What happens when you decide to change careers at 40—and that new career takes you around the world working with birds? Join Donna O’Daniel as she shares the fascinating story of her journey into ornithology, from returning to graduate school to working with birds in some of the world’s most remote places. Donna will share stories from her career, illustrated with large maps of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and a poster of Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, along with selected passages from her memoir, Reflections of a Redeemed Rebel: The Bird Lady’s Memoir. Discover how a career with birds can be exciting, rewarding, and sometimes surprisingly dangerous!
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Time: Doors open 5:30pm, Program starts 6pm
Location: Community Library Sedona, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona AZ
Presenter: Donna O’Daniel
Presenter Bio: Donna O’Daniel is the author of Reflections of a Redeemed Rebel: The Bird Lady’s Memoir. Originally from Arizona, Donna began her career in administrative and legislative work before making a major career change at age 40. She returned to school at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a master’s degree in Biological Sciences and beginning a career that would take her around the world.
Her work with birds has brought her to remarkable places including the Falkland Islands, Aleutian Islands, Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, the Northern Marianas, Madagascar, Antarctica, and throughout the United States. Donna has also volunteered with several National Wildlife Refuges, including Loxahatchee and St. Marks in Florida and Imperial National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona.
In 2025, Donna was part of a successful effort to prevent the establishment of a military rocket base on Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, helping protect an important site for approximately one million nesting seabirds and wintering shorebirds.
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This program is hosted by the Northern Arizona Audubon Society, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting birds and the habitats they rely on across Northern Arizona. Everyone is welcome! If you enjoy our events, please consider supporting our work by becoming a member, making a donation, or signing up for our newsletter.
