Bird Ecology and Conservation WF-OB-BUKACBIRD-ER

The course introduce methods of study bird ecology and behavior. It focuses mainly on breeding season of birds. Students will be acquainted with several techniques that can be useful in the field and help to manage conservation projects. They will be acquainted with the ethical and legal aspects of working with birds in the field; with the risks associated with field work and the safety principles. At the end we will focus on some examples of the bird conservation management as well as the habitat management. A case study for the Middle Vistula River will be presented.
During exercises two field excursions along the Vistula River are planned (near Łomna and in Warsaw) to compare bird species diversity between country and urban landscapes.

Content
Lecture:
1. The organization of classes. What is the breeding ecology of birds. Basic concepts of ecology and behavior of birds. Conservation issues for birds.
2. Methods of field work with birds – ethical and legal issues, safety in the field
3. Bird census or surveys – why do we count birds?
4. Biology and ecology of breeding birds - the methods of field research
5. Why and how do we catch birds, handling
6. Why do we band birds - metal rings and colour bands and other methods of individual marking
7. Why do we take blood, methods of collection and preservation
8. Diet and foraging – the methods of feeding ecology research
9. Habitat selection and nest-site selection – the methods of field research
10. Behavioural research of birds - what can we observed in the field?
11. Conservation management of endangered birds
12. Habitat management
13. Life in the colonies of gulls and terns
14. Active protection of gulls and terns at the middle Vistula River - a case study
15. Summary of the course

Laboratory:
During exercises two field excursions within the Vistula River Valley are planned (near Łomna and in Warsaw) to compare bird species diversity between country and urban landscapes; or parks and urban forests.

Term 2021/22_L:

(in Polish) E-Learning

(in Polish) E-Learning (pełny kurs) z podziałem na grupy

(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych

(in Polish) nie dotyczy

(in Polish) Opis nakładu pracy studenta w ECTS

Student activity hours of student work Participation in lecture 15 Participation in exercises 15 Studying literature for the lecture 30 Studying literature for exercises 30 Preparation of a presentation 45 Preparation of a report 45 Total of 180 hours [180/30 = 6] Number of ECTS 6

Subject level

intermediate

Learning outcome code/codes

OB2_W09 OB2_W12 OB2_U01 OB2_U09

Type of subject

optional with unlimited choices

Preliminary Requirements

basic knowledge of zoology and ecology of animals, knowledge of English terms in the field of zoology and ecology

Course coordinators

Term 2021/22_L:

Monika Bukacińska
Dominika Dzwonkowska
Agnieszka Szymańska

Term 2022/23_L:

Monika Bukacińska
Dominika Dzwonkowska
Agnieszka Szymańska

Term 2020/21_L:

Monika Bukacińska
Dominika Dzwonkowska
Agnieszka Szymańska
Adam Świeżyński

Term 2019/20_L:

Monika Bukacińska
Agnieszka Szymańska
Adam Świeżyński

Learning outcomes

a) Learning outcomes
1. Knowledge:
EK1 - student understands and explains the relationship between ecology, animal behaviour and possibilities and methods of bird protection;
EK2 - Student recognizes the basic terms in a foreign language in terms of ecology, behavior, and species protection
2. Skills:
EK3 - student performs and describes simple research tasks individually and collectively
EK4 – student uses specialized terminology in the field of ecology, animal behaviour and conservation (in English)
EK5 – student prepares simple reports based on the collected data
EK6 – student is able to prepare oral presentations by various means of verbal and visual communication
3.Competences:
EK7 - Improves his/her professional skills in the fieldwork; cares about the reliability and credibility of his/her work
EK8 - The student through the fieldwork as well as the preparation of a multimedia presentation and the discussion recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of his/her skills, attitudes and actions

Description of ECTS
Student activity hours of student work
Participation in lecture 15
Participation in exercises 15
Studying literature for the lecture 30
Studying literature for exercises 30
Preparation of a presentation 45
Preparation of a report 45
Total of 180 hours [180/30 = 6]
Number of ECTS 6

Assessment criteria

Students are required to complete a short report describing field observations of birds. The evaluation will assess the ability to describe the methodology, the results of observation, and the conclusions.
Students are required to complete the multimedia presentation of the article related to the topic (30 min). The evaluation will assess (a) the ability to work in a group, (b) form, content and the way of presentation and (c) the ability to find suitable material for presentation
Absence from classes will reduce final assessment. Further detailed assessment criteria will be given to participants during the course.

Bibliography

Lecture:
1. W. J. Sutherland, I. Newton, R. Green. 2004. Bird Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques. Oxford UP
2. Williams D.R., Pople R.G., Showler D.A., Dicks L.V., Child M.F., Erasmus K.H.J. zu Ermgassen E.K.H.J., Sutherland W.J. 2013. Bird Conservation: Global evidence for the effects of interventions. Exeter, Pelagic Publishing.
3. Perrins C.M., Lebreton J.D., Hirons G.J.M. 1991. Bird Population Studies. Relevance to Conservation and management. Oxford University Press.
Articles concerning ecology research of birds, bird behaviour studies and active protection of birds
Laboratory:
Articles concerning the birds’ ecology research, bird behaviour studies and active protection of birds
For field trips:
Bruun B.1970. Birds of Europe. McGraw-Hill Book Company
or other field guide for European birds
Articles concerning the birds’ ecology, bird diversity in rural and urban environments, in parks and urban forests

Term 2021/22_L:

Lecture:
1. W. J. Sutherland, I. Newton, R. Green. 2004. Bird Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques. Oxford UP
2. Williams D.R., Pople R.G., Showler D.A., Dicks L.V., Child M.F., Erasmus K.H.J. zu Ermgassen E.K.H.J., Sutherland W.J. 2013. Bird Conservation: Global evidence for the effects of interventions. Exeter, Pelagic Publishing.
3. Perrins C.M., Lebreton J.D., Hirons G.J.M. 1991. Bird Population Studies. Relevance to Conservation and management. Oxford University Press.
Articles concerning the birds’ ecology research, bird behaviour studies and active protection of birds
Laboratory:
For field trips:
Bruun B.1970. Birds of Europe. McGraw-Hill Book Company
or other field guide for European birds
Articles concerning the birds’ ecology, bird diversity in rural and urban environments, in parks and urban forests

Term 2022/23_L:

Lecture:
1. W. J. Sutherland, I. Newton, R. Green. 2004. Bird Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques. Oxford UP
2. Williams D.R., Pople R.G., Showler D.A., Dicks L.V., Child M.F., Erasmus K.H.J. zu Ermgassen E.K.H.J., Sutherland W.J. 2013. Bird Conservation: Global evidence for the effects of interventions. Exeter, Pelagic Publishing.
3. Perrins C.M., Lebreton J.D., Hirons G.J.M. 1991. Bird Population Studies. Relevance to Conservation and management. Oxford University Press.
Articles concerning the birds’ ecology research, bird behaviour studies and active protection of birds
Laboratory:
For field trips:
Bruun B.1970. Birds of Europe. McGraw-Hill Book Company
or other field guide for European birds
Articles concerning the birds’ ecology, bird diversity in rural and urban environments, in parks and urban forests

Notes

Term 2021/22_L:

basic knowledge of zoology and ecology of animals, knowledge of English terms in the field of zoology and ecology

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of WF-OB-BUKACBIRD-ER in USOSweb