These inside and outside workshops are for those who are new to birding and want tips on using binoculars and watching and identifying birds. Dr. Knock will also help you decide what other trips offered by the festival would suit you best. After an hour inside discussion, you will take a leisurely walk (about two city blocks) over to the docks, where numerous species of bird are easily seen around the shrimp boat fleet.

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After greeting and meeting at the Opening Social, FF guests, event leaders and volunteers will gather for an open discussion about the effects of hurricanes on habitats, animal life and of course, birds. Three sanctuary managers will make short presentations and then handle questions from the audience. Winnie Burkett is Houston Audubon Sanctuaries manager; Clinton Jeske is the Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Center manager who has studied the after-effects of Katrina in Louisiana; and Patrick Walther is a Texas Chenier Plains Refuge Complex wildlife biologist.

There is no aspect of bird life that is more amazing than the journeys many species take on a seasonal basis. John will categorize the types of migration patterns that birds take, the why and how birds do it, and the threats to migratory birds that the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory organization and its partners are attempting to combat.

For those who have moved ahead of the written word and use I-PODs and PDAs – and for those who wish they have – this workshop will demonstrate how to take birding high tech.
Bird song identification in the field took a big step forward when bird songs and photos became easily accessible on the Apple I-Pod. Free yourself from written attempts at describing songs, cumbersome tapes and CDs. If you don’t have an I-Pod, or just don’t have the birding software, come learn what this easy to use yet innovative bird ID tool is all about. Palm pilots and other personal data devices also make it easy to carry around loads of birding information. Find out what’s available at this session.

Note: Adam is not a vendor and does not bring loaded I-Pods for sale. He will bring a demonstration unit so people can see it in action. There are numerous options and there are companies that will take orders and custom load the requested I-Pod to your specific requirements. At the last ABA Convention, trip leaders Bill Thompson, Bill Schmolker, Jeff Bouton and Jeff Gordon were all using their I-Pods...so join the pros!!

For the last five years, Kevin has shared his concept of impression-based birding, whereby the birder concentrates on non-changeable impressions of size, shape and body language of every bird seen so a familiar set of impressions is eventually stored in his or her brain. This workshop combines birding by impression with detailed field mark analysis to take shorebird ID to new heights of understanding. Specific examples of historic shorebird ID problems, including dowitchers, peeps, willets and plovers, will be covered in detail, along with photographic examples of how both field ID disciplines may be combined to form a more complete ID conclusion. This seminar is somewhat advanced in nature, but beginners are welcome to see what might lie ahead in their own personal ID evolution.

This seminar is the first part of a workshop/field trip introductory program on Dragonflies, the raptors of the insect world. Bob will introduce you to these creatures during the seminar and then lead a field trip to see them in the air. Persons who attend the seminar will be given preference for going out on the field trip, as there will be a limit of 12 persons.

Workshop:
The Swift Project, Citizen Science

Price: $15
Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Expert Presenter: Pam Smolen

Chimney Swifts chatter over Houston from March to October every year, consuming massive amounts of mosquitoes and other bugs. Chimney Swifts build their nests, raise their families, and sleep just feet from where we live. During this workshop participants will explore the fascinating and secretive home life of these aerial acrobats, and learn what Houston birders are doing to conserve their declining numbers. Pam will share her experiences of saving a swift roosting tower and developing a citizen science project. Pam is currently Vice-Chair of the Houston Ornithology Group and leader of the Houston Chimney Swift Count.

Shorebirds 101 is designed for early stage birders who want to quickly learn about birding and experience the fun of FeatherFest on a budget. You may choose to ONLY attend the inside workshop, but you MUST attend the inside workshop if you wish to sign up for the field trip.