Bird Outing Leader Training
Thank you to everyone that joined us. We are honored that you chose to attend our program.
We will be offering this program again, so if you are interested, please join our mailing list at the bottom of the page.
When: Saturdays or (Tuesdays), 8 am - 10:30 am, weekly. The course began in the second week of April and concluded in the third week of May.
Where: Douglass Park and online OR Washington Park and online
Why: To increase the number of field trip leaders of color in Chicago.
How: Carefully! We will be intentional about creating and holding a safe space where we can all bring our full selves to listen and learn from each other in an open and welcoming atmosphere of empowerment. Some sessions will be online and some will be in person. We will follow all of the latest health guidelines to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We encourage you to apply.
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron by Jamie Burning
What the heck is a Bird Outing?
A bird outing is a group of people getting together to move through a certain area and look at birds. That's it.
These outings usually have a leader, but that leader doesn't have to be the most knowledgeable person in the group. The leader's main responsibility is guiding the experience for people. This would be things like asking people to sign in, being friendly and welcoming, helping people get their eyes on a bird, etc.
Who is this opportunity for?
This is a training opportunity for anyone who has ever wondered about birds. If you’ve ever felt good inside watching a bird fly or hearing a bird sing, you will enjoy this training. Our ancestors had a very personal relationship with birds, if you want to come closer to connecting like that, this is for you. If you are curious about nature and animals, are friendly and personable, or would enjoy the challenge of bringing awareness of the natural world into your community or organization, we invite you to this training.
The program will include time outdoors learning to better identify birds and understand their behavior as well as learning to lead or help with birdwalks. Participants will make a commitment to use their training as a volunteer co-leader of birdwalks. The presenters will be members of many local organizations, who will also discuss green jobs and local bird conservation. Please join us.
This is an 8-session training program - 2.5 hours per session. Meets every week either at Douglass Park and online or Washington Park and online. Choose the Tuesday morning or Saturday morning option. This opportunity is open to community organization and conservation organization staff as well as all interested individuals 18 and up! A stipend is available to participants or their organizations. Organized by the Chicago Audubon Society and its partners.
When is it?
Stay tuned for our next round.
To receive a stipend of $240 participants must attend 7 sessions and do a presentation about bird-safe windows at a local community organization.
Who all is putting this together?
Project partners include Chicago Park District, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Chicago Ornithological Society, Openlands, Illinois Young Birders, Friends of the Forest Preserves, and others. This project is funded through grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Urban Bird Treaty program in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and from National Audubon Society, as well as a bequest to Chicago Audubon Society.
Where can I apply?
We are looking for people who are curious about nature and animals, who like being outdoors, and who are friendly and personable. Familiarity with some of our bird species is helpful but not necessary. Our goal is to add to the number and diversity of people who are leading birdwalks in the Chicago area, whether with a bird club or a local organization involved with conservation. We will train you to be an assistant on a birding field trip and as your experience grows over a few years we hope that you will be able to lead field trips on your own. We will post a link to an application when we decide on dates for our next program.