LEWISTON — The Stanton Bird Club’s first meeting of the new 2010-2011 birding season will be on Monday, Oct. 18, at the Green Ladle, Lewiston High School Culinary Arts Center, 156 East Ave. A social hour with club displays will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. A dinner choice of glazed ham or vegetable lasagna will be served from 6 to 7 p.m. and the annual meeting and monthly speaker will begin at 7 p.m.

Dr. Donald Dearborn will discuss the diversity of seabirds that breed in Hawaii, comparing their lifestyles and reproductive habits. He will then focus in detail on his research regarding the breeding behavior of the colorful frigate birds in Hawaii.

Dearborn is the new chair of the Biology Department at Bates College. He is a highly respected evolutionary behavioral ecologist who most recently was at Bucknell University.

At Bucknell, Dearborn held the Herbert L. Spencer Chair. His research interests include mating systems, parental investment strategies, host-parasite interactions, population structure and conservation biology.

Aside from his research and academic responsibilities, Dearborn is an avid outdoorsman, greatly enjoying white water kayaking, rock climbing and traveling.

The presentation is free and open to the public. The cost for dinner is $15 each person. Those interested in dinner should respond no later than Saturday, Oct. 9. Meal preference must be indicated and checks, payable to Stanton Bird Club, may be sent to Stanton Treasurer, P.O. Box 3172, Lewiston, Maine 04243 or call 240-1380 to make reservations. Dinner reservations are required, no walk-ins will be accepted.

The Stanton Bird Club is a conservation organization offering monthly free natural history programs and field trips throughout Maine. The organization welcomes new members whose dues help to provide land stewardship at three sanctuaries, owned and managed by the club, in Lewiston and Monmouth. For more information, call 782-5238, visit the website at www.stantonbirdclub.org or e-mail questions to [email protected].