Bio 7105:

Vertebrate
Ecology

Field activities

 

 

 

Dr. Robert L. Curry

Dept. of Biology

Villanova University

In Fall 2008, I will be offering Bio 7105 in autumn for the first time. One of the most important reasons for switching the course from the spring semester is to include a major emphasis on field activities, many of which become difficult or impossible in the "spring" because of inclement weather (or just normal winter conditions!).

Activities for F08 may include:

  • Day trips to regional biodiversity hotspots for training in field identification and observation, and for learning about monitoring and management programs

    • Bombay Hook (shorebird migration; waterfowl management; upland game management)
    • Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (hawk migration; sanctuary management and monitoring programs)
    • Cape May (hawk migration)
    • Saw-whet Owl banding program (Second Mountain, PA)
  • Day trips with emphasis on demonstration of field methods used in current research projects or in vertebrate ecology more widely

    • Nolde Forest Environmental Center (chickadee hybridization field study)
    • Great Marsh, Chester Co. (Carolina Chickadee field studies; marsh management and land preservation)
    • Small mammal trapping (Villanova West Campus or local parks)
  • Individual student projects involving field data collection