hello tweets,

even though i have just arrived in sunny, noisy NYC two days ago, i feel
compelled to share with you all a little about my experiences with the
seattle audubon society's master birder class.

i am a graduate of the previous offering of the master birder class and i
highly recommend it. not only will you learn much about your local birds,
but you also will meet and get to know many wonderful people; your
classmates and instructors.

dennis paulson's consistent sense of humor makes learning about our
favorite topic (birds!!) very enjoyable. dennis's lectures work through the
birds in taxonomic order. his lectures are packed with lots of useful
information and ID hints that you will find immediately useful when you are
in the field. i still have my class notes from my master birder lectures,
in fact.

the guest lecturers -- most of whom are colleagues of mine -- are superb
because they all have a passion and knowledge of birds that is truly
inspirational, and they can talk about it clearly to the public. the guest
lecturers also are really wonderful people whom you will enjoy meeting and
learning from.

oh, and did i mention that this class is FUN?

the volunteer hours that you "owe" to the audubon society are, in my
opinion, a joy to "repay." you will have the opportunity to volunteer
in many different ways, most of which can be tailored to your own
specific skills and personal time demands. the Audubon society is very
easy to work with when it comes to scheduling these volunteer hours.

in all, this class is a wonderful blend of field birding skills and basic ornithology. it is probably the only general overview of the state of the
science that is available to the general public. it also is a great way
for the audubon society to increase the skill and knowledge base of its
master birder volunteers to a consistently high quality. if you are serious
about birding, ornithology, nature or conservation, then you will not want
to miss this rare opportunity!

regards,

Devorah A. N. Bennu, PhD (in NYC)
nyneve at u.washington.edu
Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow
The American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024
Visit me on the web: http://students.washington.edu/~nyneve/
Love the creator? Then protect the creation.



On Tue, 1 Oct 2002, L Wakeman wrote:

> Hi Tweets,
>
> There is still time to apply for Seattle Audubon's Master Birder Program.
> If you are interested in applying, please contact Mary Anne Thorbeck for
> an application. Her e-mail address is maryannethorbeck at attbi.com
>
> ________________________________________________
> The Master Birder program is part of Seattle Audubon's adult education
> program and is intended for birders at the advanced intermediate level.
> The Master Birder program seeks to provide participants with the
> background
> needed to become a leader or active participant in the education,
> advocacy,
> preservation and scientific programs of the Seattle Audubon Society.
>
> The course is taught two nights per week for seven months, spread over
> two
> consecutive years. In 2003 classes start in February and run through
> April.
> In 2004, classes will start in February and run through March. Classes
> are
> from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. on Monday and Wednesday evenings. They are held
> at
> the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture. Two or more
> weekend field trips will take place each year.
>
> This is an intensive program that will include four required texts,
> weekly
> readings as well as written homework assignments and a final exam each
> year. The
> focus of the class will be on Washington birds: their identification and
> natural history. Dr. Dennis Paulson will lecture once a week alternating
> with experts from a wide variety of fields on the other class day.
>
> In exchange for Master Birder training, participants "pay back" a minimum
> of 100 hours
> of volunteer time to Seattle Audubon over a three year period. In the
> first year of training, a minimum of 25 hours volunteer time is required.
>
> Admittance to the program is based on a written application and the
> results
> of a bird slide quiz. Application packets will be available
> mid-September,
> 2002.
>
> If you are interested in applying to the program, please contact Mary
> Anne Thorbeck at
> maryannethorbeck at attbi.com
> posted by Linda Wakeman, Seattle
> L4502 at juno.com
>