Ithaca, N.Y.-It may be cold, but you can "think spring" right now by signing up for the annual Spring Field Ornithology course offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This popular eight-week course is taking place March 25 through May 17 and has been a regional rite of spring for nearly 40 years.

You can register, find out more about the course schedule and cost, and watch a video about the course, at www.birds.cornell.edu/sfo. You may also call (607) 254-2165 to sign up (outside Ithaca, call 800-843-2473 toll-free).

The course is taught by Dr. Stephen Kress, Vice President for Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society.

"Taking Spring Field Ornithology is a great way to soak in the beauty of the Finger Lakes region and welcome back migrating songbirds," says Kress. "Participants will learn to identify birds by sight and song and visit the best birding spots in the Cayuga Lake Basin. It's all great fun and totally stress-free." Kress has taught the Spring Field Ornithology course since it began 38 years ago.

A Tuesday evening owl watch may turn up a red-morph Eastern Screech-Owl like this one.
Photo by Lesley Mattuchio
There are two sections to the course. During Wednesday evening lectures you'll learn about:

-- bird song
-- courtship and nesting
-- habitat
-- migration
-- bird specimens
-- identifying local birds

The other course section includes Saturday or Sunday field trips to regional birding hotspots, such as Braddock Bay, Derby Hill, Dryden Lake, Arnot Forest, and Myers Point. Students are grouped with others of the same skill level on field trips.

Participants may sign up for lectures only, just the field trips, or both sections. There are also two optional overnight trips--one to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and the other to Cape May, New Jersey, during peak spring migration.

Elisabeth from Ithaca says, "I had NEVER been birding before. After this course, I am more aware of birds all around me and I am totally turned onto birding....We had such a great experience and we really miss the course. We can't wait to attend again next year!"

The cost of the course is $170 for lectures, $200 for the weekend field trips, or $345 for both sections. Overnight trips to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and Cape May, New Jersey, are offered for an additional fee. Cornell Lab of Ornithology members receive a discount. Register before February 2 for additional discounts.

The 2015 Spring Field Ornithology course receives support from Wild Birds Unlimited at Sapsucker Woods and The Plantsmen Nursery.

Registration contact: Marc Devokaitis, (607) 254-2165, sfoclass@cornell.edu

Media contact: Pat Leonard, (607) 254-2137, pel27@cornell.edu