Build New Skills
with Spring Birding Course
For release: January 22, 2014
Ithaca, N.Y.—The annual Spring Field Ornithology course offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology takes place March 26 through May 18 and is designed for bird watchers of all skill levels.
You can register ahead of time, find out more about the course schedule and cost, and watch a video about the course, at www.birds.cornell.edu/sfo. You may also call (607) 254-2453 to sign up (outside Ithaca, call 800-843-2473 toll-free).
The course is taught by Dr. Stephen Kress, Vice President for Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society.
"Taking Spring Field Ornithology is a great way to soak in the beauty of the Finger Lakes region and welcome back migrating songbirds," says Kress. "Participants will learn to identify birds by sight and song and visit the best birding spots in the Cayuga Lake Basin. It's all great fun and totally stress-free." Kress has taught the Spring Field Ornithology course since it began 37 years ago.
There are two sections to the course. Wednesday evening lectures cover bird song, nesting, courtship, migration, and habitat and include two trips to the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates and an evening owl-watch. Saturday or Sunday field trips visit regional birding hotspots, such as Braddock Bay, Derby Hill, Dryden Lake, Arnot Forest, and Myers Point. Students are grouped with others of the same skill level on field trips.
Participants may sign up for lectures only, just the field trips, or both sections. There are also two optional overnight trips--one to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and the other to Magee Marsh, Ohio, to experience peak spring migration.
Elisabeth, a course participant from Ithaca says, "I had NEVER been birding before. After this course, I am more aware of birds all around me and I am totally turned onto birding…We had such a great experience and we really miss the course. We can't wait to attend again next year!"
The cost of the course is $170 for lectures, $200 for the weekend field trips, or $345 for both sections. Overnight trips to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and Magee Marsh, Ohio, are offered for an additional fee. Cornell Lab of Ornithology members receive a discount.
The 2014 Spring Field Ornithology course receives support from Wild Birds Unlimited at Sapsucker Woods and The Plantsmen Nursery.
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Registration contact: Marc Devokaitis, (607) 254-2453, sfoclass@cornell.edu
Media contact: Pat Leonard, (607) 254-2137, pel27@cornell.edu
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