Birds and Bees

Tuition: $35 member / $70 non-member

The theme for this season’s Bascom exhibit is “Chicks” and baby birds love insects! It is a fact that the more insects you have in your garden, the more birds you will have too! Insects are more than just a good meal, they are amazing animals with incredible behavior. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the smaller creatures in our garden, how to find them and photograph them. Along the way, we will learn about some of the clever ways that insects avoid being eaten by birds and other predators.
Clay Bolt is an award-winning natural history and conservation photographer whose work has been featured by The Nature Conservancy, Scientific American, Outdoor Photographer, The Telegraph, Outdoor Photography and Digital Photographer among others. In addition to being a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) his work has been highly commended in the CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year Awards and by the National Wildlife Federation. In 2010, Clay was a major photographic contributor to the book Conserve A Legacy: Natural Lands & Waters in South Carolina with Southeastern Conservationist Thomas Wyche. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Discover Life in America and serves as graphics advisor to the Partnership for the Blue Ridge; a group of landowners, conservation organizations and government agencies working to protect the special places of the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment region of northwestern South Carolina.
In 2009, along with iLCP Fellow Niall Benvie, Clay co-founded the Meet Your Neighbours project (www.meetyourneighbours.net). MYN is an internationally focused environmental photography project, developed to encourage an appreciation of the wildlife within our own communities. It is sponsored by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, endorsed by the International League of Conservation Photographers and has been featured by many organizations including National Geographic and Scientific American. Currently, the project is reaching 17 countries around the world. Clay is passionate about spreading the message that an appreciation of nature begins at home and he continues to seek out new ways to promote this concept through his photography, writing and community involvement.
A new conservation driven book project entitled "Web of Water," which focuses on two threatened river systems in South Carolina is scheduled for release in late 2012.

Supply List:
Digital Camera
Tripod is optional