Do you have an interest in bird watching and are not sure where to start or who shares your interest? Or, you might want to know a little more about birds and hope to enhance your outdoor experiences. If so, you should consider “Introduction to Birding,” a Co-Lin sponsored special interest class that I will be leading with assistance from Ed and Kathleen Bond. The cost is $40.

Introduction to Birding will be a series of four classes and four field trips. The classes at Co-Lin will be about one-hour long beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Subsequent classes will be every three weeks: March 19, April 9 and April 30. That 10-week period will cover much of spring migration.

Corresponding field trips will begin at 8 a.m. on the Saturday following each class. Scheduled dates are March 2 and 23, April 13 and May 4. The field trips will give participants some hands-on basics about watching and identifying birds.

All field trips will be within a 20-minute drive of Natchez and no more than 2-3 hours in length. The actual length of the trip will depend on participant interest and time. (Class members can drive their own vehicle to start or leave at a time other than the class schedule.)

Field trips will require some walking, a half-mile minimum, at a slow pace with considerable amount of time on your feet. A pair of binoculars, a bird ID book or phone app, closed-toe shoes or boots, outdoor clothes, and bug spray will greatly enhance the experience.

The class and field trip subject matter will include

*Birding equipment (binoculars, bird ID books, and phone apps);

*Bird ID from sight and sound;

*Bird habitats, behavior and characteristics;

*Bird-feeding, houses, parasites, and predators; and

record-keeping and birding ethics.

While birders of all skill levels are eligible to register, the focus of the class will be on novice or beginning birders who have an interest in birding.

Do not feel like you are alone if you like to watch birds. According to the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation, there are 47 million birders in the U.S. — about 20 percent of the population.

Eighty-eight percent of the birders are backyard birders who try to identify birds in their backyard. The more active form of birding, taking trips a mile or more from home, is less common with 38 percent (18 million birders) participating.

Area residents who like to watch birds are fortunate that the Miss-Lou is a fantastic place to see a wide variety of birds. The Mississippi River is a major flyway for over 250 species of birds that find preferred habitat in the abundance of lakes, swamps, fields and forests. We are also blessed with over a dozen national, state and local parks, refuges and historic sites within a one-hour drive.

I count myself among those who watch birds. I started birding while hunting ducks or trying to keep my mind occupied for untold hours sitting on a deer stand. My interests expanded from those days largely as my professional career developed. While I still do not consider myself among the elite birders, I love being outdoors and find that knowing many of the birds and their songs greatly adds to the experience.

I hope you will sign up for “Introduction to Birding.” The cost of the class is $40. To register and for information, contact Emily Edwards, the Learning Resources Coordinator at Copiah-Lincoln Community College Natchez Campus at 601-446-1103 or email emily.williams@colin.edu. Registration can also be completed at the Willie Mae Dunn Library on the Co-Lin campus. Class size is limited.

BOB STRADER is a wildlife biologist who retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after 36 years as a Migratory Bird Biologist and Refuge Manager.