Birding By Ear | March 2023

Details:

One of the most powerful tools in your birding kit is learning to recognize a bird’s sounds, as well as recognize it by sight. In fact, we can learn to identify birds without ever seeing them, just by knowing their songs, calls, and other noises that give them away. You don’t have to be an expert musician to learn (and remember!) the sweet jumbled notes in a House Finch song, the mewing “tee-yee” of Lesser Goldfinch, or the bubbling cascade of a Canyon Wren singing in the canyon. Join us in a quiet spot of the Garden as we tune in to bird sounds around us, learn tips and tricks, and practice skills to identify the dawn chorus singers! Both beginner and intermediate birders are encouraged to enroll in this class. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and a small notebook and pencil.

This class meets at the Pritzlaff Conservation Center on the east side of Mission Canyon Road. Parking is available in the guest parking lot on the west side of Mission Canyon Road. 

Although the Garden is dog-friendly, participants are asked to not bring their dog(s) to this event.

Pricing:

Garden Members: $30 per person

General Public: $40 per person

Registration is required.

About Rebecca Coulter:

Rebecca Coulter has been birding in the Santa Barbara region for over 20 years. She leads field trips and birding classes at the Museum of Natural History. She is head compiler for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Santa Barbara, and enjoys sharing Santa Barbara’s rich bird diversity and wide range of habitats with new birders. She is particularly interested in teaching how bird sounds can help build identification skills and enjoyment in the field.