Seattle Audubon is offering some excellent classes this spring. Please
visit the Seattle Audubon website for information about other classes:
www.seattleaudubon.org. If you want to register, please call the Nature
Shop at 206 523-4483 between 10 am and 4 pm, Monday through Saturday.

The World is Full of Birds! An Introduction to the Birds of the World
with Alan Knue
Birds are found everywhere on the globe, from the inhospitable frozen
world of
Antarctica to some of the smallest tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean.
Very few
species, genera, or families can be found everywhere, and many are
restricted to
specific parts of the globe, be it a continent, country or even an island

This is your chance to learn what birds live beyond your usual haunts.
We?ll explore
the world and learn about the eight biogeographical regions; what families
and other
unique taxa are found within these regions; and how the regions differ in
species
diversity.
Class: Wednesday, April 20 and Friday, April 22, 7:00-9:00 PM
Location: CUH, Douglas Classroom
Cost: $40 members, $55 nonmembers.
Limit: 30

Introduction to Coastal Shorebirds
with Jim Flynn, Master Birder

If you confuse plovers with peeps or have ever despaired at sorting out
all of those
long-legged and long-billed brown shorebirds, than sign up for this
introductory
level shorebird class and learn how to make sense of the muddle of
mud-probing
shorebirds. Slides and information sheets on habitat, season of
occurrence, size,
and overall shape of shorebirds will help you narrow the choices to the
one or two
most likely species. From there the final ID is within reach! During the
field
trip to Grays Harbor and Tokeland we will see most of the common coastal
shorebirds
in their colorful breeding plumages.

Jim Flynn is a graduate of Seattle Audubon?s Master Birder Program and has
been
birding in Washington for over 20 years. Jim also wrote the bird sightings
column
for Rainier Audubon for five years and has taught classes for several
chapters and
has led numerous field trips throughout the state.

Class: Wednesday, April 27 and Monday, May 2, 7-9 PM
Location: CUH, Douglas Classroom
Field Trip: Sunday, May 8
Cost: $75 members, $90 nonmembers


The Birds and Plants of the Shrub-steppe
wth Andy Stepniewski, author of Birds of Yakima County

This class will introduce you to the plant and bird communities of the
shrub-steppe
ecosystem in the Columbia Basin of eastern Washington. I will impart much
in the
way of botanical tidbits as these relate to birds and will emphasize the
relationships between such birds as Horned Larks, Sage Sparrows, Sage
Thrashers,
Brewer's Sparrows, Sage Grouse, and Vesper Sparrows and the preferred
habitats of
each within this unique mosaic of plant communities. I will also touch on
conservation issues. Two leaders will conduct the day-long field trip to
the Columbia Basin where we will look for the birds amidst spectacular
wildflowers.
Class: Friday, April 29, 7:00?9:00 PM
Location: CUH, Douglas Classroom
Field Trip: Saturday, April 30, 6:30 AM ? 6:30 PM
Cost: $60 members, $75 nonmembers.
Limit: 30

Birding by Ear
with Bob Sundstrom, Professional Birding Tour Leader
This popular and practical class is back this spring in a format emphasizing
intensive field experience. The class is designed to help you get a handle
on bird
songs and calls. The field trips will cover a wide variety of habitats
within about
100 miles of Seattle. Intended for first time birding-by-ear students as
well as
those who would like an intensive refresher. One evening introductory
session, plus
full-day field trip options to different locations. Come tune up your ears!

Class: Wednesday, May 4, 6:30-9:30 PM
Location: CUH, Douglas Classroom
Field Trip Options: #1: Scatter Creek/Capitol Forest - Wednesday,
May 11
#2: Puget Sound to East of the Cascade Crest - Saturday, May 14
#3: East of the Cascades - Saturday, June 11
You may register for one or two of the field trips, but not all three.
Travel is by
carpool and meeting plan will be given in class.
Cost: $55 members, $70 nonmembers if you register for one field trip. $110
members,
$125 nonmembers if you register for two field trips. The evening session
is included
in that cost.
Limit: 18 per field trip.

Vicki King, Seattle
vicki at kingdesign.net