The Potomac Valley Audubon Society (PVAS) will sponsor a Natural History Workshop on shorebirds this summer. The workshop will begin with a two-hour evening classroom session on Wednesday, July 30, at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown. This session will provide an overview of the shorebird species found in our coastal regions, along with instruction on the finer points of shorebird identifications.

Participants will then join in a field trip to the Delaware shore that will leave on Friday, August 1 and return on Sunday, Aug. 3.

The workshop will be led by two local birding experts: Matt Orsie and Sandy Sagalkin. It is part of PVAS’s Advanced Birding Series, so it is not intended for beginning birders. Participants must be PVAS “Birding 101” graduates or have commensurate birding experience.

Enrollment will be limited to only 12 persons, so pre-registration is essential. A fee will be required.

Easy registration is available on the PVAS website at www.potomacaudubon.org.

The fee for the workshop will be $60 for PVAS members and members of the Society’s Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Program, and $65 for the general public.

These fees do not include transportation to Delaware or lodging there on Friday and Saturday nights; workshop participants will be expected to make their own transportation and lodging arrangements.

Summertime Eastern Shore accommodations fill up fast, so participants should make their lodging reservations as soon as possible.

The workshop leaders will be staying at the Microtel Inn and Suites in Dover, Delaware (302-674-3800). There are a number of other lodging opportunities in and around Dover.

Participants should plan to wear comfortable walking or hiking boots; bring along bug spray; and bring water and, as necessary, a hat, sunscreen or rain gear.

For more information go to the PVAS website or contact Mr. Orsie at 304-261-5602 or wvbirder@comcast.net or Mr. Sagalkin at monsansagalkin@myactv.net.

PVAS’s Natural History Workshops are intended for people who are interested in learning about particular natural history topics in considerable depth but cannot commit to pursue the much more comprehensive natural history education available through PVAS’s Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Program, which can take a year or more to complete.