Zoom Course
Birds sing, and their songs are music to our ears. All through spring and summer, their sounds add a special sense to our time outside. Learning to identify birds by song is a skill that will allow you to find more species on your outings. With this knowledge, you will notice species on your walks to the mailbox or in your neighborhood that you might not have realized were around. Learning to identify birds by sound should enhance your outdoor experience and contribute to your sense of joy.
This course will build your skills in song and call identification. We will start with identifying song types, how to describe songs, and recognizing different patterns. We will explore this both through the ear and visually with sonograms. Second, we will tackle 30 or so common species found in suburban neighborhoods and local parks. This part will allow you to learn songs of species you might see regularly. Third, we will explore difficult species groups like flycatchers, warblers, and sparrows. Finally, we will look at similar-sounding songs and what species might be found in specific habitats. Distribution and habitat information can enhance your ability to identify a species.
Throughout the course, we will explore various tools, including Merlin, that might help you identify species. The course will consist of four presentations over Zoom, a series of self-grading quizzes, access to sound recordings made in Washington and Oregon, and additional material, including copies of the PowerPoint and video recordings of the presentation.
You will leave this course with a much better understanding of bird songs, how to identify them, tools to help you learn them, and how to build your abilities with practice. Most importantly, this will be fun and add to your enjoyment of birds.
Classes on Zoom – Tuesdays – 7:00-8:30
April 2 - Listening to and understanding bird songs and calls
April 9 - Working through Suburban Bird Songs
April 16 - Species Groups
April 23 - Habitats and Similar Sounding Songs
Cost - $120
Instructor
Thomas Bancroft has been a birder all his life and has a Ph.D. in Ornithology. He has birded in 48 states, several Canadian providences, and six continents. Tom has identified more than 560 species in the United States and slightly over 2,000 worldwide. Birds have been a big part of his life, recreationally and professionally. Their identification, ecology, behavior, and systematics were central to his undergraduate and graduate schooling and remain a fundamental interest. Between undergraduate and graduate school, he worked in the bird laboratory at Carnegie Museum, analyzing bird banding data and helping with the banding program at Powdermill Nature Reserve.
He studied Florida Scrub-Jays, Blue Jays, and Boat-tailed Grackles in graduate school. While working for National Audubon, his fieldwork on wading birds and White-crowned Pigeons helped move the conservation agenda forward. Just before moving to Seattle, Thomas served as Chief Scientist for National Audubon, helping them integrate with the work of Birdlife International all across the Americas and advising the Department of Interior on their guidelines for siting wind turbines. His professional career has focused on the protection of birds, the restoration of habitats and populations, and the integration of science into policy. He remains active in pushing a conservation agenda.
Tom now teaches, leads field trips, and writes about birds and nature. His essays have been published in WOS News, the Mountaineers Magazine, Birding Magazine, American Birds, and several other places. He is working on several books that hopefully will be published soon.
Tom is a Scientific Advisor to BirdNote and served a 6-year appointment to Washington Audubon’s board. He volunteers for the Washington Ornithological Society and the Mountaineers.