Peter Trull will explain the symbiotic relationship between humpback whales and marine birds when

the Paskamansett Bird Club meets on September 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Hall of Friends Meeting, 739 Horseneck Road, South Dartmouth.

Symbiotic relationships occur throughout nature, some subtle, others compelling. In the open sea, humpback whales create bubble columns and bubble clouds that trap and drive small fish to the surface, providing an opportunity for a diversity of marine birds to share in the bounty.

A number of marine birds and marine mammal species will be shown and described in close-up images. These will reveal the behaviors and adaptations of birds, notably the gulls, shearwaters and petrels found in our coastal waters, as they coexist with humpback whales.

Mr. Trull is a longtime educator and researcher of the natural world. He coordinated Mass Audubon's coastal seabird monitoring program for many years, assessing breeding success of terns and piping plovers. He has conducted field research in Guyana and Surinam, studying the market trapping of common and roseate terns, and working with local bird trappers in coastal villages. As education director of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, he developed programs and did field studies. He has completed over 2,500 whale watching trips.

Mr. Trull also teaches 7th grade science at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Harwich. He has written six books about Cape Cod natural history. His most recent, The Gray Curtain, was published in June, 2015.

The meeting is free, open to the public, and accessible.