This spring, get outdoors and learn to identify the birds filling the spring air with color and song. After the first classroom session, the class will meet outdoors at The Morton Arboretum and other sites for the remaining weeks, visiting different habitats around the area.
Participants will:
- Learn to identify resident and migratory birds using bird calls
- Learn to see key field marks for identification
- Learn what behavioral clues to watch for to help in identification
- Discuss feather arrangement and physical topography
- Review daily checklists from the prior field days
- Meet fellow birders
This program meets in person at the Arboretum.
Instructor: Denis Kania, birding instructor
Age: 16 and older
Course number: O602
Instructor
Denis Kania, birding instructor
Denis Kania has been teaching ecology and bird-related classes for The Morton Arboretum since 1997. He is a founding member of the DuPage Birding Club and leads outings nationally and abroad. When he is not teaching, he is monitoring birds at Fermilab or traveling to the friendly corners of the world in search of birds that he has not seen before.
What to Know
This program is held mostly outdoors. Please dress for the weather and for hiking on uneven terrain.
Several sessions will meet off-site; driving directions will be provided in class.
The recommended text, Sibley’s Birding Basics by David Allen Sibley, is available at The Arboretum Store.
Bring a water bottle, binoculars, and your preferred field guides. Sunscreen and insect repellent may come in handy.
Program Schedule
This program meets the following five times.
Saturday, April 26, 2025, 8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Thornhill Education Center (Parking Lot 21), West Side
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Off-site
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Off-site
Saturday, May 17, 2025, 8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Off-site
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Off-site
