Inspired by a trip to the Galapagos Islands in October 2024, Gerry will discuss wildlife and evolution on this world-renown destination, with a focus on endemic species and subspecies of birds, mammals, and reptiles. The discussion of birds will cover the 17 endemic species known as Darwin’s finches, which have historical importance in the field of evolutionary biology because they are a prominent and well-studied example of adaptive radiation. They were the first birds in which natural selection, the principal mechanism of evolution, was observed and studied as it happened in the wild.

Gerry is a retired business lawyer whose avid interests include birds and history. He is a member of the MD/DC Records Committee and a former member of the Virginia Avian Records Committee, an eBird reviewer for Maryland, and an author of several articles published in recent years in ornithological journals.