Hoosier National Forest, Bloomington, Indiana

Allerton Park & Retreat Center, Monticello, Illinois

Chicago Audubon Society, Chicago, Illinois

Kane County Audubon, St. Charles, Illinois

Ottawa County Parks & Recreation / Holland Audubon Club, West Olive, Michigan

Erie Bird Observatory, Erie, Pennsylvania 

Buffalo Audubon Society, New York 

The Discovery Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Baltimore Bird Club, Maryland

John Burroughs Natural History Society, Kingston, New York 

Ocean State Bird Club, Providence, Rhode Island 

Birds & Brews, Newburyport, Massachusetts 

Audubon Everglades, Florida (Virtual Presentation) 

Grand Valley Audubon Society, Grand Junction, Colorado

Denver Audubon, Lakewood, Colorado

Aiken Audubon Society, Colorado (Virtual Presentation) 

2022

Texas Ornithological Society, Lake Jackson, Texas 

Biggest Week in American Birding, Ohio (Keynote) 

Acadia Birding Festival, Maine (Keynote)

Maine Audubon, Portland, Maine 

Rockport-Fulton HummerBird Fest, Rockport, Texas 

South American Birdfair, Cusco, Peru (Keynote) 

Travis Audubon, Austin, Texas (Virtual Presentation) 

Rio Brazos Audubon, College Station, Texas 

For information on booking in-person and virtual presentations, email NatureNinjaBirding@gmail.com.