AT: Raptor Identification Workshop

Bill Clark is a photographer, author, researcher, and lecturer and has over 50 years of experience working with birds of prey, including 5 years as Director of NWF’s Raptor Information Center. He has published numerous articles on raptor subjects; has traveled extensively world-wide studying, observing, and photographing raptors; and regularly led raptor and birding tours and workshops, both home and abroad. Bill regularly teaches evening and weekend courses on raptor field identification and biology in the US and Canada. He has written a raptor field guide for Europe and another for Mexico and Central America and yet another for Africa is in press. He is a coauthor of the Photographic Guide to North American Raptors and the completely revised Peterson series guide, Hawks. He has on-going research projects on Harlan’s Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, and Harris’s Hawk.

Start the weekend off with class sessions on Friday at our Lake Jackson, TX headquarters. Subjects include field marks, shape, measurements, terminology, feathers, molt, and raptor flight identification. He will show photos of many raptors in hand and will discuss their vocalizations and aspects of their biology. We will have Bill’s books available in our nature store.

On Saturday, join Bill and the rest of GCBO at our Smith Point Hawk Watch Celebration at Smith Point.

On Sunday, we will go back out to Smith Point for a class field trip to practice what we’ve learned.

The cost for Friday, Saturday and Sunday is $150 per person (non-refundable). Please call GCBO at 979-480-0999 or fill out this form to reserve your spot and make payment.

Workshop schedule:

Friday, September 30 –

12:00pm – 8:00pm -Raptor ID class sessions (one hour each)

12:00pm-2:20pm
II. Review of field ID
II. Accipiters: Cooper’s vs Sharp-shinned Hawks
2:30pm-4:30pm
III. Buteonines
IV. Eagles, Kites, & Falcons.
Dinner Break (food not provided) 4:30pm-6:00pm
6:00pm-8:00pm
V. Unusual plumages
How to document, ID summary, Smith Point Migration

Saturday, October 1-

10:00am-1:00pm- Smith Point Hawk Watch Celebration

Sunday, October 2-

8:00-4:00- Field Trip at Smith Point Hawk Watch tower.

Course texts:

Hawks of North America Second Edition (Peterson Field Guide)

Photographic Guide to N. A. Raptors.

Additional texts by Bill:

Raptors of Mexico and Central America