Course: Birding 2.0 — Digital Tools for 21st Century Birding

Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Our courses usually fill several days before they begin—don’t miss your chance to study with Audubon!

Twenty-first century birding offers an amazing array of digital and technological aids to help you improve your birding skills, while also enabling you to contribute to bird conservation. Anne Miller will introduce you to some of the many digital aids, apps, learning resources, and conservation projects that are currently available to birders.

Where and when do we meet? The course meets on four consecutive Mondays (11/4, 11/11, 11/18, 11/25), 6–8 p.m., at the Alabama Audubon main office in Birmingham, located on the second floor of 3720 Fourth Avenue South. (Ample and well-lit parking is available in back, just behind Rodney Scott’s BBQ.)

• Day 1: We’ll look at Alabama’s birding year—which brings an ever-changing population of seasonal migrants to the state—and we’ll visit some of the favorite birding spots on the Alabama Birding Trail. Most important, you’ll learn how to use apps and online tools to find out where the most interesting birds are and where other birders go at any time of year.
• Day 2: Being a birder means more than just identifying birds—you’ll also need to understand the behavior of some of the 448 species of birds to be found in Alabama throughout the year. The class will cover both local and online resources for studying every aspect of birds and bird behavior.
• Day 3: Observing birds in the field: learn about the many apps that are available to help you practice your birding skills at home and other apps for the field to help you identify birds and even plants. We’ll also cover basic information about using binoculars and spotting scopes.
• Day 4: Conserving birds is desperately important. Learn about some of the many ways you can become involved in community science projects such as eBird, counts, breeding bird surveys, and local bird study projects. Put your birding skills to work to help conserve birds in Alabama, nationally, and even globally.

Cost: Your one-time registration fee ($60/members; $85/non-members) covers all four meetings. (While you are not required to attend each class, do note that we cannot refund individuals for partial attendance.)

Registration: Class size is limited to fifteen, so don’t delay! To register, click on the button above. If you’re new to our online system and don’t yet have a username and password, simply click the “X” on the pop up and fill out the basic form.

Accessibility: Wheelchair access and limited parking is available in the front of the building on Fourth Avenue South. If parking in the back parking lot, there are stairs to get into the building.

Questions? Email the Outreach & Communications Director, or call 205-719-3678.

Please, no pets in the classroom. Only service animals are welcome.

Photo courtesy of Mike Fernandez / Audubon