Nice birding weather anticipated for Eagles & Ag

Sunny skies and temperatures around 40 degrees will provide great weather for Carson Valley’s premier four-day birding and agriculture event which takes flight on Thursday with a reception in Gardnerville.

Eagles and Agriculture is celebrating its 21^st birthday this week with a reception, dinner, tours and classes on photographing birds.

While the tours and classes fill up fast, there’s still a chance tickets will be available to the reception and Friday’s Falconer’s Dinner at the CVIC Hall in Minden.

“These are great events for those who may not be able to or be interested in the full tours, but can get up close with the live birds and see photography of the local area and raptors,” Chamber of Commerce Director Alicia Main said.

The reception features a close look at live raptors and photos taken by members of the Carson Valley Photo Club. Light hors d’ oeuvres will be served 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center in Gardnerville. Tickets are $30 per person.

The dinner is 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the CVIC Hall in Minden and will feature another opportunity to visit with raptors close up and in person.

For those who would like a more diverse experience with birds, Western Nevada Collage is offering Introduction to Ornithology (BIOL 135) offered 1-2:15 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays on the Carson City campus.

Taught by Gardnerville resident Robin Eppard, who said this is class is new this spring.

The spring semester officially started on Monday, but students can still register for classes through Friday without having to submit a late registration form..

“Western Nevada is host to both resident and migratory birds, allowing locals to view a wide variety of species throughout the year,” according to Eppard. “You may be noticing bald eagles beginning to congregate along wetlands and calving fields, and juncos and western meadowlarks exploring the underbrush for seeds. Perhaps you've noticed a flock of snow geese migrating south for the winter.”

The course offers an opportunity to both the general public and non-science major students to learn about birds, including "What makes a bird a bird," "How do birds fly and why do they migrate," and "What is the difference between bird song and bird calls.”

Covering specific topics such as avian biology, behavior, ecology, mechanism of flight and migration, this twice-weekly course includes classroom lectures, hands-on activities, laboratory experiences and four field trips to nearby birding areas.

New students can begin enrollment at wnc.edu/starthere and current students can register for the class in their myWNC account. To learn more about the class, go to wnc.edu/class-schedule.

For more information, email robin.eppard@wnc.edu.