Requirements: There will be short walks involved with class and participants should be comfortable hiking on a paths with short inclines and crossing small stream beds
"For as long as humans have interacted closely with the land and animals, the behavior of the birds has been interpreted – in varying degrees of accuracy and for many different purposes. Common patterns of behavior exist in birds around the world. These patterns can indicate to observers the whereabouts of unseen people, predators, and other animals on the landscape.
This type of knowledge is common in hunter-gather societies and is still evident in cultures today ranging from the peoples in the Amazon jungle to those living in the arid Kalahari desert. The mythologies and epic tales of many ancient cultures convey, in often veiled tones, the mysterious nature of the utility that comes from developing a sensitivity to bird language – the ability to detect the unseen.”
- from Jon Young, author of What the Robin Knows
BIRD LANGUAGE
Come spend a day with us exploring the language of the birds; whether you have been a birder for life, or you don’t know an eagle from a sparrow, this course is for you! Interpreting bird language entails understanding what birds are saying and how they are saying it, and is an ancient skill that people have used to help them survive and thrive for thousands of years. Birds are the news media of the ecosystem as they describe where food, water, shelter and most importantly, where danger is located. They are keenly aware of their surroundings and often very vocal about what they observe (especially songbirds), and put an audible soundtrack and visible body language to the happenings in the landscape around us, noting subtle shifts in the movements and energies of other species nearby.
Earth Native is a sanctioned Bird Language Leaders affiliate, the only training location in the entire southern U.S. certified by Jon Young’s 8shields organization.
You will learn to identify and differentiate between bird songs, companion calls, territorial calls, juvenile begging behavior, and alarms, and hence gain insight into the current state of play of the environment immediately around you, as well as predator movements and other events unfolding on the landscape.
In addition to recognizing all of this "real-time" information, you will learn how to:
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Improve your pattern recognition of sounds and behaviors
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Refine your understanding of local ecology
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Become more attentive to your surroundings
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Deepen your listening capabilities
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Increase awareness of your intuitive faculties
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Walk in the woods with a quiet mind
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Minimize your disturbance of animals as you move across the land
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Deepen your intimate knowledge of and connection to a place
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Feel more comfortable being a part of nature
In an era marked by increasing disconnection from nature, self, and others, the practice of bird language gives us the tools we need to be more connected to our surroundings and each other. Tuning into the birds, who are present both in the deep woods and the city center, helps us re-discover the web of relationships between all life that many have forgotten in modern times.
Dates: March 29, 2025
Time: 9:00am-3:00pm
Cost: $85
Location: Earth Native Campus, 137 Woodview Lane, Bastrop, TX
Ages: This is an adult class but open to ages 12+. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult participant with a 1:1 ratio. Regardless of age, an enrollment form and payment must be received for each person attending class.
Purchase an Earth Native Klean Kanteen Bottle
Available to buy during registration - pick up at class!
Klean Kanteen
27 oz, Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Sports Top $25
Klean Kanteen
16 oz, TKWide Insulated Hot/Cold Beverage Bottle with Leak-Proof Cafe Cap $25
Klean Kanteen
32 oz, Insulated Wide Mouth Water Bottle with Chug Cap $45
