EARTHQUEST Biological Field School bird workshop page Field biology programs and courses, field bird courses, rare birds of Otario, ornithology field course

Now available; a new Tree and Shrub book authored by the Senior Instructor of the EARTHQUEST Biological Field School - Dave Jolly
People considering internships and jobs in the environmental industry conducting natural heritage assessments are strongly urged to purchase this book for only $200.00 CND + shipping and handling
To order please contact us for more details

Photos: Dave Jolly

International Field Biology Training (FBT) Program
Bird workshop
This is one of our newest courses offered to meet the demands in the environmental industry of well qualified people who can visually field identify birds to species level within 5 seconds or less. It is an intensive 3 hour session focused exclusively on bird species field ID, which is Level 3 (Level 1 is family identification, Level 2 is genera identification); differentiation between confusing sound-a-like or look-a-like birds, where 1 is a provincially or federally listed Species at Risk (SAR) eg. Black-and-white warbler vs. endangered Prothonotary warbler. Approximately, 20 - 25 of the most confusing birds are covered including;

i. Where and how to look while performing field investigations
ii. Quick and easy field recognition by sight and sound (positive ID within 5 seconds or less)
iii. Census/survey techniques; pros and cons
iv. Mitigation measures to implement should habitat be disturbed, altered or destroyed from proposed construction projects, etc. (ie. following best practices management strategies under the MNR Natural Heritage Assessment Guide, Significant Wildlife Habitat Technical Guide, etc.)

This workshop is highly recommended for consultants or those involved with conducting field surveys on bird populations. We would also be open to the possibility of covering material that you may want more information about - eg. how to perform field surveys so that they optimize time and budget constraints along with staff skills. We can also do the same with plants - eg. a 4 hour workshop to natural areas to learn 18 - 25 species of SAR plants - eg. Crooked stemmed aster (Aster prenanthoides); S2/THR/THR, American ginseng (Panax qinquefolius), S3/END, Soft hairy false gromwell (Onosmodium molle); S2, etc. An excellent way to learn some SAR plants which you may come across during field surveys in a short time! Perhaps you should consider a plant + bird workshop, which can easily be done on a weekend, so it doesn't interfere with work hours. We must warn students that these field site visits often venture into tick infested areas, so please be advised that you must take precautions to reduce your chances of contracting Lyme disease. It is recommended that you also enroll in the following courses to enhance your chances of becoming more attractive to employers as these plant courses do show up on many job postings

Level 1 & 2 terrestrial plant courses

For a complete description of the core International FBT Program courses, specialty and correspondence courses please download International FBT Program Courses

Level 3 FBT bird workshop - $180.00 CAD
This course focuses on the 20 - 25 species commonly found in the eastern half of North America during migration. It emphasizes common traits shared among confusing look-a-likes, including Ontario Species at Risk. Each unit is typically 1.5 hours in length, give or take weather, birds available and search efforts.

Unit #1: Field identification techniques
The art and science of how to apply the "5 second rule" to identify birds to species within 5 seconds or less

Bird species descriptions and visual cues used to aid positive identification
Species characteristics and traits shared among families and genera

Unit #2: Field diagnostics
We will learn how to quickly differentiate between confusing sound-a-like/look-a-like birds, where 1 is an Ontario Species at Risk.

How to identify based on bill shape, shape of body, morphology, plumage characteristics, behaviour, primary breeding song of adult male

Date: August 17, 2019

Registration: August 1, 2019