This course introduces beginning birders to the birds commonly found in MA in the winter. Winter is a wonderful time for birding; the leaves are off the trees, birds on water bodies (ocean, bays and rivers) are easy to see and bird feeders offer a chance to see a good variety of species close up. We take advantage of these features and expect to see three to four dozen species on our field trips. While some may find it daunting to venture outdoors in the winter, the experience of past attendees, has been very positive, based on the feedback received.

There is one lecture session on November 7 using a PowerPoint that covers the basics of bird identification, highlighting the bird species expected, apps for birding, field guides, optical requirements, etc., and there will be four field trips on November 14 and 28 and December 8 and 15, of which two are local for 1.5 to 2 hours and two full day trips farther afield. The local trips will be to a backyard bird feeder, and to a local reservoir, and the two day-long trips will be to Parker River/ Newburyport/Plum Island and Cape Ann.

Weekly prep time varies.  You should use the materials provided to study the birds expected in advance to enable you to get more out of the course.