Birds of Prey of the Southwestern United States

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 Alex Harper for a nine-session live online masterclass exploring the birds, habitats, ecology, and conservation of the American Southwest. Designed for naturalists, birders, environmental educators, field biologists, and aspiring guides, this course provides an immersive introduction to one of North America’s most ecologically fascinating regions.

Running between June 1 and June 17, this interactive course will help participants make major 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, while developing the confidence to better interpret habitats and communicate natural history to others.

Special attention will be given to:

• Bird families of the Southwest and their ecological roles 
• Desert, riparian, montane, wetland, and grassland habitats 
• Migration and seasonal bird movements 
• Bird sounds and behavioral cues 
• Conservation challenges and restoration efforts 
• How to find and identify Southwestern birds throughout the year 
• Developing stronger observation and interpretation 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 platform hosted on Skool.

• June 1 
• June 2 
• June 8 
• June 9 
• June 10 
• June 11 
• June 15 
• June 16 
• June 17 

Participants will also receive access to session recordings and course materials throughout the program. A certificate can be requested upon completion. 

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