Date: 6/23/26 6:39 pm From: Yaukey, Peter via groups.io <pyaukey...> Subject: Re: [ALbirds] topics for zoom birding courses
Oops- neglected to attach flier to last email. Here it is.
Peter H. Yaukey, Ph.D.
Departmental Chair and Professor of Biology
Department of Biological and Physical Sciences
University of Holy Cross
4123 Woodland Drive
New Orleans, LA 70131
504-398-2312 Direct
504-394-7744 Main
[cid:91D4B89B-2D58-4695-9437-0B7014880A72]
________________________________
From: <ALbirds...> <ALbirds...> on behalf of Yaukey, Peter via groups.io <pyaukey...>
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 8:32 PM
To: Albirds <albirds...>
Subject: [ALbirds] topics for zoom birding courses
AL Birders:
As promised, here is a list of topics I cover in my four birding courses (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced I, Advanced II). They are listed in the that order below.
Within each course, I have divided (loosely) content into four categories: 1) Biology and Appearance; 2) Behavior and Distribution; 3) Birding Tips; and 4) Identification of particular species. Each two hour zoom session has content from all four, given in that sequence.
Beginning Birding is starting this Sunday evening, as I indicated last time. I have re-attache flier.
PY
BEGINNING BIRDING
BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE
Avian morphology- names of body parts I
Timing and patterns of moult
Orders of birds in the Southeastern USA
Migration I- introduction
BEHAVIOR AND DISTRIBUTION
Annual Cycle
Songs and calls
Territoriality
Types of nests
Mating systems, courtship
Brood parasites
Eggs, incubation, nestlings
Migration II- migratory dynamics
BIRDING TIPS
Binoculars, camera, scope
Clothing
Good birding vehicles
Hazards and dangers
Attracting to your yard
Online resources, books
Migration III- finding migrants
IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIES
Backyard birds I
Backyard birds II
Backyard birds III
Beyond the backyard (but in town) I
Beyond backyard (in town) II
INTERMEDIATE BIRDING
BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE
The process of identification—field marks, giss, sex and age differences
Field mark nomenclature
Folding of wing and tail
Names of birds
Splitting and lumping
Use of 4-letter name codes
Flight
Sensory abilities- sight, sound, smell
BEHAVIOR AND DISTRIBUTION
Nest vs roost, colonial, communal
Flocking patterns
Foraging behavior and terminology
Bird navigation- magnetism, sun, stars, etc
Introduced species- processes, impacts, local examples
BIRDING TIPS
Annual calendar (monthly highlights)
How to find birds I
How to find birds II
Working weather to find birds
Assessing bird size in field
Counting birds
Use of eBird (and limitations of eBird)
Scientific names commonly used by birders
IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIES
Identification of c. 75 common species (not covered in Beginning Birding)
ADVANCED BIRDING I
BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE
Feather structure and types
Morphology- advanced wing feather terminology
Subspecies, hybrids, clines, morphs
BEHAVIOR AND DISTRIBUTION
Range expansion and contraction
BIRDING TIPS
Organized counting efforts (Christmas Count, BBS, etc)
Methods of expressing bird abundance
Making eBird lists maximally useful to science
North American biomes and habitats
Famous birding areas SE USA, and in N America
Morning flight
Urban birding: habitats to target
IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIES
Wrens
Vireos
Swifts and swallows
Doves
Raptors
Fall warblers
ADVANCED BIRDING II
BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE
Extinct species
Endangered and threatened species
Historical development of bird conservation movement
Refuge system, Important Bird Areas, etc
Scientific research methods- tracking, counting, capturing/ringing
BEHAVIOR AND DISTRIBUTION
Global patterns of bird migration
Strategies employed by migrating birds
Transgulf and circumgulf migration
Vagrancy- patterns and mechanisms
Attracting winter hummingbird vagrants
BIRDING TIPS
History of recreational birding in North America
Personal notes and lists
Submitting to bird record committees, making mistakes
Big Days and Years, twitching advice and terminology
Bird photography- tips
IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIES
Flycatchers
Gulls
Shorebirds
