Learn bird identification out in the field as Wayne heads to a variety of warbler destinations and habitats!
This is the second of a 2-part “Birds and Birding on the Eastern Shore” series offered in the 2025 winter and spring semesters.
Part 1 focused last winter on water birds that are largely winter residents of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast regions.
Part 2 will emphasize warblers, those often colorful waifs that migrate North through our region or take up summer residence here. Despite their colorful nature, these active little birds are a challenge to identify as they forage among the leaves. We will do our best to see as many species as possible as we visit some of the regional hotspots at times when they are most likely to be present and in song. Warblers are a universal challenge; both beginners and seasoned birders are welcome to join this quest. Incidentally, we will not neglect any other songbirds we might happen to see.
Most of the teaching will be done in the field, bird-by-bird, species-by-species found. There will be five field trips, two morning outings to local destinations and three essentially all-day excursions to hot spots farther afield.
Two in-person/hybrid classes will begin and end the course. The first class will introduce some of the warblers we are likely to see and the birding skills needed to identify them. The last class will re-visit warbler identification based on the species found during the course and explore some approaches to their conservation.
Due to the importance of being able to get good looks at the birds, each participant must have a birding-quality pair of binoculars; 7×42 or 8×42 recommended. Some field birding will require walking distances of up to a mile.
Classroom sessions in our classroom at the Easton Family YMCA:
Classes on Thursdays, 2:30 – 4:00 PM, in the Chesapeake Forum YMCA classroom and via ZOOM (also recorded):
- 10 April 2025: Introduction to warblers and warbler identification.
- 5 June 2025: Warbler identification and conservation revisited.
Scheduled field trips (subject to change due to weather):
- Monday, 14 April 2025: Warblers without leaves (!): early migrants (Upper Nassawango and LeCompte WMA) | 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM (ALL-DAY TRIP)
- Tuesday, 22 April 2025 (Earth Day): A bird in the hand . . . (Foreman’s Branch Banding Station, Washington College) | 8:00 – 11:00 AM
- Monday. 19 May 2025: Warbler bonanza (Susquehanna State Park) | 8:00 – 3:00 PM (ALL-DAY TRIP)
- Tuesday, 27 May 2025: Summer residents: woodlands (Millington Wildlife Management Area) | 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM (HALF-DAY TRIP)
- Monday, 2 June 2025: Summer residents: grasslands and scrub (Pickering Creek Audubon Center) | 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Feedback from past courses with Wayne:
“The field trips were meticulously planned and executed across a variety of habitats and illustrating the objective in excellent fashion besides affording access to several places with restricted or no public access.”
“Dr. Bell is an excellent, energetic, and most enjoyable teacher with a wide-ranging knowledge across scientific fields.”
“I can’t say enough good things about our very kind, well informed, and patient instructor for this course. I enjoyed his classes very much, and having his dog Daisy Mae along was a treat!”
What to Expect: Whether you are a newcomer to birding or an “old hat” expect to gain confidence in identifying some of the three dozen (±) warbler species that migrate through or breed in Maryland. In addition to clues such as field marks, general appearance, and behavior, they will see how the relationship between species and habitat provides additional identification information as well as insight into approaches to their conservation.
Transportation is NOT provided but carpooling on field trips is strongly encouraged.
2 CLASS SESSIONS | Thursdays | April 10 & June 5 | 2:30 – 4 pm | HYBRID course at the Easton Family YMCA (choose in-person in the classroom, join thru zoom, or wait for the recording) PLUS 5 FIELD TRIPS (by carpool) | April 14, 22, May 19, 27, June 2 | $80
