D19. Spring Birding in the Great Outdoors (Gach)

This hands-on course will cover the basics of enjoying birds in the springtime.  Our resident birds are gearing up for nesting season while migrants will be returning or passing through, so early spring is an exciting time for birding.  We will combine walks to observe birds in their natural habitat with short talks about specific aspects of bird life and times.  Learn a bit about birdwatching and its history, identifying, listening to, and understanding birds and bird song, about migration and about conservation.  Come away with a better appreciation of our local bird community, why birds matter and how you can help them.  We will typically begin with a walk, and finish with a 30-minute presentation or talk.  If the weather is inclement we will meet indoors.

GROUP LEADER: Martha Gach is Conservation Coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary and Conservation Center, where she manages sanctuary habitat and directs adult education, teacher and professional development, and conservation interns.  Martha holds her doctorate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Michigan and is adjunct faculty at Worcester State University.  She has studied birds in Africa, fish in British Columbia and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and is currently learning all about bees in Massachusetts.

Optional to bring to class:  Binoculars will enhance your appreciation of birds in the field (there are a few pairs of binoculars that can be lent at Meadow Brook).  A field guide to birds of Eastern North American would be helpful as well.