3710 Cedar St., Box 5
Austin, Texas 78705
512.300.BIRD (2473)
info@travisaudubon.org
Austin, Texas 78705
512.300.BIRD (2473)
info@travisaudubon.org
Travis Audubon's Education Committee is dedicated to providing
high-quality educational opportunities geared toward environmental
conservation, bird identification, and bird-friendly habitat awareness
for all ages. We focus on topics related to birds but also offer other
nature topics as appropriate, and suggestions for new courses are
welcomed.
Examples of classes that Travis Audubon typically offers are:
Our classes are led by professional instructors with significant,
relevant experience to the topics. We charge tuition (with a discount for
Travis Audubon members) to help cover our expenses in offering the
classes. Many of them fill up early, so if you are interested, don't wait to
register.
high-quality educational opportunities geared toward environmental
conservation, bird identification, and bird-friendly habitat awareness
for all ages. We focus on topics related to birds but also offer other
nature topics as appropriate, and suggestions for new courses are
welcomed.
Examples of classes that Travis Audubon typically offers are:
Our classes are led by professional instructors with significant,
relevant experience to the topics. We charge tuition (with a discount for
Travis Audubon members) to help cover our expenses in offering the
classes. Many of them fill up early, so if you are interested, don't wait to
register.
Course registration
To register for any Travis
Audubon class, you must
contact the course registrar
listed in the course
description and receive a
response verifying that a
place is available.
Course withdrawal
and refund policies
If a registrant withdraws from
a class at least 48 hours
before the 1st session, Travis
Audubon Society (TAS) will
offer a full refund less a $5
administrative fee that helps
defray our costs. If TAS
cancels the class, we will
fully refund the tuition.
The registrar must receive
payment for a class by 14
days before the 1st class
session. If, at that time, the
class is full and there is a
waiting list, the registrar may
remove an unpaid registrant
from the roster and offer the
place to the next person on
the waiting list.
To register for any Travis
Audubon class, you must
contact the course registrar
listed in the course
description and receive a
response verifying that a
place is available.
Course withdrawal
and refund policies
If a registrant withdraws from
a class at least 48 hours
before the 1st session, Travis
Audubon Society (TAS) will
offer a full refund less a $5
administrative fee that helps
defray our costs. If TAS
cancels the class, we will
fully refund the tuition.
The registrar must receive
payment for a class by 14
days before the 1st class
session. If, at that time, the
class is full and there is a
waiting list, the registrar may
remove an unpaid registrant
from the roster and offer the
place to the next person on
the waiting list.
| Passing It On |
At Travis Audubon we
believe that teaching
about birds and nature
is vitally important.
This way we "plant
seeds" for the future,
for the environment
and those coming after
us who will live in it.
believe that teaching
about birds and nature
is vitally important.
This way we "plant
seeds" for the future,
for the environment
and those coming after
us who will live in it.
Travis Audubon Classes
| Intermediate Birding Class (Jaci Kopra) |
|
| Warblers of Texas: Natural History and Identification Lectures in SE Austin - Wednesdays September 15 and 22, 7 to 9 PM Local Field Trip - Saturday September 18 Optional Out of Town Field trip to Corpus - Weekend of September 25 (extra cost) Doug Booher is going to teach a fall warbler class for intermediate birders (at least one year bird-watching experience). The course will be an introduction to the 46 species of warblers that regularly occur in Texas including discussion of taxonomy, range of occurrence, breeding status, and habitat. Further, the class will focus on identification of those warblers that are particularly challenging to identify in non-breeding plumage. Doug is a past president of Travis Audubon and has taught several of its classes. The tuition for the class is $60 for members of Travis Audubon and $70 for non-members. The lecture portion of the class is limited to 30 participants and the out-of-town field trip size is limited to 16. To register for the class contact Frances Cerbins by e-mail or by calling 512 372 9039 with your name, phone, email address and whether you want to go on the out-of-town field trip. __________________________________________________ Travis Audubon’s Odonate Identification Class 2010 Travis Audubon is pleased to again offer the exciting class on identification of Odonates: dragonflies and damselflies. It is taught by Dr. John Abbott. The class will provide both classroom instruction and identification practice in the field focusing on dragonflies and damselflies of the Austin area. The class is designed for beginners. Previous class members quickly became ardent enthusiasts and are making significant contributions to the knowledge of the distribution and status of the Odonates of Texas. Dr. John Abbott, Curator of Entomology for the Texas Natural Science Center (Texas Memorial Museum) at the University of Texas is Editor-in-Chief and past President of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas, and the author of Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States and four volumes of the Texas Dragonfly Atlas. Dr. Abbott’s new damselfly field guide will be available in spring 2011. Lectures will be held in west central Austin on September 21, 23, 28 and 30 from 7-9 pm. The field trip will be held on Saturday, October 2, from 9 am-2 pm. More specific information will be provided after registration. The class fee is $50 for TA members, $65 for non-members. There will be easy walking on the field trip, and close-focusing binoculars are encouraged. For more information or to register contact Kathy McCormack via e-mail or at 512-698-9880. Please provide your name, phone number and email address and if you are currently a TAS member. ___________________________________________________ Travis Audubon's Introduction to Birds and Birding Class, Fall 2010 Classroom Portion: Wednesday evenings - October 6, October 13, November 3, and November 17 - 6:30 to 8:30 PM Field Trips: Weekend mornings - October 9, October 17, November 6, and November 20 - 7:00 AM Are you starting to notice birds and would like to know more about them? Have you been watching birds casually and would now like to take a more structured approach to learning more about them? Are you looking for a good excuse to get outside and connect with nature? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then the Introduction to Birds and Birding Class is the class for you. This class promises to transform your relationship to birds and start you down the road toward a life- long love and enjoyment of birds. You will also learn how you can make a difference for the birds and contribute to bird conservation efforts. Instruction will be provided during four classroom sessions and four field trips to popular birding locations in or near Austin. The class will cover a variety of topics including: how to identify birds; bird identification of many species of Central Texas birds; bird migration; bird and habitat conservation; field guides and binoculars; and where to go birding in Central Texas and farther afield. No prior birding experience is necessary. The class instructor,Shelia Hargis, has been birding for 14 years and loves birds! She spends most of her free time birding or thinking about birds and enjoys sharing her love of birds with others. Shelia has given presentations and classes on numerous bird topics including bird identification, bird migration, birding by ear, and wildscaping your yard. Shelia regularly leads birding field trips and is currently on the Travis Audubon Board of Directors and the Travis Audubon Conservation Committee. She is also a past President of Travis Audubon. The classroom portion of this workshop will be held in a central Austin location. More specific information will be provided after registration. The class is limited to 12 participants, so register early. For more information or to register for the class, contact Shelia Hargis via email or at 294-0272. Include your name, phone, email address and if you are a TAS member on non-member. Tuition will be $55 for TAS members and $65 for non-members. Participants will need to bring paper and a pen to the classroom sessions. Binoculars, hats, sturdy close-toed shoes, sunscreen and water are requirements for the field trips. There are a limited number of binoculars available for loan to students who don't already have a pair. ___________________________________________________ Travis Audubon's Nestbox Workshop at Chaetura Canyon Sunday, October 10 from 1 to 4 PM Paul and Georgean Kyle will hold their annual workshop on building nestboxes (birdhouses). Each class member will be given a pre-cut kit to construct his/her own nestbox during the class. Participants will learn about the nesting needs of several cavity nesting birds such as Bewick's Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, Black-crested Titmice, etc. and the proper placement and care of the boxes. Plans will also be available for Screech-owl boxes. After the boxes are completed, Paul and Georgean will lead the class through the trails of Chaetura Canyon Bird Sanctuary, looking for nests and checking nestboxes for occupation earlier this year. One of their Chimney Swift towers will also be investigated. No carpentry experience is necessary, and ample guidance will be provided. Paul and Georgean Kyle are the stewards for the TA sanctuary, Chaetura Canyon. They were the original owners of this extraordinary property, and donated it to TA in 2006. Registration is limited to 12 participants. One child 8 years of age or older is welcome with each paying adult. Tuition for this workshop is $25 per person for TAS members ($35 for non- members). Tuition includes one nest box kit and plans for a Screech Owl box. For more information or to register for the class, contact Anne Donovan via e-mail or at 512-472-3030. Please include your name, phone, street address, and email address, and whether you are a TA member on non-member. __________________________________________________ Travis Audubon’s Grasses Workshop 2010 Saturday Mornings- October 16 and October 30, 9 AM-1PM Much of the landscape of Texas is dominated by grasses. Like animals and other plants, each species of grass has its own habitat niche. By learning to tell them apart, we can better "read" the land. Grasses can tell us about the underlying soil and geology, the locations of seeps and seasonally wet (or chronically droughty) areas, the intensity of grazing pressure, and the history of disturbance. Some grasses are magnets for seed-eating birds and other wildlife. Many are superb erosion control, or provide cover for ground-dwelling wildlife. Some are pioneer plants that help to build soil after it has been lost. Some offer superb forage; others not so much. Come learn what the grasses can tell us about our land at a two-day workshop held at Peaceful Springs Nature Preserve in eastern Burnet County. This will be Bill Reiner's fourth year to teach the class -- after a two-year hiatus. Bill is now a biologist with the City of Austin managing a portion of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. He became familiar with most of the 90+ species of grasses in the area when he was a biological technician at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge adjacent to Peaceful Springs. Tuition for the class is $50 for TA members and $65 for non- members. To register, contact Paul Wheeler via email at or by calling 512 338 1131. Registration cut-off date will be October 1. Participants will be provided with additional information about the class and directions to the meeting place when they register. Peaceful Springs will provide notebooks for participants, and will permit them to collect specimens to make their own grass identification guides. __________________________________________________ Travis Audubon’s Sparrow Identification Class The Sparrow Identification Class will again be offered this fall during November and December. Watch for the announcement in early October in the class / field trip eBlast and the website announcements. |
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Click here for a printable class schedule |
| Note: Travis Audubon’s Introduction to Birds and Birding Class is being taught by Shelia Hargis in the fall. Look for information in the classes list. |