Danielle Kaschube

The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) and the Opossum Creek Retreat are offering a beginner bird banding class April 20-26, 2019. The class will be held in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of West Virginia during the midst of migration and you can expect a wide variety of warblers, thrushes, mimids, etc. to be captured during the week. And, your accommodations are just minutes from the stunning New River Gorge. The class can accommodate many skill levels, from those who have never handled a bird to those with good experience that want to fill in their banding and molt limits and plumage knowledge gaps, all under the eye of an experienced IBP instructor. These classes cover: operation of mist-nets and safe extraction of birds; bird-handling skills; in-hand ageing and sexing techniques; scoring and recording data using MAPS protocol and forms; avian life histories, energetics, molts, and plumages; banding ethics, the permitting process; and the role of banding in research and monitoring. The instructor, Ron Taylor, has been teaching banding classes for over 15 years and is always patient, enthusiastic, and thorough in sharing his knowledge about molt, plumages, and ageing with students of all experience levels. Please contact the class host, Keith Richardson (email:retreat@opossumcreek.com; phone: 888-488-4836) to register or for more information about the class. For more information about additional classes taught by instructors from The Institute for Bird Populations, please visit IBP's Bird Bander Training page.

The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) and the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation are offering an advanced molt limits and plumage banding class April 10-13, 2019. Have you ever wanted to spend a week in coastal Texas during spring migration? Perhaps catch some of the amazing species that will be passing northward AND improve your banding skills? Now you have your chance. The class is designed for experienced banders who wish to improve their sexing and ageing skills. These classes focus on understanding and identifying the differences between specific adult age classes using the Identification Guide to North American Birds by Peter Pyle. We also spend time addressing advanced skills such as skulling, refining the scoring of various characteristics, and interpreting these characteristics for age and sex determinations. We will also cover nuances of recording data using MAPS protocol for those that are interested. The instructor, Danielle Kaschube, has been teaching banding classes for over 20 years and is always excited to share her knowledge about molt, plumages, and ageing with students of all experience levels. She coordinates the MAPS program at The Institute for Bird Populations and is a North American Banding Council certified trainer. Additional information about the class is available on the Welder Foundation class information sheet. Please contact the class host, Angie Arredondo (phone: 361-364-2643) or visit the Welder Foundation website to register. For more information about classes taught by The Institute for Bird Populations, please visit IBP's Bird Bander Training page.