2012 Lecture schedule 

Wednesdays 7:30-9:30pm in the main auditorium of the Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY.  From 6:30 - 7:30 there are optional video presentations. All lectures are by Steve Kress unless otherwise noted. The Wild Birds Unlimited store at Sapsucker Woods will be open during evening lectures, and they provide bird-friendly coffee for our coffee breaks.  All SFO students receive a 10% discount on all non-sale purchases at Wild Birds Unlimited during the class.

March 21

6:30 Birding the Cayuga Basin book signing
7:30 How to identify birds & use binoculars  Bring your binoculars!
8:30 Winter landbird resident identification

March 28
6:30 optional video: A Celebration of Birds with Roger Tory Peterson
7:30 Waterfowl identification - Lecture by Kevin McGowan,  Behavioral ecologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
8:30 Bird Skin Collection Lab (Part 1), Cornell Museum of Vertebrates

April 4
6:30 optional video The Life of Birds  Signals and Songs, with Sir David Attenborough 
7:30 Early landbird migrant identification
8:30 Bird Song and Courtship

Tuesday, April 10 (night trip for lecture class)
7:15 pm, Woodcock/Owl field trip

April 11 
6:30 optional video:  Pale Male
7:30 Hawk & owl identification
8:30 Bird migration

April 18

6:30 optional video:   Life of Birds--Demands of the Egg
7:30 Eggs and Nests - Dr. David Winkler,   Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
8:30 Bird Skin Collection Lab (Part 2), Cornell Museum of Vertebrates 

April 25 
6:30 optional video: Fish out of Water 
7:30 Warbler and vireo identification 
8:30 Seabird Conservation 

May 2
6:30 optional video: Watching Warblers 
7:30 Neotropical songbird conservation - Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg, Director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology  
8:30 Late Landbird Migrant Identification  

May 9 
6:30 optional video: Opposable Chums: Guts and Glory at the World Series of Birding
7:30 Beyond Birding
8:30 Gardening for birds

2012 Field trip schedule

Saturday and Sunday trips leave the Lab of Ornithology at 7am unless otherwise noted.  Students enroll for either Saturday OR Sunday field trip sessions and there is no switching of days once the course begins. On days when an all day trip (7am-4pm) is offered, a regular morning trip (7-11am) is always offered. Groups are organized by birding ability (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and students stay with the same group throughout the course (leaders change). Please bring binoculars and a field guide to all outings. You can also bring a spotting scope if you have one.

7-11am  Sapsucker Woods and vicinity

March 31, April 1 
7-11am Local wetlands 

April 7, 8 
7am-4pm all day trip to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, Seneca Falls, NY
Bring a non-perishable bag lunch and a drink
 OR
Overnight trip to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (additional fee and registration required). Meet at the Lab at 7:00am, return at 5:00pm on Sunday.
Bring a non-perishable bag lunch and a drink for both Saturday and Sunday
  OR
7-11am local trip (nearby habitats; will not go to Montezuma)

Tuesday, April 10 (night trip for lecture class, field trip students invited too)
7:15 pm, Woodcock/Owl field trip

April 14, 15 
7-11am Local upland habitats

April 21, 22
7am - 4pm all day trip to Derby Hill Hawk Watch. 
Bring a non-perishable bag lunch and a drink
  OR
7-11am local trip (nearby habitats; will not go to Derby Hill)

April 28, 29 
All day trip to  Braddock Bay Bird Observatory to participate in bird banding. 
Groups will depart at 4am, 5:30am and 7am and return in the afternoon.  Please bring a non-perishable bag lunch and a drink
 OR
7-11am local trip

May 5, 6
Overnight trip to Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and Cape May, NJ (additional fee and registration required) Bus departs at 6am on Saturday, returns 10pm on Sunday. Bring a non-perishable bag lunch and a drink for Saturday picnic lunch.
  OR
7-11am local trip

May 12, 13
7am - 4pm day trip to Arnot Forest. Bring a non-perishable bag lunch and a drink
  OR
7-11am local trip to local habitats
Meeting time and place for Arnot trip TBA

For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions or contact Erica Marx, SFO Course Coordinator at 607-254-2466 or sfoclass@cornell.edu.