Improve your birding skills — or get started in birdwatching with some friendly, expert help! Golden Gate Audubon offers classes for all levels of birding experience. Please register for our classes online (easy and fast). If you don’t have access to a computer, call our office at (510) 843-2222 and we will return your call as soon as possible.
CANCELLATION POLICY: As a small organization with limited office staff, it is challenging for us to handle last-minute cancellations. If you need to cancel, we will refund your registration fee if :
(1) You withdraw more than two weeks before the start of the class, AND(2) We can fill your spot with someone from the class waiting list.Please note that there will be a $5 cancellation fee to cover the credit card transaction costs for your sign-up and cancellation.
For information on GGAS classes at the Lake Merritt Rotary Nature Center go to https://goldengateaudubon.org/classes-rnc/
Fall 2020 Online Birding Classes
Classes via Zoom presentation, no field trips
Evolution of Birds
August 25 to September 29
A science-based course for curious adult learners who have some birding experience.
The focus is on avian evolution – including the scientists whose work has led to the modern theory of evolution, the evolutionary processes that have resulted in over 10,000 species of birds today, and the geological events that have been much of the cause of today’s avian multitude. From dinosaurs in Pangea to mountains rising in California, we’ll cover 100 million years of the earth’s history, ending with California’s remarkable birdlife – all in six weeks. PDFs of the Powerpoint slides will be available after the presentations.
- Six (6) Tuesday evening classes by Zoom, August 25, September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 7 to 9 pm
- Instructors: Bob Lewis and Bruce Mast
- $75 for GGAS members, $110 for non-members
- Limited to 95 participants
- Registration opens on June 3rd. Click here to register online
Introduction to Bird Vocalizations
FULL
Five (5) Zoom sessions: Mondays and Wednesdays
September 7, 9, 14, 16, 21
7:00–8:15 pm
Limit of 20 participants
Registration opens September 1st at 10 am
Click here to sign up.
Instructor: Steve Lombardi, hotrock175@gmail.com
We’ll use Zoom to study the songs and calls of the birds commonly encountered in the inner Bay Area. We’ll start with those species seen “everywhere,” in neighborhoods and parks as well as farther afield. We’ll then study some species that are not as common. With luck, we’ll get through 60 or so species in the five sessions.
We probably won’t be doing field trips because of C19. But many of these birds should be easily seen and heard on your own and near your house.
Cost: $50
Got questions?: Feel free to contact the instructor.
Introduction to Avian Anatomy and Physiology
October 6 to November 10
A science-based course for curious adult learners who have some birding experience.
An overview of what makes birds unique, including feathers and flight; how birds breathe and how they produce song; their amazing hearts and circulatory system; how they feed, digest, and excrete; how they reproduce and raise their young; how they migrate and navigate. We will look at some comparison and contrasts to mammals, and we will explore resources for continued learning.
- Six Tuesday evening classes by Zoom, October 6, 13, 20, 27; November 3 and 10, 7 to 9 pm.
- Instructor: Maureen Lahiff
- Limited to 50 participants
- $75 for GGAS members, $110 for non-members
- Please click here to register.
- Registration opens in September 1st at 10 am. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.
Writing about Birds
October 1 to November 5
FULL. Waitlist available.
Writing about Birds is a small online seminar for people who want to write short feature articles about birds. Participants must be comfortable sharing their work with others since much of our class time will be spent workshopping pieces. Each week we’ll look at what everyone has been working on, and we’ll explore ways to make these pieces better. Topics that we’ll address include Find your Voice—writing that sounds like you; The Big Picture—how to give your writing shape; Looking under the Hood—how to give your sentences shape; and Details, Details—how to inject some style into your prose. By the end of the 5-week class, you should have finished an article that you can submit to a local publication: a newspaper or newsletter, The Gull, Bay Nature, or the GGAS blog. Enrollment is limited to six students.
- Five Thursday evening classes by Zoom, October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; November 5, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
- Instructor: Eric Schroeder, Lecturer Emeritus, UC Davis Writing Program
- Limited to 7 participants
- $50 for GGAS members, $85 for non-members
- Registration opens on September 1st at 12 noon. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.
- Please click here to register.
Classes with (tentative) field trips
Please note: Due to the continuing COVID-19 surges, Golden Gate Audubon does not know if it will be safe to have field trips for the following classes. The instructors are willing to lead multiple field trips, splitting their classes into smaller groups and observing safe distances. As a result, tentative field trip plans are included in these descriptions. Instructors are also willing to conduct these classes with Zoom presentations only. We may have more information after Labor Day, when we plan to open registration for these classes. Please check back after Labor Day for an update on whether or not it will be safe to hold field trips with our classes.
Avian Adventures in the Bay Area
September 24 to October 18
FULL. Waitlist available.
Fall is an avian wonder in the bay area. The bay area sits in the Pacific flyway; many migrating birds flying south for the winter pass through. This class will introduce you to some of these migrants, both visual field marks and their songs and calls. Of course we will also include our large and diverse resident bird population. We will also introduce you to the miracles of avian physiology in small, focused vignettes.
This class welcomes both beginning and intermediate birders. and those who want to hone up on their bird identification skills.
- Four Thursday evening classes by Zoom, September 24, October 1, 8, 15, 6:30 to 8 pm
- Four weekend field trips (if possible), mostly Saturday but some weekends Saturday and/or Sunday.
- Instructors: Wendy Beers and Miya Lucas
- Limited to 16 participants
- $85 for GGAS members, $120 for non-members
- Registration opens on September 1st at 2 pm. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.
- You can register by clicking here.
Birding for Fledglings
October 14 to November 22
FULL. Waitlist available.
If you are ready to dip your wingtips into the world of birds, the Birding for Fledglings class is for you! No experience is necessary. The class will focus on birding tools; keys to bird identification; and finding and IDing the Bay Area’s Fall birds. As a bonus, you will learn the difference between Birdwatching and Birding!
- Six Wednesday evening classes by Zoom: October 14, 21, 28; November 4, 11, 18, 7 to 9pm
- Six three-hour field trips, with class split in half on either Saturday or Sunday following each class, 8 to 11 am
- Instructor: Dawn Lemoine
- Limited to 16 participants
- $125 for GGAS members, $160 for non-members
- Lectures are via Zoom; Field trip locations will be announced in class.
- Registration opens on September 1st at 2 pm. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.
- You can click here to register.
Advanced Beginning Birdwatching
October 6 to November 15
FULL. Waitlist available.
Are you a lapsed birder? Still remember a robin from a jay, but the sparrows all run together? Moved across the country and finding new birds? Or maybe you’re finally retired and have time to do what you love? Outdoors person who wants to enhance the experience? Or maybe you took the Beginning Birding class and want more? The Advanced Beginning class is geared to people who meet all those descriptions and more. Participants must have and use binoculars confidently. Field trips will be to East Bay shoreline, woodland, riparian, and grassland locations. This class will help you understand the various bird families and work on tricky IDs. It will also introduce you to community science (bird counting/ monitoring) activities and current bird conservation issues.
- Six Tuesday evening classes by Zoom, October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3, 10, 7:15 to 8:45 pm.
- Six three-hour field trips to a different site every week, accommodating half the class on the Saturday and the other half on Sunday following each class, 9:00 am to noon (October 10/11 to November 14/15 )
- Instructor: Anne Hoff
- Limited to 16 participants
- $125 for GGAS members, $160 for non-members
- Lectures are by Zoom link; field trip locations announced in class
- Registration opens on September 1st at 12 pm. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.
- If you’d like to register, please click here.
Beginning Birding by Ear
October 1 to November 7
FULL. Waitlist available.
Autumn is a great time to start slow and learn some of our local bird sounds. This class will introduce you to 20 common birds found in the East Bay in fall. We will cover a wide variety of techniques used for learning bird sounds, as well as prepare and review bird sounds we might expect on each location. Field trip will focus on all the bird sounds we hear as well visual important visual comparisons.
Please visit the instructors website for more information: http://www.denisewightbirds.com/
- Six Thursday evening classes by Zoom, October 1, 8 , 15, 22, 29 and November 5, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- Six Saturday morning field classes, October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and November 7, 8 to 10 am or 10 am to 12 noon
- Instructor: Denise Wight
- Limited to 16 participants
- $125 for GGAS members, $160 for non-members
- Field Locations will be posted on the instructor’s website
- Registration opens on September 1st at 12 noon. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.
- Please click here to register.
Waterbirds and Shorebirds in Winter
November 4 through December 6
FULL. Waitlist available.
In autumn, the Bay Area’s astounding array of resident shore and water birds are joined by over half a million birds who have bred in the north, some stopping to rest and refuel on their way further south, others coming to spend the winter here. This class will assist beginners and advanced beginners in sharpening their ID skills. Learning about what the birds eat, how they feed and their travel patterns will enhance your appreciation and your ID of both our residents and our winter visitors. Many locations in the Bay Area provide great opportunities to see these birds close up and study their behavior.
- Four Wednesday evening classes by Zoom, November 4, 11, 18 and December 2, 7 to 9 pm.
- Three three-hour weekend field trips Saturday or Sunday following class presentations, usually morning, but timed with the tides, with possibly a longer day trip the weekend of December 5-6
- Instructor: Maureen Lahiff
- Limited to 16 participants
- $85 for GGAS members, $120 for non-members
- Registration opens on September 1st at 10 am. Once the class is full, you may register to be on a waiting list.
- You can register by clicking here.