Workshops
SABO offers a variety of educational workshops in birding
and natural history. Mini-workshops include two to three days of activities,
usually starting with a morning classroom session followed by field trips to
a variety of hot spots appropriate to the subject and season.
Don't have a full two or three days to spend? Ask about reduced rates for just one or two days of activities. To register for an upcoming workshop, please visit the
Calendar of Events.
SABO staff and volunteers also teach workshops for the Institute for Field Ornithology. The American Birding
Association is responsible for format, pricing, and reservations for these events (see links below).
Owls & Trogons
May 24-29, 2010
T
his 6-day, 5-night workshop and tour
will open a window into the lives of some of the Southwest's most
fascinating and mysterious birds. Though owls and trogons will be our
focus, we won't neglect the other regional specialties that spring such
a great time to visit southeastern Arizona, including White-eared
Hummingbird, Red-faced Warbler, Arizona
Woodpecker, and Abert's Towhee.
Mornings will be spent in the field,
while afternoons and evenings will be divided between classroom sessions and
additional field time. Classroom presentations will focus on cover
the behavior, ecology, conservation
and identification of Arizona's thirteen owls and two trogons. Field
trips will visit a variety of habitats, from deserts and grasslands to
conifer forests high atop the "sky islands."
Note: To minimize our impact on the birds, recordings will
not be used in the field.
For the current workshop schedule, please visit the
Calendar of Events.
Hummingbirds of Arizona
August 8-14, 2010 (tentative)
From urban gardens to exotic birding
hot spots, hummingbirds hold equal fascination for both novice and expert
birders. In this week-long workshop and tour, you will learn natural history, behavior,
ecology, and identification of North American hummingbirds, with special
emphasis on the fifteen species that occur in summer in southeastern
Arizona. In many species, the gaudy
plumage of adult males is virtually unmistakable, while the more subtle
colors and intricate patterns of females and immature males present
identification challenges on par with raptors, gulls, and shorebirds.
These popular birds also have a tendency to wander far afield, so a
working knowledge of a variety of species is an asset to virtually any
birder anywhere in North America.
Mornings will be spent in the field,
while afternoons will be divided between classroom sessions and
additional field time. Classroom presentations will focus on hummingbird
natural history and aspects of identification progressing from basic to
advanced, including aging and sexing, molt, behavior, voice, and wing
sounds. Field trips will visit a variety of birding hot spots of
particular interest to hummingbird aficionados but will not neglect the
many other species that make this region so special.
For the current workshop schedule, please visit the Calendar of Events.
Raptors and Cranes Mini-Workshop
January 29-30, 2011 (tentative)
Thousands of birds of prey—from tiny American Kestrels to majestic
Bald Eagles—and thousands of stately Sandhill Cranes, make
the Sulphur Springs Valley of southeastern Arizona their winter retreat.
Join SABO naturalists in exploring the behavior, ecology and identification
of birds of prey, cranes, sparrows, thrashers, and other wintering and resident birds
in one of the premier winter birding areas in the United States.
This weekend workshop begins on Saturday morning with a classroom presentation at Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast covering the natural history and identification of winter raptors of Arizona and the natural history of Sandhill Cranes. The group will then board SABO's birding bus for birding and a brown-bag lunch at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, the "jewel in the crown" of
the Sulphur Springs Valley. Sunday's all-day bus trip, also departing from Casa de San Pedro, will tour the valley's back roads in search of hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, and more, with lunch at a local restaurant included.
Registration and additional information
Sparrow-phobics Anonymous Mini-Workshop
February 5-6, 2011 (tentative)
Are you terrified at the thought of sorting
through all those "little brown jobs"? You're not alone! Let fellow
sufferers guide you through the basics of sparrow identification with a
little classroom study and plenty of practice on the real thing.
This weekend workshop begins on Saturday morning with a classroom presentation at Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast covering the basics of
sparrow identification, including season, habitat, field marks, behavior,
and voice. The group will then do some leisurely exploration around the inn and along the San Pedro River to hone our new skills, with a midday break for a brown-bag lunch. On
Sunday morning, the group will meet at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area in
the Sulphur Springs Valley to work on a slightly different group of
sparrows before an optional picnic lunch.
Registration and additional information
See also the list of
Regional & International Tours.