Presented by Daniel Edelstein, M.S.

• Do you enjoy identifying birds by their songs and calls, but wish you could improve your listening and identification "songing" skills
  
  
• Would you like to record bird songs and calls in the field while using professional recording devices that are used by experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology?
  
  
• Do you ever wonder why birds sing, how they learn their repertoires and what social and survival value lies behind their eloquent songs and calls that delight us?
  
  
• And what about the different non-vocal sounds birds make that immediately reveal their identity?

The answers to these questions and many others will be addressed in this program, which can range in length from an evening slide show presentation (of one or two hours) to a one to four-day class that combines daily indoor instruction and field trip experiences that employ cutting-edge recorders and microphones that capture songs and calls. (A weekend Friday night-Sunday afternoon workshop is the most common and popular presentation format.)

Beginning with a basic understanding of the "ecology" of bird songs and calls, the program (which includes a dynamic slide show featuring images of birds and recordings of their songs/calls) proceeds to introduce the different kinds and patterns of bird vocalizations —songs, calls, sub-song, whisper song, repertoires, mimicry — and the reasons researchers believe they are used. Using a fun and entertaining style of audience participation, Daniel allows attendants to hear typical songs as well as distinguish difficult-to-identify songs from sound-alike birds and groups of birds.

Field technology that professionals and experts use — acoustical equipment, ear amplification devices and sound recordings — will be featured and attendants in any program (no matter the length) will have the opportunity to use them. All attendants will have the opportunity to take home a cassette of birds they have recorded (in the field portion of a class) and others that help them learn "difficult-to-identify" birds that sound like others.

NOTE: Depending on the wishes of the group that invites the speaker, Daniel can vary his presentation to accommodate beginning, intermediate or experienced level birdwatching attendants. He is flexible and is glad to change his approach to fit the ideal needs of each group to which he speaks.

Each student (at the extended class) receives a generous information handout packet of more than 50 pages, in addition to a bibliography related to bird song, bird behavior, and avian acoustical communication.

Biography of the Presenter:

The presenter is freelance naturalist and science writer Daniel Edelstein, who has led bird walks and taught natural history classes for the last 20 years. In addition to being a bird-bander and a participant in the Breeding Bird Survey, Daniel does freelance forest and wetland surveys for Greenhorne & O’Mara. He has been an instructor in the Washington-DC based Audubon Naturalist Society program. His freelance writing is published in newspapers, magazines, science publications, science museums and Web sites.

Daniel has a master’s degree in Natural Resources and his book, "A Program Planner for Naturalists and Outdoor Educators", is used by school teachers, outdoor educators, naturalists, rangers and science museum staffs. His soon-to-be-published botanical guide, "Plant Identification in the Midwest and Eastern USA" will be used by both amateur and professional wildflower enthusiasts.

References are available. Please feel free to contact Daniel to receive them. (Beyond the quote appearing below, please also see attached reference quotes/"testimonials".