It’s All In the Family: Birding by Ear 101 with Homer Hansen

Registration fee: $125/member,  $175/non-member

Join local bird expert, Homer Hansen for this 2-part ID workshop focusing on bird song! One of the especially enjoyable “first signs of Spring” is hearing birds sing. This enjoyment is enhanced when you can recognize the species you are hearing, even when they may not be in view. This introductory birding by ear workshop goes beyond using “apps” for identification and will introduce you to the basic framework for learning the voices of our master singers. The evening classroom session will include the natural history of vocalizations, how to read sonograms, and how to listen to and discern the basic components of bird song. The field trip will give participants a chance to practice recognition of these components in the field. During the field trip, bird songs we hear will be recorded and brought back to the classroom to analyze during lunch. The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Western North America will be used as a reference during this workshop (available at the TAS Nature Shop).

This workshop series consists of two parts- an in-classroom workshop and an in-field workshop. Participants are expected to attend both portions for a holistic experience.

Part I: In-Clasroom ID Workshop, Thursday, May 4, 5:30-8:30 PM, at the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop (300 E University Blvd)

Part II: In-Field ID Workshop & Birding Trip, Saturday, May 6, 6:00am – 1:30pm; location to be announced

This workshop is part of the It’s All in the Family: Advanced Bird ID Series: When Roger Tory Peterson starting drawing his field guide to birds, he knew that recognizing the size and shape of the bird was an important step in bird identification, so he put “profile” images of bird family representatives on the insides of the front and back covers.  This Advanced Bird ID Series follows this same approach and will introduce you to techniques that will enhance your bird identification skills.

Register here beginning Saturday, Apr 8, 7:00 AM.

Header Image: Singing Pyrrhuloxia by Dan Weisz