Hey tweets, I'm offering a class through the UW's Arboretum on how birds use their bodies as tools to survive. For example, if we wanted to get a few ant grubs out of a tree stump, we would probably drive over to Hardwick's hardware store, pick up a chisel, and commence digging through the wood. Woodpeckers just start pounding away with their chisel-like bills. The class is hands-on, and I hope that one of the things people will come away with is how specialized birds are compared to us - they can adapt but slowly because their adaptations must be, for the most part, biological. We adapt quickly because our adaptations are, for the most part, cultural. What comes naturally to us - have a task, pick up a tool - tends to make us somewhat indifferent to the challenges birds face when food sources change, as they are doing now, due to climate change.

Here's a link to the class, if you're interested in coming. Similar classes about how birds work will be offered three more times in the year, and you can come to each one separately or enroll as a package.

Below are the links for the class posting if you?d like to share them.
Direct link to Avian Tools class:
http://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/visit/calendar.shtml?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D108014703
Link to 2014 Winter/Spring class catalog:
http://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/education/2014Winter_SpringWebVersion.pdf