EDUCATION: SKAGIT AUDUBON SOCIETY STYLE
by Joan Magee
Being a birder and member of Audubon is really a commitment to lifelong education. Besides our ongoing activities as a Chapter, we also get special requests for speakers or activities from organizations such as libraries, schools or senior centers. In addition, we occasionally are able to set up displays for groups such as at the Swinomish Earth Day celebration, school science fairs and others with whom we share a common mission. Two years ago we used the funds from a grant from Soroptimists to provide every 2nd Grade classroom in Anacortes with a Bird Discovery Box. We also have one of these boxes to loan or use with any youth group.
There are many ideas for programs, such as Bird Feeder Cleaning, bird art poster contests, or a countywide Backyard Bird Count, which await volunteers to implement. Please let us know if you have a great idea and would like to help get it started.
One person who doesn’t wait to be asked is Joe Halton. He has planned and presented classes for beginning birders in Anacortes and other communities. His very popular series will again be offered at the Senior College in Anacortes, beginning in April. This is the catalog description of his course:
“This beginning birding course will cover all you need to know to ease into birding, whether you just want to get a better grasp of what visits your yard or you want to turn birding into a lifelong hobby. Classes will cover how to select the things you will need for the hobby, how to improve the habitat around your house, how to discourage predators and recommendations for various feeds and feeders. The class will also cover identification of some of the more common birds of Skagit County. If weather permits interested class members can participate in one or more field trips to find and identify some of the local birds.”
Thank you, Joe!
There are also, as you know, endless birding resources on the web. Have you checked out all of these?
http://wa.audubon.org/education.html
Education resources as well as information on Seward Park and Dungeness River Audubon Centers
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/education/
Cornell’s go-to site for all things ornithological
http://www.wos.org/index.htm
Washington Ornithological Society, for the more-than casual birder
EDUCATION: SKAGIT AUDUBON SOCIETY STYLE
by Joan Magee
Being a birder and member of Audubon is really a commitment to lifelong education. Besides our ongoing activities as a Chapter, we also get special requests for speakers or activities from organizations such as libraries, schools or senior centers. In addition, we occasionally are able to set up displays for groups such as at the Swinomish Earth Day celebration, school science fairs and others with whom we share a common mission. Two years ago we used the funds from a grant from Soroptimists to provide every 2nd Grade classroom in Anacortes with a Bird Discovery Box. We also have one of these boxes to loan or use with any youth group.
There are many ideas for programs, such as Bird Feeder Cleaning, bird art poster contests, or a countywide Backyard Bird Count, which await volunteers to implement. Please let us know if you have a great idea and would like to help get it started.
One person who doesn’t wait to be asked is Joe Halton. He has planned and presented classes for beginning birders in Anacortes and other communities. His very popular series will again be offered at the Senior College in Anacortes, beginning in April. This is the catalog description of his course:
“This beginning birding course will cover all you need to know to ease into birding, whether you just want to get a better grasp of what visits your yard or you want to turn birding into a lifelong hobby. Classes will cover how to select the things you will need for the hobby, how to improve the habitat around your house, how to discourage predators and recommendations for various feeds and feeders. The class will also cover identification of some of the more common birds of Skagit County. If weather permits interested class members can participate in one or more field trips to find and identify some of the local birds.”
Thank you, Joe!
There are also, as you know, endless birding resources on the web. Have you checked out all of these?
http://wa.audubon.org/education.html
Education resources as well as information on Seward Park and Dungeness River Audubon Centers
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/education/
Cornell’s go-to site for all things ornithological
http://www.wos.org/index.htm
Washington Ornithological Society, for the more-than casual birder
