For students, faculty, personnel from federal and state agencies, museums,
environmental organizations and consulting firms
Introduction to Coastal Maine Birds: Identification, Taxonomy, and Ecology
August 28 - Sept 3
Instructor: Gene Wilhelm
Location: Eagle Hill Institute, Steuben, Me
This field ornithology seminar is intended for beginning to intermediate
birders who want to expand field identification skills and techniques with the
help of an ornithology expert. The concept is simple: remove oneself from the
daily routine and responsibility of home and work, escape for a time to a
natural milieu conducive to learning, and immerse oneself in birding. The
seminar coincides with the peak of avian autumn migration and provides
exceptional birding opportunities in a variety of pristine natural habitats
ranging from seacoast to dense coniferous forests. The seminar uses the AVES
method of avian identification which uses a six-key identification system: by
eye, ear, behavior, habitat/range, field marks, and ecology. Identification
emphasizes shore birds, gulls, terns, raptors, flycatchers, vireos, and
warblers. Daily field trips are supplemented by indoor lectures, visual
presentations, and group discussions on such topics as bird uniqueness,
importance of birds in our daily lives, taxonomy, the mystery of avian
migration, the role of migrants in biodiversity, & the process of avian
extinction. Each participant will choose a bird species to report on Friday
night using the AVES six-key identification system and their field notes.
Objectives:
· Answer these fundamental questions: Why study birds? What kind of
bird is it? How do you reduce your options? When, where, and how
do you go birding vs. bird-watching?
· Improve your avian field identification skills and techniques, and
knowledge of taxonomy.
· Comprehend more about avian migration in downeast Maine and the
ecological role such bird migration plays in the Atlantic
Flyway and beyond.
· Learn how to keep lasting and memorable records of bird
identifications and observations.
· Commence or continue studying the life histories of birds at home
with special attention given to avian preservation with the help of local
conservation entities.
Gene Wilhelm ([email protected]) is Slippery Rock University Professor
Emeritus of Ecology and Biogeography. He developed the AVES method of avian
identification over four decades of field ornithological research on seven
continents. He was former Vice President of Environmental Education, National
Audubon Society, New York, responsible for four summer ecology camps and five
environmental education centers across the United States. Dr. Wilhelm taught
field ornithology courses, workshops, and seminars worldwide, including Eagle
Hill Institute for five consecutive summers in the 1990s. In 1998, he was
appointed volunteer International Hawk Watch Station Master in Santa Ana
National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Alamo, Texas,
researching migrating raptors until 2010. Presently, he’s researching
Development & Avian Extirpation in western Pennsylvania.
For general information, go to
http://eaglehill.us/programs/nhs/natural-history-seminars.shtml
For course calendar and course descriptions, go to
http://www.eaglehill.us/programs/nhs/nhs-calendar.shtml
For application information and cost breakdown, go to
http://www.eaglehill.us/programs/general/application-info.shtml
For more information, contact [email protected], 207-546-2821 x 1
