Nature in Mind Online Classrooms

Join naturalist and educator Alex Harper for a live Zoom webinar exploring the daytime birds of prey of the American Southwest. Learn about hawks, falcons, eagles, and other raptors found across New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, and southeastern California.

Participants will learn how to identify common and specialty species using field marks, flight styles, behavior, habitat preferences, and seasonal movements, while gaining tips for finding and observing raptors in the field.

The webinar will include a 60-minute presentation followed by a live 30-minute Q&A session through Zoom chat.

This is designed for beginner and intermediate birders, photographers, and nature enthusiasts. 

Click here to register.

Join the online community on Skool for the recording. 

Explore the birds, habitats, ecology, and conservation of the American Southwest in this live nine-session online masterclass with naturalist Alex Harper. Designed for birders, naturalists, educators, and aspiring field biologists, this course covers Southwestern habitats, bird families, identification skills, conservation challenges, birding by ear, and the ecological forces shaping the region. From deserts and sky islands to migration and public lands, participants will build a deeper understanding of Southwestern birds while developing practical field skills and conservation insight.

Running from June 1 through June 18, this interactive course will help participants make significant advances in their understanding of Southwestern birds and the ecosystems they inhabit. Together, we will explore bird families, habitat associations, migration patterns, identification strategies, behavioral ecology, and the conservation challenges facing birds across deserts, riparian systems, wetlands, mountains, and grasslands of the Southwest.

This course is designed not only to improve identification skills, but also to strengthen ecological thinking and field interpretation. Participants will gain a broader understanding of how birds interact with landscapes, climate, vegetation, water systems, and one another. The course also aims to build confidence in interpreting habitats and communicating natural history to others.

Special attention will be given to:

• Bird families of the Southwest and their ecological roles 
• The Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin deserts 
• Riparian systems, wetlands, sky islands, forests, and grasslands 
• Habitat associations and learning birds through ecology 
• Bird sounds, behavior, shape, and field identification skills 
• Migration, seasonality, and finding birds throughout the year 
• Conservation laws, public lands, and bird recovery efforts 
• Modern conservation challenges facing Southwestern birds 
• Developing stronger observation, interpretation, and naturalist skills in the field

This masterclass is especially valuable for those interested in advancing their experience in:

• Bird guiding 
• Environmental interpretation 
• Field biology 
• Conservation education 
• Wildlife outreach and engagement 
• Natural history instruction 

The course will be discussion-driven and community-oriented, with opportunities for questions, conversation, and continued engagement through the course community in a platform called Skool. 

• June 1 - Introduction to the Southwest, Ecoregions, and Habitats
• June 2 - Deserts, Plant Communities, and Habitat Associations
• June 8 - Bird Families of the Southwest I
• June 9 - Bird Families of the Southwest II
• June 10 - Bird Families of the Southwest III
• June 15 - Conservation Policy, Public Lands, and Bird Recovery
• June 16 - Threats and Modern Conservation Challenges
• June 17 - Birding Skills, Birding by Ear, and Getting Involved
• June 18 - Final Reflections and Continuing the Journey

Participants will gain access to the Nature in Mind Skool community, where course materials, discussions, recordings, and additional resources will be shared throughout the masterclass. The community will also provide a space to connect with fellow birders, naturalists, educators, and conservation-minded participants across the Southwest. After the course, members will have opportunities to continue learning through future webinars, advanced classes, birding-by-ear trainings, and additional Nature in Mind educational programs.

Registration will be live May 15. Contact Alex at alexkharper@gmail.com