Jeff will talk about attracting birds to your yard and convincing them to stick around. Attractive perches and where to locate them for photography. The type of equipment needed for bird photography. The use of blinds. And finally, putting it all together to actually take the shot, including basic exposure settings and composition tips. (Limit of 60)
Verdin
Warblers are some of North America’s smallest birds, and are known for their wide variety of colors and long migrations from South America and the West Indies to northern Canada and back. Their rapid movements from branch to branch and behind leaves can make identification challenging. Learn how to distinguish between the warblers of southeast Arizona. This workshop will cover key structural characteristics, comparisons with similar species, and vocalizations. (Limit of 100)
Rufous-capped Warbler by Jeremy Hayes
It has been known for a long time that Crested Caracaras socially forage and roost communally, but this has only recently been discovered and studied in Arizona. Since 2014, more than 100 nocturnal counts at five roosts in Pinal County have shown that there is a seasonal character to this behavior, which is related to available food supply. (Limit of 60)
Crested Caracara by Ned Harris
This is a closer look at a rather random alphabet of bird body parts—some exterior and some interior, including a discussion of feathers—their types, function and structures. Parts of the class will help you with bird identification, but the entire class should give you a new appreciation of multiple miracles and amazing adaptations that make up a bird. (Limit of 100)
Tiffany Kersten didn’t set out to do a Big Year, but after a series of unantipicated and serendipitous events, she suddenly found herself amidst one. As a sexual assault survivor, she spent 2021 traveling to all corners of the country, tallying birds and gifting personal safety alarms to women she met along the way. Her goal was to see 700 species, and to raise awareness of women’s safety in the outdoors. She ended up surpassing her goal and setting a new record, with 726 species. In her presentation, Tiffany will lead us through the fear, empowerment, struggles, and healing that all played vital roles in the personal growth she experienced on this wild adventure. (Limit of 100)
Have you ever wanted to draw birds, but found it difficult to know how to start? Or maybe you already love drawing birds, but want to learn some new tips and tricks to enhance your practice? This bird drawing workshop is designed to break through the trepidation of the “white page” and get you drawing birds right away. We will learn simple but effective techniques to improve drawing and observation skills that can be easily practiced even alongside hectic daily schedules. Most importantly, this workshop is designed to convince you that drawing is fun and can be a practice to look forward to in order to improve your skills as an artist AND as a birder. While this workshop is geared toward beginners, all skill levels are welcome! Basic art materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own favorites. Hosted at The Drawing Studio, 2760 N Tucson Blvd. Limited to 12 participants.
Let’s venture into cloud and tropical forests, jungles, and mountain peaks in search of some of the most iconic birds on planet earth. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just catching the bug, Colombia will deliver wild encounters, epic scenery, and lifers around every bend. (Limit of 60)
Orinocan Saltator by Toby Ross
If birding is your lifelong passion, you know that it grows with a stairstep progression of acquired skills. Sometimes you level out in ability and get frustrated. Peg Abbott of Naturalist Journeys presents a skill session aimed to help you with a new perspective. Within each bird there is a ruler or other tools related to shape that can help you unlock its ID. Learn how the basics of geometry – points, lines, angles, and planes – come together to create shapes. And that comparing the relative proportions of these shapes within a single bird, or between birds in a group or flock, can help you gain that next level to empower your birding passion to grow. This session will be fun, with a detailed handout. (Limit of 100)
Ash-throated Flycatcher by Shawn Cooper
From mainland Ecuador birding to the Galápagos Islands, this amazing country offers incredible opportunities for natural encounters, whether you are a photographer or not. Through the lens and stories of award-winning photographer Krisztina Scheeff, embark on an up-close view of the “enchanted islands.” Traveling aboard the Tip Top V catamaran, explore a dozen of the archipelago’s islands and islets. Krisztina shares how she “woke up every morning to a brand new island and smiled. There were Booby traffic jams, Galapagos Turtles swimming by as we snorkeled, land iguanas as far as you can see, cute sea lions and more sea lions, more birds.” She will also share why Ecuador is such an amazing birding spot for birders and photographers,Join us for a session of photos, videos, stories and more. (Limit of 60)
While in the field, we all aim and hope to get the best image we can, but sometimes, based on the light, an ill-placed branch or any other number of distracting elements, you just don’t get the exact shot you had envisioned. This is when most people decide to either not edit those images, trash them or worse, think there is absolutely no hope and not even download them. In this 30-min class, Ben Knoot, owner and guide of Experience Nature Tours and photographer for over 20-years will show you not only how to save a image but to create a visually pleasing photograph from an image you may have considered lost. Whether you are looking to step up your editing game or learn how to save an image, join us and take our photography to the next level.