This class is for those who want to take an active role in seeking out birds and learning to identify them. It promises to start you down the road toward a life-long love and enjoyment of birds by providing you with the tools to discover, identify annd understand the birds that surround you every day. Instruction will be provided during four online classroom sessions and four field trips to popular birding locations around Austin. Field trips involve walking on mostly level ground for about a mile or so. Attendance at all the classroom sessions and all field trips is highly recommended in order to get the most out of the class.

Introduction to Birds and Birding will introduce students to a variety of bird and birding-related topics including: how to identify birds; field guides and binoculars; bird identification of many species of Central Texas birds; bird vocalizations; where to go birding in Central Texas; bird migration; and bird conservation. Tuition includes a copy of the sixth edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, our “text book” for the class. No prior birding experience is necessary.

This class will be taught by Dave Read, Katherine Tombs, and Liz Kurpiers. Dave has been a wildlife photographer for over 25 years, both underwater and above ground. He is an avid birder and is excited to work with new birders to start them on the road toward enjoying and identifying the birds they see. Liz is a Park Ranger for the City of Austin, and recently completed her MS in Wildlife Ecology at Texas State University. Liz is an enthusiastic birder and is excited to be a part of the team teaching this year’s intro to birding class! Kat has been seriously birding for about ten years. She’s been lucky enough to work up close with birds up close at the Austin Wildlife Rescue, and now (also!) works as a City of Austin Park Ranger on the Education and Outreach team. She is passionate about teaching and increasing equitable access to nature, and is looking forward to nudging new birders out of the nest.

The classroom sessions will be held on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on Zoom. The dates for the Zoom sessions will be 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, and 11/13. The field trips will take place the following Saturday mornings – 10/28, 11/4, 11/11, and 11/18. Field trips will take place in the Austin area; registrants will receive more details prior to each field trip.

Participants will need to visit the Travis Audubon office prior to class to pick up their field guide. The TAS office will notify you when they are available.

This class size is limited to 24 participants. Tuition is $95 for TAS members and $110 for non-members.

REGISTER HERE

The email used to register for this walk will be used to communicate any changes or cancellations due to weather or other factors. Please ALWAYS check your email inbox on the morning of the walk, prior to leaving your home, in case of last-minute changes in the trip plan. Please also check to be sure our emails do not land in your spam folder. When in doubt, please call or email your trip leader. We encourage participants to put the leader’s email address in their safe sender list. Their contact information is included in this trip description.

Payment for a class, workshop, or other fee-based event is due at the time of registration. If payment is not received within a week of registration, the registrant may be dropped from the roster. To withdraw from a class, workshop, or other fee-based event, please contact the Travis Audubon office: 512-300-BIRD (2473) or info@travisaudubon.org.

If a registrant withdraws from a class, workshop, or other fee-based event at least seven (7) days before the first session, Travis Audubon will offer a full refund less a $5.00 administrative fee that helps defray our costs. If the registrant withdraws less than seven (7) days before the first session, no refund will be made. If Travis Audubon cancels the class, workshop, or other fee-based event, we will fully refund the tuition.