Field research methods in bird ecology

advanced

OB2_W02

OB2_W09

OB2_W12

OB2_U01

OB2_U09

OB2_U13

OB2_K07

basic knowledge of zoology and ecology of animals, passive knowledge of English

The field practices introduce different field methods to understand the ecology and behavior of wild species on the example of colonial bird species. It presents methods of field research of the breeding biology and ecology, habitat selection, utilization of food resources, mating systems, breeding behaviour, migration, etc. It allows to learn techniques that can be useful to carry out conservation actions for the species. Acquainted with the ethical and legal aspects of working with animals in the field; Acquainted with the risks associated with field work and the safety principles of the field work

At the turn of May and June (depending on the advancement of the breeding season, and the water level) a week-long trip in the area to the Institute of Biological Sciences UKSW Field Station in Wróble near Maciejowice (the island on the MiddleVistula River). There are 1-2 organizational meetings before the trip

1. The schedule of the course. What is the breeding ecology. Basic concepts of ecology and behavior of birds

2. Methods of field work – ethical and legal issues

3. Methods of field work – safety in the field

4. Monitoring – why we count breeding birds?

5. Biology and ecology of breeding birds - the methods of field research

6. Habitat selection and nest-site selection – the methods of field research

7. Foraging – the methods of feeding ecology research

8. How we examine the pressure of predators?

9. Why do we banding birds - metal rings and coloured bands

10. Why and how do we catch birds - what data we get after catching of an individual?

11. Why do we take the blood - the methods of collection and preservation?

12. Life in the colony - what does behavioral research give us?

13. Methods in behavioural research - what can we observed in the field?

14. How to study biology, ecology and behavior of birds help in effective protection of the species and its nesting habitat?

15. Summary of the course

1. Krebs Ch. J., Davies N.B. 1997. Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach, Blackwell Scientific Publ.

2. Danchin E., Giraldeau L-A., Cezilly F. 2008. Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Perspective on Behaviour. OUP Oxford.

3. W. J. Sutherland, I. Newton, R. Green. 2004. Bird Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques. Oxford UP

4. Krebs Ch.J. Davies N.B. 2014. Wprowadzenie do ekologii behawioralnej. PWN

Additional literature:

Articles in English concerning the methods of breeding ecology research or animal behaviour studies.

a) Learning outcomes

1. Knowledge:

EK1 - student knows methods of ecology and animal behaviour;

EK2 - student understands and explains the relationship between ecology, animal behaviour and possibilities and methods of animal protection; is able to explain the importance of field studies for the planning of actions to protect the species

EK3 - Student recognizes the basic terms in a foreign language in terms of ecology, behavior, and species protection

2. Skills:

EK4 - student performs and describes simple research tasks individually and collectively

EK5 – student uses specialized terminology in the field of ecology, animal behaviour and conservation

EK6 – student prepares simple reports based on the collected data

EK7 – student is able to prepare oral presentations by various means of verbal and visual communication

3.Competences:

EK8 - Improves his/her professional skills in the fieldwork; cares about the reliability and credibility of his/her work

EK9 - 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

b) Description of ECTS

Student activity hours of student work

Participation in lecture (auditory part) 5

Preparation for field work 10

Participation in the field work 30

Studying literature for the lecture 15

Studying literature for the field part 10

Preparation of a presentation 30

Preparation of a report 20

Total of 120 hours [120/30 = 3]

Number of ECTS 4

Evaluation criteria

1. Knowledge (EK1-3)

Score 2 (unsatisfactory): The student does not know the research methods in the field of ecology and behavior of animals; does not understand or be able to explain the relationship between ecology, animal behavior and the possibilities and methods of species conservation; cannot explain the importance of field research for conservation planning; Student does not recognize basic English terms in ecology, behavior, and species protection;

Score 3 (satisfactory): Student knows some research methods in ecology and animal behavior but cannot present any examples of their application; knows that there is a relationship between ecology, animal behavior, and the possibilities and methods of conservation, but cannot give any examples; cannot explain the importance of field research for conservation planning; recognizes some basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, behaviour, and species protection, but not always uses them correctly.

Score 4 (good): The student knows many research methods in the field of ecology and animal behaviour and can present an example of their application; knows that there is a relationship between ecology, animal behaviour, and the possibilities and methods of protection and can present some examples; can explain the importance of field research for species protection planning but cannot give any examples from literature; well recognizes the basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, behavior and species protection

Score 5 (very good): The student is very familiar with research methods in the field of ecology and animal behavior and knows many examples; perfectly understands and explains the relationship between ecology, animal behavior, and the possibilities and methods of the species protection; can explain the importance of field research for conservation planning and give examples of their application; perfectly recognizes basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, behaviour and species protection and uses them in the prepared presentations.

2. Skills (EK4-7)

Score 2 (unsatisfactory): The student cannot perform and describe simple research tasks individually (or in a teamwork); does not use specialized terminology in the field of ecology, animal behaviour and nature conservation and uses common vocabulary; cannot prepare a simple report based on collected data; is unable to prepare oral speech using various means of verbal and visual communication, uses unverified sources, the text of the article is incorrectly translated

Score 3 (satisfactory): The student is able to perform correctly simple research tasks individually or in team, but has problems with the correct description of them; tries to use specialized terminology in the field of ecology, animal behaviour and conservation, but uses to much of the colloquial vocabulary; correctly produces simple reports on the basis of the collected data, but cannot draw conclusions, and the graphics in the report is unsatisfactory; correctly prepares oral speech using various means of verbal and visual communication, but has problems with translating scientific texts and selecting important information for the presentation.

Score 4 (good): Student performs well and describes simple research tasks individually (or in a team); uses specialized terminology in ecology, animal behavior and nature conservation well, but sometimes makes mistakes; prepares simple reports on the basis of collected data; draws the right conclusions, but the graphical page of the report is poor; prepares oral speeches using various means of verbal and visual communication, but the presentation contains errors or does not use all the important information contained in the articles.

Score 5 (very well): The student excellently performs and describes simple research tasks individually or in a team; speaks very well using specialized terminology in ecology, animal behaviour and nature conservation; prepares simple reports on the basis of collected data; draws the correct conclusions thinking over results, uses tables and figures to present the results; prepares a coherent and thoughtful oral presentation using various means of verbal and visual communication. The presentation contains all relevant information found in the articles, and the articles are translated without errors

3. Competences (EK8-9): The reliability of work both in the field and in the preparation of presentations and reports are evaluated. The ability to discuss, present and defend their arguments as well as the criticism against sources are evaluated too.

Assessment of the report describing field observations. The evaluation will assess the ability to work individually in the field, presentation of materials (the ability to describe the methodology and the course of observation, the conclusions of the observation).

Assessment of the multimedia presentation of the article related to the topic. The evaluation will assess (a) the ability to work in a group, (b) form, content and way of presentation and (c) the ability to find suitable material for presentation

Evaluation of activity in the classroom (participation in the discussion)

The final grade is the arithmetic average of the report evaluation and the presentation evaluation. Significant activity in the classes increases the report scores Absence from a field trip means failure of the course.

Further detailed assessment criteria will be given to participants during the course.