Learn to Bird!

Course Instructors: Wil Hershberger, Carol Winckler, Nancy Kirshbaum, Lynne Wiseman

$100/person (PVAS members receive a 10% discount). Registration is required and limited to 20 participants.  The course is open to adults and children 16+.

PVMN Continuing Education Eligible

Birding 101 is a four-week course held in April which includes four classroom sessions on Wednesday evening and four field trips on Saturday mornings. It is tailored for beginning birders, but those looking to enhance their skills are also welcome!  We will utilize both the classroom sessions and field trips to teach everything from bird identification and field etiquette to birding techniques and resources. The course is taught by local birding experts who love sharing their knowledge and passion for birds.  An impressive collection of images and recordings, many captured by the instructors, enhance the course.

Classroom Sessions:
Wednesday Evenings
7:00pm – 9:00pm
April 2, 9, 16, & 23
Shepherd University

The Saturday morning field trips allow participants to practice skills learned in the classroom. Participants will visit a variety of habitats to observe the bird species found in each. Field trips are held entirely outdoors, so participants should dress appropriately for the weather and be prepared for muddy conditions. Field trips include walking 1-2 miles on trails of varying terrain (some hills) at an easy pace with many stops to look for birds.

Field Trips:
Saturday Mornings
7:00am – 10:00am
April 5, 12, 19, & 26
Locations TBD

Register Here!

About Wil Hershberger: Wil has been photographing and recording the natural world for more than a decade and his work has been published in magazines, calendars, and books. His recordings of birds, frogs and insects are archived at the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. His website can be found at natureimagesandsounds.com

About Carol Winckler: Carol has had an interest in birding since childhood when grandma would take her for walks on the family farm in Illinois, letting her hold her bird book and look through her binoculars.  She is a retired elementary school teacher and has been a Master Naturalist since 2017.  She became a PVAS member in 2007 while taking her first Birding 101 class.  She continues to enjoy participating in bird walks, helping teach birding classes, and take part each year with the Christmas Bird Count and Birdathon.

About Lynne Wiseman: Lynne is a retired Realtor and has always had a curiosity about our feathered friends. She has been a member of PVAS for over 35 years and has been the board president. She has also become a Master Naturalist to expand her knowledge of all things nature and to share that knowledge with others by leading bird walks and teaching birding classes.

About Nancy Kirshbaum: Nancy’s interest in birds began with a bird feeder that her dad built. On a fourth grade field trip to a bird banding station, she got to hold and release an American Goldfinch, and she became a confirmed lifelong birder. Nancy has participated in many bird counts and breeding bird atlas projects. She met her husband, Elliot, on a Baltimore Bird Club field trip, and they have traveled and birded together for over forty years. Nancy is a retired elementary school teacher and a member of PVAS and the Maryland Ornithological Society.