Sterling Wildlife Biology

Gull Weekend Workshop with Todd Easterla and John Sterling

Are you terrified of gulls? Let us help you gain confidence in identifying most typical individual gulls.

January 12-13th 2013. Saturday in Sacramento/Davis area and Sunday in Sonoma County. Cost is $150. You will receive a CD with the powerpoint lectures for the class.

The class will conclude at 4 pm on Sunday.

This workshop is intended to take the mystery out of gull identification. We will discuss how to age gulls for all typical species in California as well as discuss the status, distribution and identification of the rare gulls. We'll hopefully see some of these rare species too. During previous classes we've found Slaty-backed, Vega, Iceland, and Glaucous gulls among all of the normally-occurring wintering species. Maybe we'll see a few of these and possibly other rarities.

We will have two powerpoint lectures on Saturday in Rancho Cordova coupled with field trips at Nimbus Fish Hatchery and the Davis Landfill area in order to get close and personal with as many species as possible. On Sunday, we'll spend the entire day in Sonoma County starting in Petaluma, then heading to Bodega Bay and finishing up at the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner. The goal is create confidence in identifying and aging most individual gulls.

To register for the class send a check for $150 made payable to John Sterling to me at: 26 Palm Ave, Woodland, CA 95695. For answers to your questions you can email John at jsterling@wavecable.com or call him at 503 908-3836.

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull with two California Gulls

Raptor Weekend Workshop with John Sterling

January or February dates to be determined. Saturday in Sacramento/Davis area and Sunday in eastern San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
Cost is $150. You will receive a CD with the powerpoint lectures for the class.

The class will conclude at 5 pm on Sunday.

This workshop is intended to take the mystery out of raptor identification. We will not only discuss adult vs. juvenile plumages, but we will also discuss the rare species that have occurred in California.

We will have slide lectures on Saturday coupled with field trips in order to get close and personal with as many species as possible. What fun! The goal is create confidence in identifying and aging individual raptors.

To register for the class send a check for $150 made payable to John Sterling to me at: 26 Palm Ave, Woodland, CA 95695. For answers to your questions you can email John at jsterling@wavecable.com or call him at 503 908-3836.

Ferruginous Hawk

Beginning and Intermediate/Advanced Birding Classes with John Sterling

Where: Explorit Center at 3141 5th Street in Davis, California

Beginning Birding Dates to be announced. Cost is $175 ($25 of which goes to the YBF).

Intended for the birding novice, this course offers an introduction to birding basics, including discussion of optical equipment, books and online sources of information, identification of backyard and other common birds, and an overview of basic habitats in the region and common birds that inhabit them. We will focus on developing identification skills, including learning how to use field guides and binoculars effectively. Lectures will be illustrated with photographs and enhanced with workshop activities.

Optional Sunday field trips will be offered @ $40 per field trip; minimum is 5 and maximum is 10 participants per trip; transportation by carpooling. Field trips will focus on species discussed during previous lectures. Sign up for field trips during classes.

To register for the class send a check for $175 made payable to John Sterling to me at: 26 Palm Ave, Woodland, CA 95695. Be sure to indicate the class you want to take. For answers to your questions you can email John at jsterling@wavecable.com or call him at 503 908-3836.

Western Tanager

Violet-green Swallow

Intermediate/Advanced Birding

Dates to be announced. Cost is $175 ($25 of which goes to the YBF).

A course for experienced birders who seek to refine their birding skills to tackle harder to identify groups of birds. This is not a course for beginners but for those who have well-developed field skills and are familiar with the common birds in the area. We will review the current literature, including field guides and identification articles. Going beyond field marks, we will also review status, distribution and habitat preferences, as well as behavioral cues that provide a better understanding of these birds. Lectures will be illustrated with photographs.

To register for a class send a check for $175 made payable to John Sterling to me at: 26 Palm Ave, Woodland, CA 95695. Be sure to indicate the class you want to take. For answers to your questions you can email John at jsterling@wavecable.com or call him at 503 908-3836.

John Sterling is a lifelong birder and professional ornithologist who lives in Woodland. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of California birds, developed over nearly four decades worth of extensive travel and study throughout the state. John is currently writing a book on the status and distribution of the birds of California. He serves as the President of the Central Valley Bird Club and is a past member of the California Bird Records Committee.

His website for California Birding is www.sterlingbirds.com and his wildlife photographs are on www.sterlingbirds.smugmug.com.

Visitor # since 6/19/2010

John in Antarctica, January 2010