Photo: Tree Swallows, Arielle Smith/NVBA Photo Contest

When: Mondays from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM, May 11 - June 8; see schedule below
Where: Virtual, with optional in-person field trips
Member ticket: $120 for all 4 sessions
Non-member ticket: $150 for all 4 sessions

Are you fascinated by birds and eager to learn more? Join us for Ornithology 101, a beginner-friendly, 4-part virtual course designed for bird lovers of all backgrounds! Whether you’re a budding birder or simply curious about the avian world, this interactive series will introduce you to the fundamentals of bird biology, behavior, identification, and conservation - as well as ways you can get involved locally to help protect birds and their habitats! 

The course will cover the following topics:

• Week 1: Evolution and Anatomy (Monday, May 11)
  Did you know that birds are reptiles? Or that air sacs sit in their bones? Learn about what makes a bird a bird and how birds came to be.

• Week 2: Migration (Monday, May 18)
  It’s that time of year where the White-throated Sparrows leave and the Prothonotary Warblers come back, but why? Why leave in the first place? Where did they come from and how did they know to come here? 

• Week 3: Breeding (Monday, June 1)
  Breeding season is upon us – mates are reuniting while others remained together over the winter. Although we will focus on cavity nesting birds, their rituals and timelines vary making lots of diversity in this group. 

• Week 4: Conservation (Monday, June 8)
  No matter the breeding strategy, birds need our help. We’ll explore some of the greatest threats to birds and how we can help curb some of the effects.

Each session will be 90 minutes long, for a total of 6 course hours. This course will take place virtually, and sessions will be recorded and videos shared with all registrants. 

We will also have 2 optional field trips in-person at locations in northern Virginia. Information about these field trips will be provided to those registered for the class as soon as details are finalized. 

Courtesy of Kiersten Newtoff

Kiersten Newtoff is an associate professor of biology at Montgomery College, a community college in Maryland. Over the past 8 years, she has been teaching her students about the local avifauna, which led to the development of the campus nestbox trail where over 300 fledglings have called Montgomery College their home. Recently, Kiersten has started a PhD in Biology at UMBC to better understand the impacts of urbanization on Eastern Bluebird reproductive success and holds a Master Banding Permit to explore her research. When she’s not working on teaching or research, she can be found doing yard work, playing boardgames (like Wingspan!), or crafting up a fun cocktail.