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Event Series: Birding 101

FULL | Birding 101

Wednesday, April 1 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Learn to Bird!

Course Instructors: Wil Hershberger, Carol Winckler, Nancy Kirshbaum, Lynne Wiseman

$100/person (PVAS members receive a 10% discount). Pre-registration is required and limited to 20 participants.  The course is open to adults and children 16+.

PVMN Continuing Education Eligible

Love birds, but not sure what you are looking at? Hear a bird call and wonder who is making that sound? Join our Birding 101 course and learn how to become a birder.  

This four-week course includes four classroom sessions on Wednesday evenings and four field trips on Saturday mornings. It is perfect for beginning birders or those who want to brush up on their ID skills. You’ll learn everything from bird identification and field etiquette to birding techniques and resources. This course is taught by local birding experts who bring years of knowledge and a love of birding to the classes and field trips. 

Each participant will receive their own copy of a bird identification book to use throughout the course and beyond.

What past participants have to say about Birding 101: 

“The class was phenomenal! Many thanks to Wil, Nancy, Lynne, and Carol for sharing not only their expertise but also their love of finding the birds. I was able to add several birds to my life list!”

“The walks were fantastic. The instructors were extremely knowledgeable and entertaining.”

“It was a great class and it ALL went well! Loved learning how to physically identify birds, their songs and also learning fun facts about many of them.”

Classroom Sessions:

Wednesday Evenings in April

7:00- 9:00 pm

April 1, 8, 15, 22

Shepherdstown Library (in the Commons Room just inside the main library doors)

 

Field Trips:

The Saturday morning field tips allow students to practice the skills learned in the classroom. We’ll visit a variety of habitats to see a wide variety of bird species that live in those. Field trips are held entirely outdoors, so dress appropriately for the weather and be prepared for muddy conditions. Field trips include walking 1-2 miles on trails of varying terrain, including some hills. We will stop often to look for birds. 

Saturday mornings in April

7:00 am- 10:00 am

April 4, 11, 18, 25

Locations will be announced in class. All are in our region and carpooling options may be available. 

 

Register Now!

Read our pricing structure & policies.

About Wil Hershberger: Wil has been photographing and recording the natural world for more than a decade and his work has been published in magazines, calendars, and books. His recordings of birds, frogs and insects are archived at the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. His website can be found at natureimagesandsounds.com

About Nancy Kirshbaum: Nancy’s interest in birds began with a bird feeder that her dad built. On a fourth grade field trip to a bird banding station, she got to hold and release an American Goldfinch, and she became a confirmed lifelong birder. Nancy has participated in many bird counts and breeding bird atlas projects. She met her husband, Elliot, on a Baltimore Bird Club field trip, and they have traveled and birded together for over forty years. Nancy is a retired elementary school teacher and a member of PVAS and the Maryland Ornithological Society.

About Lynne Wiseman: Lynne is a retired Realtor and has always had a curiosity about our feathered friends. She has been a member of PVAS for over 35 years and has been the board president. She has also become a Master Naturalist to expand her knowledge of all things nature and to share that knowledge with others by leading bird walks and teaching birding classes.

About Carol Winckler: Carol has had an interest in birding since childhood when grandma would take her for walks on the family farm in Illinois, letting her hold her bird book and look through her binoculars.  She is a retired elementary school teacher and has been a Master Naturalist since 2017.  She became a PVAS member in 2007 while taking her first Birding 101 class.  She continues to enjoy participating in bird walks, helping teach birding classes, and take part each year with the Christmas Bird Count and Birdathon.

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