Community Education
RPBO is committed to providing public education on birds, conservation and related issues.
RPBO is offering Beginning and Beyond Beginning Birding Courses in cooperation with the Victoria Natural History Society during March to June. You can register online or contact birding@rpbo.org for more information.
Each spring RPBO offers an introductory bird monitoring and banding workshop.
The 3-day workshop focuses on bird identification, monitoring procedures and techniques, sexing and ageing. Components include owl monitoring and banding demo and an optional session on study skin preparation. The program has been developed for people with little or no bird handling and/or banding experience, but those with intermediate skills will also find the workshop a good way to build knowledge.
This is an excellent opportunity for undergraduates, graduate students, bird observatory volunteers and naturalists to explore aspects of the operation of an avian monitoring project, including bird safety, mistnetting, data collection, bird banding, identification, sexing and ageing. This is an introductory course and participants should not expect to emerge from this short workshop as qualified banders. Much of the work will be with frozen and dried bird specimens although there will be some opportunities to work with live birds to learn safe bird handling and basic banding techniques. Skills practiced in this workshop will be beneficial for a variety of projects including productivity, survivorship and migration monitoring field work.
RPBO participates in a number of community events in conjunction with other naturalist, scientific and conservation organizations.
- The Times Colonist featured an article on RPBO member Tom Gillespie's efforts to provide nesting places for the Purple Martin.
- We have prepared some information on dealing with "problem birds".
We offer various trips throughout the year and offer spots to the general public. Please checkout our trips and join us on one or more of them.
Slideshow presentations, birding walks and banding demonstrations for your school or organization can be arranged by contacting rpbo@rpbo.org.
Subjects include RPBO projects (migration monitoring, owl monitoring, hummingbird monitoring), birds of Victoria and southern Vancouver Island, planned giving, wild animal rehabilitation, BC Breeding Bird Atlas and other topics familiar to RPBO volunteers.
Sooke Rotary: Wednesday, June 6. Ann Nightingale will be giving a short presentation on a recent trip to the Falkland Islands.
- Rocky Point Bird Observatory, the Victoria Natural History Society, and CRD Regional Parks were proud to present the 3rd annual International Migratory Bird Day on May 12th at Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park.
- : Ann Nightingale gave a presentation on RPBO's Nocturnal Owl Monitoring project on May 9 at Fraser Tolmie Apartments.
- Metchosin BioBlitz: Metchosin's 2012 Bioblitz-"Hurried Hoots - A Short Primer on Local Owls"
- The Hummingbird Project of BC - .
- Birds Do It! BC Breeding Bird Atlas - Amica Beechwood and Amica Douglas.