2020 BIRDING SKILLS WORKSHOPS
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East Coast Hawkwatching: Identification and Trends
Presented by Dr. Brian M. Wargo
Date: Saturday, May 9
Time: 1 - 2 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (indoors)
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
Hawkwatching is an esoteric subset of birding that utilizes unique skills and techniques for identification. Hawks are usually far out in the sky, often appearing black, and nearly devoid of any plumage patterns. Making matters worse, these birds rarely vocalize, are moving fast, and do not return for a second glance. All of these problems conspire against the hawk counter who must quickly identify the hawk and move on to the next bird. So, how do they do it?
Your instructor, Dr. Brian M. Wargo, author of “Bird!”: An Exploration of Hawkwatching, takes you into the mind of the hawk counter and shares the techniques that hawkwatchers practice to make the identification. In addition, Wargo is the Eastern Flyway Editor for Hawk Migration Studies, taking countless hours to analyze the data collected from the nearly 90 hawk sites in the eastern part of the United States. This information helps reveal the state of the raptors for the east coast. This workshop provides tips and tricks for hawk identification, all while integrating population trends for each raptor species.
Date: Saturday, May 9
Time: 1 - 2 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (indoors)
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
Hawkwatching is an esoteric subset of birding that utilizes unique skills and techniques for identification. Hawks are usually far out in the sky, often appearing black, and nearly devoid of any plumage patterns. Making matters worse, these birds rarely vocalize, are moving fast, and do not return for a second glance. All of these problems conspire against the hawk counter who must quickly identify the hawk and move on to the next bird. So, how do they do it?
Your instructor, Dr. Brian M. Wargo, author of “Bird!”: An Exploration of Hawkwatching, takes you into the mind of the hawk counter and shares the techniques that hawkwatchers practice to make the identification. In addition, Wargo is the Eastern Flyway Editor for Hawk Migration Studies, taking countless hours to analyze the data collected from the nearly 90 hawk sites in the eastern part of the United States. This information helps reveal the state of the raptors for the east coast. This workshop provides tips and tricks for hawk identification, all while integrating population trends for each raptor species.
Identifying Bird Songs Field Workshop
Presented by Tom Stephenson & Scott Whittle
Date: May 10 or 11
Time: 8 - 11 AM
Location: Magee Marsh East Boardwalk Entrance
Fee: $35
Registration Required: Yes
Limited to 20 people
No transportation is provided
Identifying the warblers and other species singing around us is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying aspects of birding. The language for describing visual ID points for birds greatly helps us identify an unknown bird. The lack of this language for songs, however, makes it often very difficult to know how to figure out an unknown song.
Join Tom and Scott, the authors of The Warbler Guide book and the Birdgenie app, as they outline their new system that makes identifying bird vocalizations much easier.
Date: May 10 or 11
Time: 8 - 11 AM
Location: Magee Marsh East Boardwalk Entrance
Fee: $35
Registration Required: Yes
Limited to 20 people
No transportation is provided
Identifying the warblers and other species singing around us is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying aspects of birding. The language for describing visual ID points for birds greatly helps us identify an unknown bird. The lack of this language for songs, however, makes it often very difficult to know how to figure out an unknown song.
Join Tom and Scott, the authors of The Warbler Guide book and the Birdgenie app, as they outline their new system that makes identifying bird vocalizations much easier.
Learning to Look: Conservation in the new millennium, and connecting the dots between habitats, birds, and you
Presented by Holly Merker- Sponsored by Crossley Bird ID Boot Camp
Date: Monday, May 11
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
Size, shape, behavior, and patterns of color are linked to how and where a bird lives. During this program, we will focus on behavior and the benefits of observation. Learn to look at how and why birds use habitats, how this impacts ID, what you can do to help, and how we are all connected.
This will be an interactive indoor learning program spotlighting:
Date: Monday, May 11
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
Size, shape, behavior, and patterns of color are linked to how and where a bird lives. During this program, we will focus on behavior and the benefits of observation. Learn to look at how and why birds use habitats, how this impacts ID, what you can do to help, and how we are all connected.
This will be an interactive indoor learning program spotlighting:
- How we look for birds within landscapes and habitats
- How and why birds use habitats
- How this impacts ID
- What you can do to help birds
- How we are all connected
What is a Warbler?
Presented by Scott Whittle
Date: Monday, May 11
Time: 1 - 2 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
One of the hardest and most important birding questions to answer is “What makes that a warbler?" Too often we start out on the wrong identification path by choosing the wrong group, and everything goes downhill from there. On the other hand, if we pick the correct group, the rest of the ID process gets a lot easier! Scott Whittle, co-author of The Warbler Guide, will take us through a little history.
Date: Monday, May 11
Time: 1 - 2 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
One of the hardest and most important birding questions to answer is “What makes that a warbler?" Too often we start out on the wrong identification path by choosing the wrong group, and everything goes downhill from there. On the other hand, if we pick the correct group, the rest of the ID process gets a lot easier! Scott Whittle, co-author of The Warbler Guide, will take us through a little history.
Learning to Look Outdoors: Connecting the dots between birds and you - Field Workshop
Instructor: Holly Merker- Sponsored by Crossley Bird ID Boot Camp
Date: Tuesday, May 12
Time: 8 - 11 AM
Location: TBD
Fee: $35
Registration Required: Yes
Limited to 15 participants
Size, shape, behavior, and patterns of color are linked to how and where a bird lives. During this program, we will focus on behavior in relationship to habitats and the benefits of observation. Learn to look at how and why birds use habitats, how this impacts ID, what you can do to help, and how we are all connected.
Date: Tuesday, May 12
Time: 8 - 11 AM
Location: TBD
Fee: $35
Registration Required: Yes
Limited to 15 participants
Size, shape, behavior, and patterns of color are linked to how and where a bird lives. During this program, we will focus on behavior in relationship to habitats and the benefits of observation. Learn to look at how and why birds use habitats, how this impacts ID, what you can do to help, and how we are all connected.
Learn How to Bird Like the Experts - Field Workshop
Instructor: Kevin Karlson
Date: Wednesday, May 13
Time: 8 - 11 AM
Location: Maumee Bay State Park Trautman Nature Center
Fee: $35
Registration Required: Yes
Limited to 20 people
No transportation provided.
Come along as Kevin combines the traditional field mark approach to ID with a more holistic one that incorporates physical features and behavior to reach a more complete ID picture. Most of the expert guides use this combined approach on a regular basis, and you too can improve your field skills by employing this technique. This approach concentrates initially on the relative size, shape, structure and behavior of every bird, and then fills in the blanks using conventional field marks and details. Come and experience a different way of identifying and looking at birds, with an emphasis on having fun and sharing with others. Kevin’s book “Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Knowing and Identifying Birds” was released in 2015, and covers this exciting ID technique in detail.
Date: Wednesday, May 13
Time: 8 - 11 AM
Location: Maumee Bay State Park Trautman Nature Center
Fee: $35
Registration Required: Yes
Limited to 20 people
No transportation provided.
Come along as Kevin combines the traditional field mark approach to ID with a more holistic one that incorporates physical features and behavior to reach a more complete ID picture. Most of the expert guides use this combined approach on a regular basis, and you too can improve your field skills by employing this technique. This approach concentrates initially on the relative size, shape, structure and behavior of every bird, and then fills in the blanks using conventional field marks and details. Come and experience a different way of identifying and looking at birds, with an emphasis on having fun and sharing with others. Kevin’s book “Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Knowing and Identifying Birds” was released in 2015, and covers this exciting ID technique in detail.
Why Do Birds Sing? How Do They Learn Their Songs?
And How Can Birders Learn Them Too?
Presented by Tom Stephenson
Date: Thursday, May 14
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
It takes energy to sing. So why do most birds spend so much time vocalizing? What are the different functions of songs and calls? Are songs learned or innate? And how do we know?
This lecture will begin with an overview of the different kinds of vocalizations that birds make, how they are acquired, and how the song-learning process unfolds. We’ll discuss why in early Spring you might hear very odd songs from common species, and what that tells us about the singer.
We’ll also cover how many different kinds of vocalizations one individual bird might make, what they may mean, and discuss species that sing only one song across the US compared with other species that have hundreds of different songs.
We’ll then explore some strategies we can use when we hear a song we don’t recognize and see why traditional field guides aren’t much help.
Finally we’ll discuss general memorization theory and outline a simple and very effective technique for memorizing many bird songs.
So if you have ever had any questions about why birds are singing or wanted better ways of learning their songs, this is the lecture for you!
Date: Thursday, May 14
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
It takes energy to sing. So why do most birds spend so much time vocalizing? What are the different functions of songs and calls? Are songs learned or innate? And how do we know?
This lecture will begin with an overview of the different kinds of vocalizations that birds make, how they are acquired, and how the song-learning process unfolds. We’ll discuss why in early Spring you might hear very odd songs from common species, and what that tells us about the singer.
We’ll also cover how many different kinds of vocalizations one individual bird might make, what they may mean, and discuss species that sing only one song across the US compared with other species that have hundreds of different songs.
We’ll then explore some strategies we can use when we hear a song we don’t recognize and see why traditional field guides aren’t much help.
Finally we’ll discuss general memorization theory and outline a simple and very effective technique for memorizing many bird songs.
So if you have ever had any questions about why birds are singing or wanted better ways of learning their songs, this is the lecture for you!
The Music of Birdsong
Presented by Lisa Rainsong
Date: Friday, May 15
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
Learning bird songs can feel a little overwhelming at times, especially when it seems that everyone is singing at once! Bird song is music, and the techniques used in ear training and music appreciation classes can provide valuable tools for identification of avian musicians and their repertoire. Lisa Rainsong, Music Theory faculty member of the Cleveland Institute of Music, will help you sort out the singers and their songs through an approach that can be applied to many of the birds we hear.
Date: Friday, May 15
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Fee: $10
Registration Required: Yes
Learning bird songs can feel a little overwhelming at times, especially when it seems that everyone is singing at once! Bird song is music, and the techniques used in ear training and music appreciation classes can provide valuable tools for identification of avian musicians and their repertoire. Lisa Rainsong, Music Theory faculty member of the Cleveland Institute of Music, will help you sort out the singers and their songs through an approach that can be applied to many of the birds we hear.