Hi all:
Just a quick note to let you know about the new classes that are being
offered at SAS as well as ongoing classes with space still available.
Information can also be found on the website at www.seattleaudubon.org. To
register, please contact the Nature Shop at 206.523.4483. New class
registration will open on Thursday, May 22nd.

NEW CLASSES
Shorebirds of Eastern Washington: Searching for Rare and Unusual Species.
With Jim Flynn, Master Birder

If your mouth waters at the thought of observing shorebirds such as Stilt,
Solitary and Semipalmated Sandpipers (birds more often seen in the mid-west
or on the east coast), then why not sign up for this class? We will likely
also see the more typical eastern Washington species such as American
Avocet, Black-necked Stilt and Wilson?s Phalarope as well as uncommon,
state-wide migrants such as Baird?s Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and
Red-necked Phalaropes.
We will spend a classroom session studying the identifying features of these
birds and discuss how eastern Washington shorebirding differs from coastal
shorebirding. Next we will put that knowledge to work on a full-day field
trip to shorebird ?hotspots? in the Columbia Basin of eastern Washington.
Field trip participants will meet in Ellensburg for an early start and will
be responsible for making overnight accommodations if desired.

Jim Flynn is a graduate of the Master Birder Program and has been birding in
Washington for over 20 years. He has taught shorebird and raptor classes for
Seattle, Rainier and East Lake Washington Audubon and has led numerous field
trips throughout the state.

Class: Wednesday, August 20th, 2003
Time: 6:30-9:00 PM
Location: Douglas Classroom, CUH
Field Trip: Saturday, August 23rd or Sunday, August 24th. Meet in
Ellensburg at 6 AM. Sign-up for the field trip will occur on the first
night of class. There may be only one field trip day depending upon the
number of participants.
Cost: $60 SAS members, $75 non-members
Limited to 25 participants.


Bats of the Northwest


With Kathleen Bander, Co-founder of Bats Northwest

Bats in the northwest (15 species of over 1,000 world-wide) protect both
humans and forests from damage and disease. A single bat can eat close to
its weight in bugs every night?600-1,000 in an hour! In this fast paced
class, we will cover all aspects of the life of a bat, relate humorous
stories gleaned from years of field research, discuss in detail how we can
attract bats to bathouses, preserve essential habitat, and promote bat
conservation. We?ll debunk commonly held myths and misconceptions. A
suitcase full of bat materials, including mounted specimens of northwest
bats, will be presented to the audience, along with printed materials they
can take home and share with family and friends.

The field trip portion of the course will be a bat walk at Green Lake. We?
ll see the resident colony of Big Brown Bats, and participants will become
part of the growing number of residents who have witnessed and are aware of
this yearly bat location. Time and meeting place will be given at the first
class meeting.

Class: Thursday, August 21, 2003
Time: 7 ?10 PM
Location: Douglas Classroom, CUH
Field Trip: Monday, August 25th at 8:45 PM. Green Lake - meeting place to
be announced at the first class.
Cost: $35 SAS members, $50 SAS non-members
Class limited to 25 participants

CLASSES WITH SPACE STILL AVAILABLE

An Introduction to the Flycatchers and Warblers of Washington
with Kevin Aanerud, Chairperson of the Washington Bird Records Committee
This course will feature identification by sight and sound of the regularly
occurring species found in the state, including the notoriously
difficult-to-identify flycatchers of the empidonax genus. Learn where and
when to find our visiting flycatchers and warblers during their migrations
and in their breeding habitats.
The full-day field trip will explore the east slope of the Cascades and all
of the various habitats along the I-90 corridor.
Class: Monday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 18
Time: 7:00-9:00PM
Location: Wedgwood Presbyterian, Fireside Rm.
Field Trip: Saturday, June 21
Cost: $65 members, $80 nonmembers
Limit: 25


Protection Island Birding
With George Gerdts

A trip to Protection Island's breeding grounds is an unforgettable
experience. Join George Gerdts, naturalist, aboard a spacious 69 foot
custom built yacht and experience the richness of Protection Island. Enjoy
the excitement of this 400 acre National Wildlife Refuge where over 70% of
the nesting marine birds of the Puget Sound area breed. Expect to get great
looks at nesting Glaucous-winged Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon
Guillemots, Double crested and Pelagic Cormorants, Black Oystercatchers and
yes - even Tufted Puffins!

Cruise date: Sunday, June 29, 2003
Time: Leaving Port Townsend at 10:00am, returning 1:30pm
Cost: $55.00 per person
Limit: 20



Pelagic Birding in Washington

With Mike Donahue

The west coast of North America offers some of the best seabirding anywhere
in the world! The rich waters 20-40 miles offshore support a diversity of
species?albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and jaegers?that spend much
of the year in the waters far offshore at the edge of the continental shelf.
If you?ve heard about pelagic birding but wasn?t sure what was involved,
this class is for you!

Two classroom sessions will cover the diversity of seabirds that are found
offshore, focusing on natural history and identification, as well as how to
prepare for a pelagic trip.

Class: Tuesdays, July 22 and July 29, 7-9 p.m.
Location: Douglas Classroom, Center for Urban Horticulture
Cost of class only: $45 members, $60 nonmembers
Limit for class: 40

Optional field trip: Saturday, August 2. We will be joining an already
scheduled pelagic trip with Westport Seabirds. The boat departs from
Westport at 6 a.m., and participants should be at the dock no later than
5:45 a.m. The boat will return between 3 and 4 p.m.

Cost of field trip: $90, payable to the instructor. To register for the
field trip, contact Mike Donahue at 206-323-9889. Register early; there is
typically a waiting list for pelagic birding trips, and spaces that have
been reserved for class participants will not be held after early July.
Limit for field trip: 10

Note: This course does not provide lodging or transportation to Westport
for the field trip. Participants will need to arrange these on their own.
Participants who sign up for the field trip portion of the class will
receive information on lodging in advance of the first class.


Marissa J. Benavente
Classes Committee Chairperson
Seattle Audubon Society
junebugrocks at attbi.com
206.522.5273


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