Maggie (and others):

There are lots of ways to get semi-formal training in birding. The Cincinnati area Audubon club (Audubon Society of Ohio; http://home.earthlink.net/~audsocohio/Welcome.html ) has a great course that I took several years ago. Held on 3 successive Sundays, it consisted of about 2 hours of indoor instruction, followed by field trips to local hot spots to put our "book-learning" to use.

The Cincinnati Bird Club holds regular field trips which focus on whatever seasonal birds are around - waterfowl in winter, warblers in the spring, etc. The Cincinnati Nature Center also offers field trips on alternate Saturdays. Local birders volunteer to lead these groups and are very helpful to beginning or intermediate birders. I'm sure other parts of the state have nature centers, bird clubs and Audubon chapters that offer similar events.

The OOS (Ohio Ornithological Society; http://www.ohiobirds.org/ ) runs several weekend seminars every year. We had a great one on sparrows, with indoor workshops and guided field trips. Other topics have been warblers, waterfowl, and owls.

The MidWest Birding Symposium ( https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/mwb/main.php ) was held in Lakeside, Ohio last Sept., and will be back again in 2011. It focused more on indoor events - field trips were on your own - but it is very easy to hook up with other birders at this meeting and share the experience.

If you like to travel for birding, there are festivals all around us - Cape May, NJ has weekend events in the spring and the fall with lectures and guided field trips, and the New River Birding Festival in Fayette County, WVa. ( http://www.birding-wv.com/ ), being held next week, is totally awesome. You learn so much when you spend 3 to 7 days immersed in birds and surrounded by experts.

Finally, the Biggest Week in Birding ( http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/schedule.htm ) will be held for 10 days in May at the Magee Marsh area of western Lake Erie. There will be guided walks daily along the boardwalk as well as at Ottawa (where I plan to take advantage of the trip leaders to learn more about shorebirds.) There are also indoors talks by some great birders on many subjects.

So, if you poke around a little, it is pretty easy to find organized birding instruction. Plus, birders are generally very friendly and helpful people. If you see us in the field, with binoculars and scopes, feel free to stop us and ask us what we are looking at. We are happy to share. (The only time I was ever treated to an abrupt reply was when I interrupted a team on a Big Day - a 24 hr birding marathon.)

Keep looking up!
~Kathi Hutton
Clermont Co., SW Ohio

Visit me at:
http://katdocsworld.blogspot.com/

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