France Dewaghe/Provided

A prairie warbler on a cherry tree branch in spring.

The annual Spring Field Ornithology course at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, March 24-May 16, for birders of all abilities still has some openings.

Participants learn to identify birds by sight and song and visit the best birding spots in the Cayuga Lake basin with local experts. They also learn the stories behind migration, bird song, courtship and nesting behaviors and prepare to greet thousands of migratory birds returning in spring.

Taught by Steve Kress, vice president of bird conservation for Audubon, the weekly course also features guest speakers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

You can sign up for either the Wednesday lectures, 7:30-9:30 p.m., at the Lab of Ornithology on Sapsucker Woods Road in Ithaca, or the Sunday field trip sections, or both.

In addition to local birding "hotspots," there are two optional overnight trips, one to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and one to Cape May, N.J. There will also be hawk watching and bird-banding trips to Lake Ontario.

The cost of the course is $150 for lectures, $150 for the field trips, or $290 for both sections. Additional fees are required for the optional overnight trips, and discounts are available for members of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

For more information or to enroll, go to http://www.birds.cornell.edu/sfo/enroll, call 607 254-2466 (outside Ithaca, call 800-843-2473 toll free) or e-mail sfoclass@cornell.edu.