Pre-registration is required for all classes. Call the 206-523-4483 between 10am-5pm, Monday-Saturday to register. Also see Class FAQs for more information. 

Classes make great gifts! Call us for more information!

 Current Offerings:

A full list of current classes and field trips is available in the Spring 2010 Earthcare Northwest Supplement.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 March 2010

Washington Seabirds
With Dennis Paulson, Professor Emeritus, Master Birder Instructor

Seabirds are among the most important components of the varied avifauna of the Pacific Northwest. They arrive here in winter from all directions to take advantage of rich feeding opportunities in our protected waters. Some remain to breed, often in large colonies on our coastal islands.
Learn about the life styles of these seabirds, where and when they occur, and how to identify them. The class consists of three photo-illustrated lectures.

Class: Wed. March 3rd & 10th  7:00-9:00 PM, *CUH, Douglas Classroom

Cost: $60 members. $75 non-members.
Limit: 35 participants

Washington Shorebirds
With Dennis Paulson, Professor Emeritus, Master Birder Instructor

The Pacific Northwest is prime habitat for shorebirds, the champion migrants of the avian world. The varied habitats of our state support a rich mixture of breeding, wintering, and migrant species of sandpipers and plovers and their relatives the stilts, avocets, and oystercatchers.
This class will treat the identification and natural history of all our regularly occurring shorebirds in two photo-illustrated lectures.

Class: Wed. March 24th & 31st, 7:00-9:00 PM, *CUH, Douglas Classroom

Cost: $60 members. $75 non-members.
Limit: 35 participants

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 2010 

Woodpeckers of Washington
With Brian Bell, Professional Guide and Master Birder

 Woodpeckers are found in almost all habitats in Washington from sea level to boreal forests to semi-arid eastern Washington valleys. We will examine the twelve species that are present in our state, discuss their habitat requirements, become acquainted with vocalizations and drumming patterns, examine seasonal distribution and build identification skills. On a half-day trip in Western Washington and a full-day trip to Eastern Washington, we’ll see and experience these fascinating birds in the field.

Limit:  20 participants for lecture and field trips; 5 for lecture only.

The Birds and Plants of the Shrub-steppe
With Andy and Ellen Stepniewski, author of Birds of Yakima County 

A rainshadow climate east of the Cascade Mountains is a mostly treeless landscape. Though considered barren by some, a wide variety of shrubs, grasses, and forbs mantles the landscape. This class will introduce you to the plant and bird communities of this shrub-steppe ecosystem in the Columbia Basin of eastern Washington.  We will impart much in the way of botanical tidbits as these relate to birds and will emphasize the relationships between such birds as Horned Larks, Sage Sparrows, Sage Thrashers, Brewer's Sparrows, Sage Grouse, and Vesper Sparrows and the preferred habitats of each within this unique mosaic of plant communities.  We will also touch on the formidable conservation issues facing the shrub-steppe.  The day-long field trip to the Columbia Basin will take you to many of the sageland plant communities where we will search for the special birds found there. An added bonus: a spectacular wildflower show should be nearing its peak.
 
Class:  Friday, April 23, 7 – 9 PM, *CUH, Douglas Classroom
Field Trip: Ellensburg to Othello.  Saturday, April 24. 6:30 AM – 6:30 PM

Cost: $60 for members. $75 for nonmembers.
Limit: 25 participants