BIOSM 3740 - Field Ornithology

Summer. 3 credits.

Prerequisite: one semester of college-level biology or equivalent; background in ornithology or vertebrate biology is recommended, but not required. Offered in Maine at Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island.

D. Bonter.

This field-based course uses the diverse and abundant birds of the Isles of Shoals as your primary lab material as you gain an understanding of avian ecology. Live among nesting eiders, Herring Gulls, and Great Black-backed Gulls. Travel to neighboring islands to see tern and cormorant nesting colonies (and see some baby seals along the way). Scan the horizon for diving gannets and soaring shearwaters and fulmars while on a whale watch off the Islands. Explore the differences between island and mainland birds during a field trip to the coast. Course topics include avian diversity, anatomy, ecology, physiology, and behavior. Field techniques include field identification, bird banding, and various census methods.

Outcome 1: To recognize the birds of the Isles of Shoals by sight and sound.

Outcome 2: To understand and appreciate the diversity of life-history strategies pursued by these birds.

Outcome 3: To identify evolutionary adaptations that allow birds to thrive in various environments.

Outcome 4: To understand the conservation challenges facing bird populations and gain knowledge of approaches used to ensure the long-term persistence of seabird populations.

Outcome 5: To learn and practice a variety of field techniques used for studying birds including banding, survey methods (point counts, transects, spot mapping), nest monitoring, and behavioral observations.

Outcome 6: To keep an appropriate and detailed field journal.

Outcome 7: To develop and test ecological hypotheses through an independent project, to summarize and analyze data, and to present scientific information appropriately in both written and oral form.