Workshops and Curriculum

Welcome to Bird School! On this page you'll find all the info you need about the different workshops we offer. Remember, part of our goal is to get folks outside, so most workshops are centered around an experiential approach to learning concepts. This being said, some of our workshops will include a classroom portion where we can use a controlled environment and a variety of media to learn. We recommend that any workshop you choose for your class be paired with our Intro To Bird Watching and Nature Observation. All workshops are hands on and interactive for students and teachers!

Introduction To Bird Watching And Nature Observation 

UCSC Natural History Field Quarter '14
photo credit to Sarah Angulo

Have you ever wondered which flying creatures are chirping and whirring around you all day long? Who is singing what song and why? We have too. During this workshop we learn to observe and identify the birds that surround us on a daily basis. Through the power of observation students gain the ability to look for key identification characteristics that differentiate one bird species from another. We take time to familiarize each student with using binoculars and field guides for identification and give them a chance to see for themselves.

Red-tailed Hawk

Flight And Feathered Adaptations

Birds are incredibly unique among all organisms in the way they move across a landscape. They all have special adaptations in the form of wings and feathers that separate them from the rest of the animal kingdom physiologically. In this workshop we explore these adaptations, paying special attention to those we can observe. Additionally we trace these adaptations back to moments along the evolutionary path when other organisms shared similar adaptations. This workshop provides a unique opportunity to connect past with present and notice patterns in adaptations that allow different birds to fill niches in the environment. Students leave this workshop with a better understanding for how birds fit into an ecosystem and with examples of how an organism can adapt to an environment.

Brown Pelican

Bird Migration

Western Tanager

As a part of the western edge of the continent, California is located along what scientists and naturalists call the Pacific Flyway. Twice a year, many species of birds fly along this path to reach their nesting spots or winter homes, some of which are in California. In this workshop we study the patterns of seasonal migrations and the importance of interconnected ecosystems in context of stops along the flyway. Students gain an understanding of what environmental factors influence bird migration and what birds depend on for successful migrations.

Marsh Wren

Listening To Birds

No matter what your habitat, even in the city, birds are communicating all around us. In this workshop we’ll listen to some of the finer notes in a bird’s song or call. Students learn to differentiate bird species by sound and learn why and how birds make the noises they make. We will listen to some of the common birds in the neighborhood on sound files and go out to observe birds making noise outside. Additionally students learn to pick out rhythms and patterns. Students make their own sonograms in creative fashion and learn to describe what they hear in their own field journals.

Northern Spotted Owl

Bird Conservation

Along with the many species of birds in California comes many controversial conservation issues. While the human population continues to grow, and many ecosystems face changes, we are faced with compromising the space and habitat used by many birds. In the next decade many policy decisions will be made that will effect our interactions with migrant and resident communities of birds. In this workshop we choose California-specific policy issues to discuss with classes. Topics include key habitat areas like Mono Lake, the Owens River Valley, and the Salton Sea, or endangered and threatened species such as the California Condor and Northern Spotted Owl. Students learn to consider the complexity of conservation issues and come away with an informed view of the tools used to make conservation policy decisions.

Barn Swallows

Bird Behavior

Birds are busy bodies. They are constantly telling us about themselves and the environment by the way they act and interact with each other. In this workshop we explore bird behavior through observation and discussion. Students gain an understanding of how individual bird species move through their environment and how they live among the other creatures. Additionally students gain a reference point for interpreting bird behaviour as they observe it.