Back-to-back Birding Bonanza!!!!! BIRDING WITH A PURPOSE with Tom Johnson & LEARNING TO HEAR BIRD SOUND with Scott Whittle

These two exciting workshops are new offerings by the Cape May School of Birding - sure to please and educate at the same time - and run in succession, so consider taking both and double your fun!!

BIRDING WITH A PURPOSE
with Tom Johnson

This NEW workshop will emphasize how to document unusual sightings, and underscore that birders usually carry something with them that can record sound.  Join Tom Johnson and go through the steps explaining how to use your smart phone (or sound recorder, if you have one) to make serviceable recordings and then add them to eBird checklists as documentation. An additional segment will focus on documentation photos and how to add them to eBird. This workshop will involve spending half your time in the field collecting photos and audio, and the other half in a classroom setting learning to edit and upload.  

Sunday, April 22
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
$48 members, $64 nonmembers

LEARNING TO HEAR BIRD SOUND

with Scott Whittle

Spring is alive with birdsong, but how can we understand what they're saying?  Scott Whittle is the co-author of the Warbler Guide, Warbler Guide App, and the new BirdGenie song identification app, and will help you decode the sounds you hear and turn them into identifications.  He uses a unique structural, objective approach to listening, so instead of trying to listen for subtle quality differences or fuzzy descriptions, he'll be teaching the four basic questions you can ask about a song, and the simple things you can do to separate it from any other song.  Come listen with us and open up a whole new dimension to your understanding and enjoyment of the natural world.  

Monday, April 23 & Tuesday, April 24

8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

$150 members, $200 nonmembers

Register now for either/both programs at: Cape M:ay School of Birding

Northern Gannets Galore!!!

There has been an enormous number of Northern Gannets massing and migrating past Cape May Point and other areas of southern New Jersey the past several days - following the coastline and feeding in the near-shore waters. These large seabirds (3' tall, 6' wingspan, and weighing over 6 lbs.) are beautiful flyers, and making their way north to breeding colonies on cliffs in northern maritime Canada. They have been passing very close to shore by the thousands, sometimes right over the jetties, presenting an opportunity to study their various plumages, as they mature from immature (gray-brown in coloration) to adult (white with black wingtips) over four years. This short video was taken early this morning (Apr. 6) in North Wildwood, as over 8,500 passed by in one hour - over 10,000 passed by before 10:00 AM. Gannets have been reported in large numbers from the southern Delaware Bayshore to Sea Isle - a great place to witness the spectacle is at the Coral Ave. dune crossing in Cape May Point, where the Springwatch is underway every day, starting at sunrise and continuing for at least 3 hours. Stop by and join in the fun, or follow the counts at Trektellen.org! Truly a remarkable sight to see!!!!

PREDICTIVE BIRDING 101 with Tom Reed - April 14 & 15

It may seem like magic that certain birders always seem to be at the right place at the right time, but is it really?  Join Tom Reed for a weekend of learning and exploring some of the tricks that experienced field birders use to maximize their time in the field - the calendar, tide cycles, weather events, geography, habitat, and history, among others. Expect to split time between indoor sessions and outdoor. Check out this new and exciting addition to the Cape May School of Birding - sure to take your birding to the next level.  

Saturday, April 14 & Sunday, April 15

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM

$150 members, $200 nonmembers

Register now at: Cape May School of Birding