A Look at Birds, Bird Watching, and Creating an Avian - Friendly Habitat
This class will provide participants with a broad exposure to birds – including their biology, aesthetics, life history, and behavior. We’ll delve into topics such as courtship, mate choice, nesting, parental care, and migration. How is it that birds are so well adapted to flight? How do they communicate with each other? What are the challenges of migration? Are birds really the models of monogamy that we think they are? We will then learn to identify birds using aspects of their life history, anatomy, plumage, season, and habitat and we’ll explore how to select needed tools for bird watching (binoculars, field guides, and birding apps). Finally, we’ll imagine creating avian-friendly habitat in our own backyards and hear about one such undertaking in a small garden in the city of Danville, where over 70 species of birds have been observed and documented just in the last few years. This course is intended for beginning bird enthusiasts, and we hope the topics will be starting points for further inquiry in future courses.
This 4-part series will be offered as a hybrid course. In-person and virtual (using Zoom) learning are available. Tiered Ticket Pricing is below:
- Adults (including alumni): $12 per content hour
- Total package for 4 sessions =$48
- Students (Centre and individuals age <19) = $6 per content hour
- Total package for 4 sessions =$24
The number of in-person participants will be capped at 55
Speaker Biography
Stephanie Fabritius earned her Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at Purdue University, and has taught courses in biology, natural history, animal behavior, evolution, and ecology at Pepperdine University, Southwestern University and Centre College. From 2006 – 2018, Stephanie served as VPAA, Dean of the College, and Professor of Biology at Centre College where she continued to teach a course each fall. In 2019 through July 2024, Stephanie served as president of the Associated Colleges of the South – a consortium of 16 national liberal arts colleges (of which both Southwestern University and Centre College belong). Stephanie’s love for birds began when she participated in a summer undergraduate research program at Pepperdine University, studying nesting Savannah Sparrows in a local southern California salt marsh. She remains hooked to this day!
Ann Silver, B.A. Grinnell College, worked as Visual Resources Curator at Centre College with a specialty in the history of art. She helped faculty and students learn to effectively communicate with images in lectures and presentations, installed exhibitions and documented the College art collection. In retirement, Silver uses those skills to photograph birds in her backyard in downtown Danville. She is an avid native plant advocate whose yard has been featured in the local garden club tour. An amateur photographer, she has documented over 70 different bird species in her small garden. Her backyard continues to evolve as she works toward achieving a 70 percent native proportion in her plantings. Surprisingly, learning to tell a Monet from a Manet as an undergraduate was excellent training for becoming a bird-watching gardener. She encourages everyone to have a messy garden.
Class Session Description
Birds: What are they and why are they like that?
Wednesday, April 22, 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
We kick things off by learning some basic biology and natural history aspects about birds, including why they are so well adapted as flying machines! We’ll also better understand nesting behavior and seasonally changing needs.
Birds: Which one was that?
Wednesday, April 29, 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
Stop the guesswork. Learn to use this knowledge of birds (location, markings, sound, habitat, behavior, and time of year) to identify birds.
Birds: Do I need tools and special language?
Wednesday, May 6, 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
In addition to continuing to learn basic bird identification, this session will explore all of the tools and special language needed (or not needed) to help you enjoy birding. We will walk the class through journals, books, binoculars, and apps all aimed to enhance your birding experience! We will also share some common lingo to help learn how to better communicate with those other birders!
Birds: How do I get them to visit my yard?
Wednesday, May 13, 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
We conclude our series with a guide on how to bring the beauty of birding to your doorstep. We will consider how to create a more welcoming habitat for birds in our own yards by examining a successful transition to attractive avian habitat in our own community.