The Secret of Sparrows and Other Bird ID Workshops with Alvaro Jaramillo

By Science Outreach Intern Kyle Wong

One of the most beautiful experiences in life is learning something new. That is why I treasured the opportunity I had in March to attend a sparrows ID workshop led by SFBBO’s senior outreach biologist, Alvaro Jaramillo.
 
In addition to working for SFBBO, Alvaro heads the birding company Alvaro’s Adventures, publishes scholarly works and articles, and has received an Eisenmann Medal of the Linnaean Society, a natural history organization in New York. ​His wealth of knowledge combined with his easy-going presence allowed him to bridge the gap between ...

scholarly birding and amateur birding when talking about the intricate differences between sparrow species at the workshop that day.
 
If you want to learn while having fun, Alvaro is the guide for you! Everyone from amateur to expert is guaranteed to have a great time and learn a ton. The sparrow workshops consisted of a lecture and a field trip. During the lecture, he shared many personal stories and connected the birds to real life experiences.
​
I am not a birding expert. If anything, I’m a novice, or maybe even a step below that (queue nervous laughter). Despite my lack of experience, though, Alvaro’s lecture was accessible enough that I enjoyed myself and learned about the various species of sparrows.

During the field trip, Alvaro led the group to different areas in Half Moon Bay that included fields and beach cliffs. He demonstrated birdcalls and showed us an app that novices like me could use instead. Overall, this was a growing experience for me and I hope to attend another one of these workshops!
 
If you are curious about other opportunities to go out and enjoy your own birding experience with Alvaro, we have three upcoming workshops: the Shorebird Workshop in Half Moon Bay on Aug. 15 where you can learn and practice identifying and observing various shorebirds; a Pelagic Trip to learn about seabirds in Monterey Bay by boat on Sept. 23; and a Hawk Hill Field Workshop in Marin on Oct. 2 where you will learn to identify raptors.
 
You can reach Science Outreach Intern Kyle Wong at [email protected]. You can learn more about upcoming workshops with Alvaro on our website. ​​

---