The Bird My Teacher: Nature Awareness through Bird Language
An Online 8 Session Program
March 4 - May 20
Join ecologist Andrew Turbill and Claire Dunn for this guided online personal study program into the mysteries of bird language and naturalist discovery.
“The hardest thing of all to see is what is really there”
This 8 week online course will introduce you to a practical understanding and direct experience of bird language to develop and expand your personal nature-observation skills. The experiences and teachings offered in the program will enable you to more fully appreciate what birds have to say and through listening to their many voices how we can deeply connect with the natural world around us. This is about dramatically expanding the scope and detail of what you are capable of noticing, so we might truly see what is really there.
Presented by environmental educator and wildlife naturalist Andrew Turbill in collaboration with rewilding facilitator and nature writer Claire Dunn, this unique workshop is where the pedal hits the metal for those of us who love the outdoors and spending time in the bush, but who desire greater levels of personal meaning and genuine connection to the natural world. After decades of doing his “dirt time” of patient watching, listening and learning, Andrew has developed a deep understanding of how birds offer us a special opportunity for really paying attention and developing a ‘curious mind’. These are critical skills on the path to moving from “nature tourist” to “nature sentinel”.
By learning to pay attention and de-code bird language you will be drawn into the interconnectedness and wonder of nature. Gradually our sensory world opens up; birds aren’t just random background noise anymore but instead reveal the movement of predators in the landscape, the whereabouts of flowering and fruiting trees, approaching weather systems and delineation of seasonal changes.
More than just identifying bird calls, through deep listening and practicing enhanced field observation skills, you will learn to interpret their meaning providing a fascinating window into the life of birds and their greater environment. An urgent chirrup might lead your eye to a stalking python or a sudden squawk and unwieldy cartwheeling from a tree give cause to look for danger and find a wedge-tailed eagle cruising overhead.
Using bird language as a foundation and core, the workshop will include activities that will further expand your knowledge of the natural world. These include discovering and interpreting animal tracks and other signs, night-time observation, and the simple yet profound meditative practice of nature sit-spots.
This program has the potential to inspire not just a deeper understanding of the natural world but also a deeper connection and understanding of yourself. For hundreds of millennia before agriculture, humanity lived a truly wild existence; this deeply immersive experience of nature is what we were made for, it is literally hardwired into our brains. Abundant research in the fields of psychology, physiology and neuroscience confirms that we are at our best when we connect to the natural world. But many of us have forgotten how to connect, or yearn for deeper pathways of connection.
Testimonial
“Bird language has a lot to teach us and Andrew is the perfect interpreter. The workshop I attended was packed with insight about the myriad connections between birds, the bush and we humans. Andrew is a gifted educator - interesting, fun and inspiring” - Louise Duff, Catchment Coordinator, MidCoast Council
Dates and Course Structure
The course will run over 8 (non-consecutive) Thursday evening zoom meet-ups from 6.30pm – 8.15pm. The dates are: March 4, March 11, March 25, April 1, April 15, April 29, May 6, May 20. Each week will introduce a particular theme which will be the focus of the next period of study. The themes will build on each other, taking us from the basics of nature awareness to complex understandings of bird behaviour and what it tells us about the ecology of the area. Calls will be a mixture of story sharing and discussion both in small break out rooms and the larger group, Q&A and knowledge based ecology teaching. A facebook group will facilitate ongoing discussion between calls. The group is limited to 30 participants. Your course participation relies on you being able to give time in between the calls to your own naturalist observation in your local area.
Cost
The cost of the program is $240/$280 based on self-selected income means. A deposit is available for $75 with full course registration required by February 15. A cancellation policy applies. Please find booking information below.
Facilitators
Andrew Turbill
Andrew is a wildlife naturalist, environmental educator and bird language facilitator with more than two decades of practical experience delivering innovative nature connection programs for youth, businesses and community in south-eastern Australia. He also coordinates nature engagement programs with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Andrew believes we are biologically and psychologically hard-wired to live in the natural world but many of us don’t get enough bush-time for our own good and have ‘forgotten’ how to connect with wild nature. Andrew’s guiding philosophy is to offer experiential learning opportunities through enhanced sensory awareness and nature observation practices which enable us to “see what is really there”.
Andrew shows us how we can repattern our sensory awareness and observation capacities to move through natural landscapes less intrusively and with greater mindfulness to bring deep connection, insight and joy.
Claire Dunn
Claire is a writer, speaker, barefoot explorer, rewilding facilitator and founder of Nature’s Apprentice. Claire is passionate about human rewilding and believes that a reclaiming of our ecological selves and belonging is key to regenerating wildness on the planet. For the last 15 years, Claire has been facilitating individuals to dive deeply into the mysteries of nature and psyche through the pathways of deep nature connection, ancestral earth skills, deep ecology, ecopsychology, soulcentric nature-based practice, village building, dance, ceremony and contemporary wilderness rites-of-passage. Claire is the author of memoir My Year Without Matches, which tells the story of her year living wild. Her soon to be released memoir Rewilding the Urban Soul explores how we might embody wild consciousness within a modern city context. Claire lives in Melbourne where she lovingly tends her garden, community and her own wild heart. www.naturesapprentice.com.au
”Course Full" To go on the waiting list please email claire@naturesapprentice.com.au.