Bird Watching, or “birding”, is one of the fastest growing pastimes in America (recently surpassing gardening!). If you consider yourself a birder or would like to learn more about bird watching, you won’t want to miss the upcoming workshop at Tin Mountain Conservation Center entitled “Becoming a Better (Winter) Birder” with Chris Lewey of RAVEN Interpretive Programs. The evening workshop will be held on Thursday, January 21st with an optional field trip at 9am Saturday, January 23rd. We’ll meet at Tin Mountain Convervation Center and then go where the birds are!
This course is designed for both the novice with a strong interest in learning about birds, as well as the experienced birder looking to broaden their bird knowledge. Lewey will cover birding basics before moving to a deeper investigation of bird ecology, biology, identification, and behavior. The first in-class portion of the workshop will include an investigation of birding tools and techniques, slides, videos and discussions to help develop an understanding of avian biology and behavior, and the way to improve observational skills needed for bird identification, with emphasis on the winter-season birding. The following Saturday we’ll venture into the field to observe, identify, and study birds in their natural habitats and take this opportunity to put our newly learned skills into action. Bring your own binoculars if possible; limited quantity available for use.