Seattle Audubon has some very good classes scheduled for February and
March. If you'd like to sign up, please call the Nature Shop (206
523-4483) Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM, to register.

Owls of Washington
With Jamie Acker, M.Ed.

Participants in this class will learn about the physiology of owls, the
14 species of owls in Washington, and an introduction to owling via a
multimedia presentation and lecture. Participants in the field trip,
late that night after the lecture, will owl Bainbridge Island, where
Barred Owls and Northern Saw-whet owls should be found, and 4 other
species are possible. Participants on the field trip should plan on
carpooling (can be organized at time of lecture) or providing their own
transportation. Participants must be 12 years of age or older. In the
event of inclement weather, the field trip will be held February 22,
2004.

Lecture: Saturday, February 7, 1:00-4:00 PM
Location: CUH, Douglas Classroom
Field Trip: Sunday, February 8, taking the 2:10 AM (two hours after
midnight Saturday) Seattle-Bainbridge ferry
Cost: $60 members, $75 nonmembers for lecture and field trip. $30
members, $45 nonmembers for lecture only
Limit: 12 for lecture and field trip. 28 lecture only spots.

Outrageous Auks of Our Area
With David Drummond, Research Wildlife Biologist
Auks are the Northern Hemisphere's equivalent to the penguins of
"downunder." Join us for a lively exploration of auk anatomy, field
ID, habitat associations, foraging strategies, behavior, and
conservation status. A slide presentation, vocalization review, life
history hand outs, and personal experiences discussion will round out
our life history overview. Fully "auked,"we can better appreciate them
on a marine boat trip where other aquatic life forms such as
shorebirds, grebes, loons, raptors, sea ducks, and marine mammals will
be encountered. Join us for the lecture only, field trip only, or both!

Class: Friday, February 13, 7:00 to 9:30 PM
Location: CUH, Douglas Classroom
Cost: $25 members, $40 nonmembers for lecture. $50 for field trip.
Limit: 25 for lecture. 40 for field trip.
Field trip: Saturday, February 14, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, meeting at
Viking Cruises Terminal in La Conner, WA to board boat trip around
Fidalgo Island. Sign up for field trip through Viking Cruises at (360)
466-2639 or (888) 207-2333 or e-mail to .

Ornithology for the Birder Series
Biogeography and Birds of the World: Why Birds Are Where They Are
with Alan Knue

Why are there only 600+ species of birds breeding in North America,
while much smaller countries like Columbia or Peru have well over 1700?
Why is the Kirtland's Warbler found in such a small area of the world,
and the Osprey is found on all continents except Antarctica? The theory
of biogeography helps explain how past events in geologic and
evolutionary history have shaped the distributional patterns, numbers
and types of birds found from region to region. Using North America as
an example, we will learn about areas of endemism, why some species are
rare with restricted ranges while others are abundant and widespread,
and how human activities are impacting bird distributions. This class
will also give an overview of birds of the world; learn what families
and other unique taxa are found within the different world regions and
which regions support the highest bird diversity.

Class: Fridays, February 20 and 27, 7:00-9:00 PM
Location: CUH, Douglas Classroom
Cost: $40 members, $55 nonmembers
Limit: 30

Ornithology for the Birder Series
What Birders Should Know about Plumages and Molt
With Michael Donahue

What is ?alternate plumage? and is it different from ?breeding
plumage?? Why should the ?pre-basic molt? be of interest to birders?
This class will cover molt and plumage terminology, give a basic
overview of plumage sequences, and illustrate how understanding plumage
sequence and molt can be an important aid in bird identification.
Research on molt is an expanding field in ornithology, and is revealing
some interesting insights into avian natural history. This class will
also present the results of recent research conducted on the molting
patterns of some northwest birds. Instructor: Mike has studied molt at
the UW Burke Museum and co-authored a paper in The Auk on molt in
Western Tanagers.

Class: Thursdays, February 26 and March 4, 7:00-9:00 PM.
Location: CUH, NHS Hall
Cost: $35 for members, $50 for non-members, $20 for youth (24 and under)
Limit: 30

Dabblin? and Divin? Ducks, Part 1: Dabbling Ducks
With David Drummond, Research Wildlife Biologist
Here is an opportunity for beginner to intermediate level birders to
strengthen dabbling duck spotting and identification skills. We will
also explore aspects of their biology and ecology in the classroom and
out in the field. The family Anatidae is a diverse and intriguing
group. In this class, we will focus on wintering dabbling ducks on
freshwater. Join us for an in-depth look! Please bring lunch and
binoculars and plan to carpool to local spots.

Class and Field Trip: Sunday, March 7, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: CUH, NHS Hall
Cost: $35 members, $50 nonmembers
Limit: 25

Dabblin? and Divin? Ducks, Part 2: Diving Ducks
As in part one, this class offers new to seasoned birders an
opportunity to build confidence with diving duck locating and accurate
identification to age and gender classes. Fun factoids of their
fascinating life history will be shared in images, literature, and
interactive discussions in class and on the field trip. Our target
group of diving ducks are wintering on marine waters. Don't miss this
colorful cast of northwest cool characters! Please bring lunch and
binoculars and plan to carpool to local spots.

Class and Field Trip: Sunday, March 27, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, Fireside Room
Cost: $35 members, $50 nonmembers
Limit: 25

Vicki King
Seattle, WA
vicki at kingdesign.net
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