Backyard Birding Lunch & Learn

Laurelville Retreat Center will host a Lunch & Learn on Backyard Birding on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 12:15 p.m. at the Small Dining Hall. Cost is $15 and pre-registration is required before Feb. 22.

Learn to identify common birds in our area, where to find them locally, how to attract wild birds to your yard, and more tips to become familiar with birds and bird watching. Recent Bucknell graduate Alex Busato of Scottdale will introduce birding as a hobby, why it’s so rewarding and how to get started, and what some needs may be, such as guidebooks, citizen scientist birding apps, and notebooks. He will show slides dedicated to identifying birds in the field and discuss common terminology.

Guests will learn where to find birds, both in general what types of habitats are most productive, as well as some specific areas near Laurelville and around the Laurel Highlands. He’ll explain attracting birds to one’s yard through bird feeders and creating beneficial native habitat with native plants. Alex is a Pennsylvania native and a recent graduate of Bucknell University with a B.S. in biology. Over the past 5 years, he has worked for several conservation organizations including Jacobs Creek Watershed Association where he serves as vice president on the board of directors; and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania where he advised homeowners on creating backyard habitats to support birds and pollinators. He is chair of the Westmoreland Bird and Nature Club and has observed and photographed over 300 bird species across 18 states, 225 in Pa. Find his photos on instagram@alexander__salamander.

Laurelville is located at 941 Laurelville Lane in Mount Pleasant Township. To register, visit www.laurelville.org or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/backyard-birding-lunch-and-learn-tickets-251298238797