Their name notwithstanding, most of our North American shorebirds spend at least part of the year away from the coasts; at this season, many of them can be seen even here in the Sonoran Desert as they make their leisurely way south to the wintering grounds. This indoor program, which can be attended in conjunction with tomorrow’s field trip or as a stand-alone activity, explores some of the strategies and tricks used by more experienced shorebird watchers to find and identify sandpipers, plovers, and other long-legged birds of mudflats and ponds. By the end, you’ll be coming around to believing it yourself: They really aren’t that difficult!

Black-necked Stilt by Shawn Cooper