By Renee Larr
Now that spring is here, many birders will be out looking for their favorite species. One of the most difficult to identify is the sparrow. The Zion Nature Center wants to help by offering a two-part sparrow identification workshop from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 12 followed by an April 15 walk.
The center offered a warbler workshop in the fall, and participants said they would be interested in additional programs to help identify other birds, especially sparrows.
The workshop will be conducted by Rob Ripma, a well-known Indiana birder.
“There are two parts to the workshop. An indoor information session and a walk through at Starkey Park,” said Mindy Murdock, Zion Nature Center park naturalist. “The biggest part is the indoor part, as that is where the participants will get the most information, but we hope they can go to both.”
Ripma will lead the walk April 15 so participants can test their knowledge identifying sparrows.
“Then to kind of see how everyone did, that Saturday morning we will all meet up at Starkey Park to go on a bird walk to see how well we can identify the sparrows,” Murdock said. “I know sometimes it’s hard for people to get out on the weekends, but the walk will be fun.”
The cost to attend both sessions is $25. The cost includes a field guide of sparrows of the United States. Class size is limited, so those interested should register by April 5. Email [email protected] to sign up.
