Raptors of Pacific Northwest Online Course

Raptors of the Pacific Northwest
Wednesdays, February 28th to April 3rd, 2024 – Skip March 20th
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM via Zoom 
NOTE: Sessions will be recorded and access will be given to all registered participants. 

Nineteen species of diurnal raptors regularly occur in the Pacific Northwest. These birds are fascinating, and their behaviors are unique. Each species has many distinctive features. Birders find this group intriguing; many people want to see each of them and learn more about their behaviors. You will become familiar with the eagles, hawks, harriers, falcons, vultures, and kites that make our region their home.

The course will cover all the species regularly found in the Pacific Northwest. The focus will be on learning characteristics and information, beyond simple field markings, such as characteristics, behaviors, and biology to help you identify these marvelous birds. Slides and homework will allow you to practice these skills. We will provide information on where to look for raptors and some possible day trips around Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. We will look at books and online tools that will help you locate raptors in your area of the Pacific Northwest. We will frequently review the information to help you solidify your knowledge and feel comfortable with your new identification abilities.

Species covered during this course:

• Eagles: Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Osprey
• Hawks: Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk
• Falcons: American Kestrel, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon
• Vultures: Turkey Vulture
• Kites: White-tailed Kite

The goal is to help you learn to identify raptors, know what to look for when you see one, and understand their distribution and behavior. The class will consist of four parts.

Class organization

• Each meeting will include a lecture on the skills for identification of that group. First, the skills in general will be gone over, and then each species will be covered in detail, looking at different plumages and angles while the birds sit or fly.
• The second part of each meeting will be a detailed review of that material to give you practice. Quizzes will help review the material (only you know how you do), and then I will discuss the clues I used to make the identification.
• The morning following each meeting, a self-graded quiz will become available through Google Classroom. These exercises will allow you to test your newly learned knowledge and practice your identification.
• We will use Google Classroom (free) to provide copies of the presentations, recordings of the meetings, access to quizzes, and lots of additional information to help you learn about these great birds.
• This course is taught as five 90-minute sessions and includes access to additional materials through Google Classroom.  

Dates

1. Wednesday, Feb 28th 
2. Wednesday, Mar 6th 
3. Wednesday, Mar 13th 
4. Wednesday, Mar 27th 
5. Wednesday, Apr 3rd 

REQUIREMENTS 

• Participants will need a good internet connection and either a computer or tablet. All lectures will be done using Zoom video conferencing software, which is free to download, and we will use all the protocols for security. To learn more about Zoom, click here or to download the application to your computer or tablet, click here.  

• Google Classroom, which is also free, will allow us to provide the PowerPoints before and after each class, recordings of the presentations, and lots of other supplemental material, including practice exercises. Participants will need a Gmail account to access Google Classroom. Gmail accounts are also free. Much of the material on Google Classroom will remain available following the class. NOTE: If you choose not to get a Gmail account, you will not be able to access the content on Google Classroom, but you will be able to attend the Zoom lectures. 

COURSE CANCELLATION POLICY  
If an attendee cancels their registration within 7 days of the first class they will be refunded 100% of their registration. After 7 days but with atleast 36 hours before the first class the registrant will be refunded 50% of their registration. For a cancellation within 36 hrs there will be no refund unless there are extenuating circumstances that are communicated to FOMR. 

If the host or instructor must cancel a class for any reason, they will give reasonable notice and reschedule as soon as possible. 

REGISTRATION
Registration will CLOSE at Noon on Monday Febraury 26th. Anyone wishing to register at that point must email friends@malheurfriends.org 
Individuals - $125
Couples/Household - $175

20% FRIENDS OF MALHEUR NWR DISCOUNT
Individual - $100, Couple/Household - $140"
You MUST sign into your Friends Account to access the Member pricing.

SCHOLARSHIPS
FOMR and Dr Bancroft are offering 4 - 50% OFF Scholarships for youth/students and Educators who would like to attend this course. 
If you would like to apply for a scholarship please email friends@malheurfriends.org.Donations to support these scholarship are welcome!

IMPORTANT: To access the Member Pricing you must LOG IN to your Membership portal on our website.

If you wish to become a Member to take advantage of the ticket discount you will need to sign up for a Membership and then register separately after your Membership is confirmed. 
If you have questions about this please email Janelle, friends@malheufriends.org