Birding Your Patch: Connecting with Birds, Plants, and Habitat

Registration opens on Wednesday, February 4 at 1pm and closes at 11 pm on Wednesday, March 18. 

Instructors:  Cheryl Foster (cherylafoster@gmail.com) and asssistant instructor Cindy Pfost (cjc1345@gmail.com)
 
Description: Ready to move beyond your life list and deepen your connection to nature? Ever wonder which plant a bird is perched on? Birding Your Patch transforms your birding trip into a richer ecological observation and empowers you to master a local site of your choosing. 
 
This session of Birding Your Patch is limited to birders in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to accommodate field trips to every participant’s patch.
 
In this seven-week course, you will:
 
Identify with Confidence: Learn to recognize 75 common birds and 30 essential plants within 6 local habitats.
 
Connect Birds & Habitat: Discover how specific plants and the rhythms of nature dictate where birds live and forage.
 
Master the Tools: Get hands-on support using eBird and Merlin for birds and Seek and iNaturalist for plant identification.
 
Conduct an In-depth Study: Choose a bird to closely observe and share your findings with the class.
 
Collaborate in the Field: Each week we visit two participants’ patches in Alameda or Contra Costa Counties to observe birds, plants and habitats.
 
Because the field trips will depend on the participants’ local patches, it isn’t possible to provide information about the locations or describe the trails in advance.
Recordings of the lecture presentations will be available to class participants  for a limited period of time.
 
Seven Thursday evening classes by Zoom: March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
7 to 9 pm. 
 
(Zoom link will be provided when you register.)

Six three-hour Saturday morning field trips: March 28, April 4, 11,18, 25, May 2

Field trip locations will be announced in class and by email.
         
Limited to 12 participants.

Price: $380 ($304 for GGBA members, a 20% discount).