Field Ornithology

Birds are considered important indicators of habitat quality and are often the focus of conservation-oriented research, restoration, and monitoring. This program is intended to foster the development of strong bird identification and natural history skills, and to expose students to a variety of field and analytical methods commonly used in bird monitoring and avian research. We will link theory to practice in via a series of lectures, data analysis workshops, quizzes, and field activities aimed at linking observational skills with data collection and analysis. Students will demonstrate their learning through active participation in course activities and assignments including in-person meetings and information sharing, field journal entries, assignments, quizzes, a final assessment and (for upper division and graduate students) a final project.

This program is being offered in an intensive format. During the first week, we cover essential concepts of bird biology including: bird evolution, adaptations for flight, vocal anatomy and communication, and life history strategies and migration. We will undertake daily morning birdwatching outings to hone bird identification skills. Concepts and skills in the classroom and field will be enhanced with work in the lab studying bird taxonomy, form and function. The second week of the program will emphasize methods frequently used in avian field work including: point-counts, habitat surveys, and bioacoustic methods. We will learn how to collect and enter data using standard data-management tools and we will learn commonly used statistical analyses including pattern-matching analysis and estimating abundance/occupancy.