| Time: | MWF 0830-1200 (some Friday field trips may be longer) |
| Place: | Room #221 ISB |
| Instructor: | Breck Tyler (ospr@ucsc.edu) |
| Website: | ic.ucsc.edu/~ospr/envs106a/ |
Course specifics: This five-week course covers the evolution, adaptations, diversity, ecology, and conservation of birds. Monterey Bay area communities and issues are emphasized. Open to environmental studies majors, biology majors, and interested non-majors with an understanding of basic ecology. Enrollment is limited to 24 students.
Prerequisite(s): ENVS 105/Biology 138 is recommended. Enrollment restricted to junior and senior students. First-year students and sophomores with background in ecology may request permission of instructor to enroll.
Format: Class meetings feature lectures complemented by labs, field sessions, and discussions of conservation issues. Field trips and independent fieldwork are required. Observation of birds in natural habitats is an essential element of the course.
Probable course schedule| Day | Lectures and discussions | Labs |
| Mon 6/23 | Wings and flight | Intro to field observation |
| Wed 6/25 | Avian origins and systematics | Functional morphology |
| Fri 6/27 | Field: Davenport/Waddell Creek | |
| Mon 6/30 | Feeding and communication | Topographic anatomy |
| Wed 7/2 | Migration and molt | Arboretum: hummingbirds |
| Fri 7/4 | Holiday – no class | |
| Mon 7/7 | Mating and social systems | Cooperative breeding |
| Wed 7/9 | Nesting behavior and ecology | |
| Fri 7/11 | Field: Big Sur Lab (~0800-1300) | |
| Mon 7/14 | Seabird and shorebird ecology | Waterbird taxonomy |
| Wed 7/16 | Field: Elkhorn Slough kayak (~0830-1230) | |
| Fri 7/18 | Lecture and field trip review | Lab review |
| Mon 7/21 | Exam | |
| Wed 7/23 | Terrestrial birds conservation seminar | |
| Fri 7/25 | Marine birds conservation seminar Final paper and field notebook due |
Evaluations:
Breck Tyler is a Principal Investigator (researcher) and Lecturer affiliated with the Institute of Marine Sciences at UCSC. His professional interests include behavioral ecology, marine conservation, and teaching undergraduate field courses. He has 30 years experience studying birds and mammals in California, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii. He is Principal Investigator of programs to monitor seabird populations and to prevent and assess injury to marine birds and mammals during oil spills.
Breck has been a lecturer at UCSC since 1991, teaching courses in field natural history, ornithology, and the biology of marine birds and mammals. Of his teaching philosophy, he says, “I believe that the best way to learn about the natural world is to observe it first hand. All of my courses feature significant time in the field. My goal is to teach students to observe critically – to identify species, describe behaviors, and recognize ecological patterns. Once mastered, these skills enable students to continue to learn throughout their lives whether their interests are personal or professional.”