If you are not already signed up for this course, learn more at https://www.ayellowstonelife.com/wild-conversations/ or click "Enroll Now" button above.
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Imagine if…
- You could engage with animals each and every day, wherever you live.
- You knew in an instant that there’s a hawk in the neighborhood, a bear over the next hill, or a tiger traveling along the river corridor.
- You regularly encountered ‘National Geographic’ moments.
- Your friends, family, or clients see the wildlife of their dreams – because of you!
- You could take stunning wildlife photos because you are able to read animal behavior and get the perfect shot.
- You have an increased sense of peace and well being from your newfound connection wildlife.
Course Curriculum
- 1. The Story Depends on the Teller: Different Individuals can Give us Different Information (20:34)
- 2. Context if Everything: Finding Meaning based on Where Animals are & What They Do (21:19)
- 3. Context if Everything: Finding Meaning Based on What Animals Say (43:24)
- 4. Observing Variations on a Theme to Decode Meaning (35:19)
- Bonus 1. Our Preferred Optics & Other Gear (11:44)
- Bonus 2. Recording What You Find: Taking Note with Sketching & Journaling (22:41)
- Bonus 3. Introduction to Animal Tracking: Another source of Information (26:11)
- Bonus 4. Better Wildlife Photography through Animal Language with Brad Orsted (59:18)
- Bonus 5. Maximizing Backyard Wildlife Habitat with Dr. Doug Tallamy (78:20)
- Q&A April 6, 2021 (77:14)
- Q&A April 6, 2021- Follow-up answers/info
- Q&A April 20, 2021 (95:44)
- Q&A May 6, 2021 (82:22)
- Q&A May 19, 2021 (70:50)
- Q&A September 12, 2021 (69:28)
- Q&A September 26, 2021 (74:58)
- Q&A October 10, 2021 (80:19)
- Q&A October 24, 2021 (71:31)
- Q&A/Live Round of Modules 1&2 May 3, 2022 (72:18)
- Q&A/Live Round Modules 3&4 May 10, 2022 (60:57)
- Q&A/Live Round Module 5 May 24, 2022 (67:39)
- Q&A/Live Round of Module 6 May 31, 2022 (71:07)
- Q&A/Live Round - Favorite Books - September 21, 2022 (99:51)
- Q&A/Live Round - Learning from Animal Senses, both domestic & wild - October 5, 2022 (63:47)
- Q&A/Live Round - Cultivating a Better Sense of your Home Ground - October 19, 2022 (59:28)
- Q&A/Live Round - Caring for Home Ground - November 2, 2022 (63:46)
- Q&A/Live Round - Challenges to Eavesdropping - March 25, 2023 (69:03)
- Q&A/Live Round - Finding Meaning in Presence vs Absence - April 26, 2023 (68:11)
- Q&A/Live Round - Bigger Picture Conservation Issues & Unusual Magpie Call - May 24, 2023 (69:11)
- Q&A/Live Round - Animals Watching Us - October 4, 2023 (85:11)
- Q&A/Live Round - How Animals React to Us & Changing the Dynamic - November 8, 2023 (62:49)
- Q&A/Live Round - Coyote Language of danger & use of nouns, verbs, etc by nonhumans - May 9, 2024 (94:24)
- Q&A/Live Round - Crows robbing nests, Prairie dogs on road, Currawong foretelling of rain, etc - June 5, 2024 (63:41)
- Q&A/Live Round - Cooper's Hawk hunting, squirrel ground vs aerial threat calls, walking like other species, etc - November 13, 2024 (68:36)
Hi, I'm George Bumann
I have been a lifelong observer of nature, and a researcher, guide, artist, and educator for over 30 years. After completing a M.S. in Wildlife Ecology, the last 20 years have been spent here in Yellowstone, during which time I’ve helped over 10,000 people learn how to enjoy the wonders of animal language to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of the natural world.
Allow me to share my lifetime of wildlife study with you. I’ll show you the signals animals are constantly sending to help save you time and maximize your enjoyment of the outdoors–no matter where you live. You will acquire powerful skills to interpret what’s going on in your environment, by learning the exact methods we use when out exploring Yellowstone Park, Costa Rica, Africa, and our own backyard.
My nature-inspired artwork can be found in collections throughout the United States and around the globe, including the permanent collections of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana, among others. My art and educational programs have been featured in the Salt Lake City Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Sacramento Bee, and on television, radio, and online through the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, and Tedx Bozeman.
This is the first time I have shared this knowledge outside an in-person course or lecture. Now I’m excited to share it with you so you can see the same kinds of wildlife encounters we get to enjoy.
In this course, I'll share with you the same step-by-step approach my wife Jenny Golding and I use to find and observe the wildlife that we sketch, photograph, sculpt, and share with our clients and students. Here's what they have to say:
Jon Young
Author, "What the Robin Knows"
"George Bumann is an exceptionally helpful interpreter of the natural world. In my years of experience as a tracker, mentor and bird language trainer, it is rare to meet people with George’s commitment, interpersonal skills and sensitivity to those he’s sharing with, and deeply grounded experience in the application of tracking, bird and animal language. George understands the patterns of the place he loves and where he dwells and he is generous in his willingness to share this knowledge with others."
Brian Kahn
Host, Home Ground Radio
"The simple truth is that George Bumann is the most knowledgeable, interesting naturalist I've ever met."
Ann Skelton
Professional nature photographer
"George Bumann is a masterful and engaging instructor. His classes teach you to 'see' instead of looking, to 'listen' instead of hearing and to properly interpret those sights and sounds. This helps you become more attuned to the natural surroundings and can definitely improve your photography skills."
Sally Stilwill
Program Participant
"My educational experiences with George Bumann in Yellowstone have sparked an insatiable interest in learning- having taken many courses with George and spent many days in YNP I have learned the art of quiet listening. If you want to know about animal signals, the reasons for certain animal behaviors and to be exposed to hidden gems in nature you must experience George. There is no one like him and if you are lucky enough to listen to him share some of his immense knowledge you too will be changed
forever."
Robert Petty
Vice President of Education, Yellowstone Forever
"I have had the privilege and joy of learning from George in Yellowstone on early morning journeys through the Lamar Valley. While observing wildlife, subtleties of behavior, the nuances of animal vocalizations—things that had been always right there in front of me—suddenly made sense and profoundly altered the way I experienced the ravens and bison and wolves in the park."
Gloria Garrett
Founder, Mindfulness in Nature
"After just a couple of hours with George, I felt a deeper sense of not
just being in nature, but being a part of nature. I wasn’t just hearing the calls of ravens, wolves, and coyotes better, but beginning to understand what they were saying. I left Yellowstone with more than wonderful memories. I left transformed--and excited to hear what the animals around my house have to say!"