IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! The Peel District School Board no longer offers a General Interest Program for Community Education. If this concerns you and you live in the Peel Region then please contact your local trustee.

Contact your local trustee of the Peel District School Board.

The PEEL BIRDING CLASS/CLUB

Instructor: Brete Griffin

Please e-mail me to register for the Spring session of 2008 or if you have any questions or need more information!

The 2008 Spring PBC Birding schedule is now being finalized, please contact me if you have any questions about the registration process.

Visit the Peel Birding Class/Club Trip Report & Information Listserve!

Birding and research news along with our birding trip reports will be posted here!

Great Horned Owlet photographed by Andrew Don in the spring of 2006.

Conservation through Education!

Keep updated on bird conservation efforts, education activities and programs, and birding trips by visiting the links below.

Read "Birdathons:Counting for Conservation" at Green Teacher's Website!

What can you do to help protect birds? Visit this section to find out!

Visit the bird conservation and education links sections for educators & proactive birders!

Find out about weekend trips and birding vacations!

Peel Birding Class/Club : Description and Rationale

Course Description: Both spring and fall sessions are offered for this course, with half to full day outings scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays over either a 6 or 8 week period. Some overnight stays are recommended for visits to distant locales such as Pt. Pelee, Algonquin P.P., Long Point, the Finger Lakes region of NY, or the Kingston area in order to maximize the birding opportunities and experience. The objectives of this course are to help people:

learn to identify bird species by both sight and song

discover the birding "hotspots" of southern and central Ontario

learn how to find bird species by habitat association

understand the importance of protecting birds and their habitats

learn about seasonal bird migration patterns

find out how they can help support bird conservation efforts

appreciate and enjoy our natural heritage

Sample schedule and trip reports from the Fall 1997 session.

Residents of the Peel Region should look for the Community Education brochure in their community newspaper sometime in early August (for the fall course) or March (for the spring course). Interested participants from nearby areas (e.g. Toronto, Oakville, Burlington, etc.) should telephone or E-mail for registration details and/or deadlines. Advanced and beginner levels are being offered for birdwatching and the outings will begin on the last weekend of April and continue until mid-June for the spring term and from mid-September until late November for the fall session. Be sure to register soon as space is limited for each class. Registrants will be contacted by telephone prior to the beginning of each session.

View some of the photos from the PBC trip to the southwest.

The Peel Birding Class at Hillman Marsh near Pt. Pelee (Photo by B. Griffin and Graphics by B. Baughan).

Please note that the course schedule is subject to change in order for our group to be able to respond to the occurrence of rare or unusual bird species in the local geographic vicinity. The primary emphasis for the course will be to find and identify the resident birds of Ontario as well as the migratory species that are passing through our area. The American Birding Association's "Code of Birding Ethics" will be practised on our outings in order to ensure that proper respect and consideration is shown for wildlife, the habitat, and the rights of others.

View the American Birding Association's Code of Ethics for Birders

Birds & Beans cafe and store in southwest Toronto on the lakeshore has an excellent selection of "bird friendly" coffees that have been endorsed by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center as well as organic chocolate bars for those with a sweet tooth.

Visit the Birds and Beans Cafe in Toronto

If you live in the Mississauga area or the Toronto westend, visit the Wild Birds Unlimited store (ask for Jim or Lynda) at 5468 Dundas St. West for all your birding supplies and resources.

Visit Wild Birds Unlimited in Toronto