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ESRM 452. Field Ornithology Professor: John Marzluff Office: 123 E Anderson Hall Phone: 206 616 6883 Email: corvid@u.washington.edu. Class Basics. Web site http://fs-web.sefs.uw.edu/classes.esrm.452/Syllabus_ESRM452.htm. Class email list
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ESRM 452 Field Ornithology Professor: John Marzluff Office: 123 E Anderson Hall Phone: 206 616 6883 Email: corvid@u.washington.edu
Class Basics • Web site • http://fs-web.sefs.uw.edu/classes.esrm.452/Syllabus_ESRM452.htm. • Class email list • Important to monitor your u. account for announcements related to field trips, etc. • esrm452a_au18@uw.edu
Schedule of Events (see syllabus for details) • Mondays at SEFS parking lot (back by loading dock), or in Anderson (30) if really lousy weather • Fridays at the Burke • Examine specimens, sketch or photo key characters, short lectures on biology of group • Look at photos of birds, listen to calls • Field Trips • Oct 12-14 (camping, eastern Washington) • November 10 (day trip, Nisqually) • December 1 (day trip, Skagit)
Assignments and Grades • Field Exams (~ 150 pts) • 1 Lab Final (200 pts) • Field Journal (30 accounts; 60 pts) • 1 Life History Report (50 pts) • 1 Field Study (100 pts)
What You Need • Binoculars! • Good eyes and ears • Careful observation and sketch of key characters • Field Guide (Sibley) and Audio Guide (Keller and Vyn) • Ibird and other new electronic guides • Patience • Curiosity
Strategies of Birdwatching • Before you look, know what you are looking for. • Know the key characters of orders and likely suspects. • What you don't see is as important as what you do see. • Look carefully enough to render a sketch in the field, then look it up.
Sketch First • http://www.easy-drawings-and-sketches.com/draw-a-bird.html • Focus on proportions • Bill, legs, key coloration
Some Basic Tests of ID After your sketch consider: 1: Characters of the Order or Family • By using the general appearance of the body shape, size of bill, legs, behavior etc. you can eliminate certain families of birds from consideration.
New Taxonomy Erich D. Jarvis et al. Science 2014;346:1320-1331
Silhouettes Can Help (From Peterson’s Field Guide)
Silhouettes Can Help (From Peterson’s Field Guide)
Some Basic Tests of ID 2. Location • You can eliminate all birds not found in your geographic area, elevation, season or habitat. Obviously, this is not foolproof because occasionally a bird does occur where or when it isn't supposed to but this is a good general rule to use in the beginning of your adventure with birds.
Some Basic Tests of ID 3: Characters of the Species • A species can now be identified by looking at specific details of a group of species. For example, look at color patterns, wing bars, eye-rings, etc. The field guides are good for this level of identification.
Key Characters (From Birds of Costa Rica)
More Characters (From Birds of Costa Rica)
More Characters (From Birds of Costa Rica)
More Characters (From Birds of Costa Rica)
Lets Start with What You Know • Common birds of campus • Historical perspective (Miller and Curtis reading) • This Weekend go outside, observe one bird that is not familiar to you, sketch it, consult book to ID it.