Birds by Song

Mastering Bird Recognition & Ecology at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary
May 6 - 10, 2026

Leader: Artemis Eyster and assisted by Teri Gilligan

$425/person

Imagine having the capacity to enter any forest, old field, or woodlot in the eastern United States, and, with your eyes closed, recognize nearly every bird song that you hear.

This in-depth course will teach you to learn the songs, calls, and field identification skills of the breeding birds in America’s Eastern forest heartland, as well as their natural history and ecology. Gaining such skills requires lots of time in the field, patient repetition, good learning aides, and positive reinforcement – attributes that are not often found in casual bird walks with birders, but will be bountifully present in this course.

Whether you are a beginning or intermediate birder, you will leave this course with substantially higher levels of mastery, adding 25-45 new songs to your repertoire. Participants will spend every day outdoors in small groups. All students will be personally coached and guided by our experienced course leaders. This course will accommodate all levels of experience and abilities, and most people - sometimes to their surprise - discover they have an inherent knack for learning bird calls. This course has been offered to the public for years with consistently outstanding results. Everyone will leave this course feeling proud of their newly won life skill.

You may also like the following events from Arc of Appalachia:

• Next month, 14th March, 07:00 pm, The Hidden World of Lichens in Cynthiana
• This April, 17th April, 02:00 pm, Wildflower Pilgrimage in Cynthiana
• This April, 18th April, 10:00 am, Wildflower Pilgrimage Jr in Cynthiana

Also check out other Workshops in Cynthiana.