Seminar

Saturday, November 23, 1:00 pm – Best Practices in Leading Field Trips

Mark England and Cheryl Hogue

This seminar is a training class aimed at those who would like to lead birding field trips — and for those who want to build confidence in their trip leading abilities. It involves discussion, some lecture, and in-the-field practice.

Participants will learn why people bird in groups, what is expected of trip leaders, tips for leading, safety, and insurance information for trips sponsored by MOS chapters. We will discuss group dynamics and share suggestions for handling difficult behaviors.

In addition, we will talk about methods for helping field trip members get their eyes on a particular bird, then hone these skills by practicing them in the field.

Be prepared to go outside in the afternoon and bring binoculars.

Mark and Cheryl collaborated on this workshop for the Montgomery Bird Club in 2023 and look forward to presenting it at the 2024 MOS Convention.

Instructor Bios

Mark England is a long-time member of the Montgomery Bird Club (MBC) and its incoming vice-president. Over 25 years, he has led many local trips for both the MBC and Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society), and has co-led nature travel trips to Yellowstone four times, to South Texas and Montana twice each, to southeast Arizona, and other U.S. locations. He particularly enjoys helping new birders and seeing them get excited about birding.

Cheryl Hogue started gathering information on how to lead birding field trips just before the 2019 MOS convention. Since then, she’s organized and led field trips for MOS and the Montgomery County chapter. With a background as a communicator and an in-house trainer, she wants to boost the know-how and confidence of birders who want to lead successful field trips, especially women, people of color, younger birders, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Cheryl is a state director for the Montgomery Bird Club and serves on the MOS committee on inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. She has a master’s degree in environmental sciences from Johns Hopkins University.