You’ve fledged, you’ve taken Beginning Birding or have recently started to bird and know the basics, and are now ready to soar. You know how to use your binoculars, can comfortably identify a few species, perhaps even one or two by ear, but would like to recognize even more, and learn how to go about solving the ones that just stump you.

In this class, we’ll reinforce important aspects of birding such as fieldcraft and strategies of identification, including how to separate some confusingly similar species, with a deeper dive into bird physiology, vocalizations, appearance, and behavior. Our aim is to deepen our appreciation of the amazing creatures that are birds. This class includes five Zoom lectures and five field trips. The spring is a fun time to bird: local breeders are out looking for a mate, late departures are already in their fancy alternate plumage, and there’s always the possibility of a chance encounter with an uncommon or rare bird just passing through. On our field trips we’ll visit locations in the area that will provide us opportunities for observing all of these things.

There is a break between the first 3 weeks and the last 2 weeks to accommodate the instructor’s schedule. Suggestions for good places to bird on your own or with others from the class during the break will be provided. Recordings of the lecture presentations will be available to class participants for a limited period of time.

Instructor: Steve Hunter

Five Thursday evening classes by Zoom: April 14, 21, 28; May 26 and June 2, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Five three-hour Saturday field trips: April 16, 23, 30; May 28 and June 4: 8 to 11 am

Lectures are via Zoom; Field trip locations will be announced in class and by email.
Limited to 20 participants.
$125 for GGAS members, $150 for non-members.

Instructor’s email for questions: slh777@gmail.com