Washington’s Birds by Habitat — 4 Wednesday Classes

Washington is home to more than 350 species of birds. While some can be found nearly everywhere in our state – think “crow” or “American Robin” – many more spend their time in a particular environment. The rain forest of the Olympic Peninsula generally supports species not found in the scablands near Moses Lake! One of the pleasures of traveling is finding and noticing differences between one place and another, and the wildlife one sees can be a part of that. This 4-week course will teach you to recognize some of the most interesting species found in Washington’s diverse landscapes and will teach you about their role in that area’s ecosystem.  Our virtual bird watching journey will move from wet to dry (generally west to east).   We will begin with shore and wetland birds, move to wet coniferous forest and then to drier montane regions.  This will be followed by prairie birds and birds of the sagebrush steppe. Since many of these species are declining in number, we will also discuss the threats that these birds are facing from events such as climate change and habitat loss and what can be done to preserve them. This class is intended for beginning and intermediate level birders.

Wednesdays    10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3/21     7:00-8:30 PM    via Zoom

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  The classes will be recorded for later viewing.  Pre-registration and pre-payment are required.  Questions can be directed to Ken Brown at kenbrownpls@nullcomcast.net

About the Teacher:

Kim Adelson was a university professor (University of Minnesota, Ohio Wesleyan University, Canterbury University) for more than 30 years. She won four teaching awards during her career and wrote a textbook that has been published in five languages. Kim holds a master’s degree in evolutionary biology and a Ph.D. in psychology. She is an avid birdwatcher and is on the Board of the Black Hills Audubon Society. She has given lectures across the state on many different bird-related topics, including attracting birds, bird taxonomy, bird evolution, bird identification, and birds’ response to climate change.