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| South Africa's National Birds, Blue Cranes, on a carpet of native wildflowers in Namaqualand, South Africa (Credit: Nishi Rajakaruna) |
Video available on the MCAS YouTube Channel.
Title: Becoming a Birder in South Africa
Presenter: Nishanta Rajakaruna
Description: Nishi Rajakaruna fell in love with birding and wildlife photography during his 2022-2023 visit as a Fulbright US Scholar to South Africa. During his travels, he took photos of 402 bird species in southern Africa and is looking forward to sharing some of his photos and stories.
Bio: Nishi Rajakaruna was born and raised in Sri Lanka. He pursued his undergraduate education in human ecology at College of the Atlantic, Maine, and his MS and Ph.D. in botany at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He conducted postdoctoral research in plant ecology at Stanford University. He has taught at predominantly undergraduate teaching-focused universities for 20 years and is currently a professor in plant biology at California Polytechnic State University where he teaches general botany, ethnobotany, biogeography and geoecology. Nishi is currently a Fulbright US Scholar Alumni Ambassador, promoting opportunities for educational and cultural exchange among faculty and students across the United States.
