TREE IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOP
Thursday, May 27, 2010

It has happened to all of us at one point in time: you are with a group of knowledgeable birders, where you can hold your own on bird species ID. However, all of a sudden a colleague announces that a Bachman’s warbler has just landed at 4 o’clock on the Sourwood Tree! While you desperately look for the Sourwood Tree, which you had never learned to identify, the others catch great views and say good bye as the bird flies off into the brush!

Tree identification requires the same skills that are used for pattern recognition in birding. It also requires a comprehensive understanding of the environment in which specific trees are found and why. Tree identification skills will aid you in not only finding birds in their natural context, but also describing locations to others that you are guiding. Understanding the relationship between a particular bird species and the tree that it prefers (like Cedar Waxwings and Mulberry trees!) helps us to understand their behaviors and habitats more intimately, giving us a greater sense of appreciation.

Join us on Thursday, May 27 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM as Chris Showalter teaches about identifying trees by leaf, bark, shape and habitat. Chris has been the ornithologist at Fernbank Science Center, where he teaches a high school ornithology class among others, since 2001. He received his M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Resource Management from West Virginia University, has published several scientific articles, and is very familiar with Southern forests and the habitats that they provide for all wildlife.

All participants will receive a field guide for Eastern trees and a CD full of resources.

After this workshop, you will be the one explaining the difference between Black Walnut and Pecan trees!

Class Fee

$35 AAS members
$45 Non-members

Location

AAS Education and Conservation Center
at Blue Heron Nature Preserve
4055 Roswell Rd., Atlanta, GA 30342

Class size is limited and registration is required. Please contact Emily Toriani-Moura at 678-973-2437 or AtlantaAudubonED@gmail.com for more information and to register.