Field Ornithology Courses

• A Field Study of Birds: Fall, Winter and Spring
• Birds of Anza-Borrego
• The Greater Roadrunner: A Natural History
• Field Study of Birds: Southeast Arizona
• Introduction to Bird-Banding

Please select the course titles to check availability.

A Field Study of Birds: Fall, Winter and Spring
Biology X405, X405.1 and X406 (2 units each)

Since 1967, UCR Extension has offered a remarkable series of bird field study classes praised by both novice birders and those with four-digit Life Lists.

"A Field Study of Birds" is offered three times a year – once in fall, winter and spring. Each seasonal class includes an initial orientation session, followed by five all-day Saturday field trips to the desert, mountains, the inland valley, the coast and the Salton Sea, which is known for its unique biological features.

The "Field Study of Birds" classes are led by Eugene Cardiff (pictured on left), retired Curator of Natural History at the San Bernardino County Museum and an ornithologist for more than 35 years.

Meticulous records have been kept for 35 years by Brian Prescott (pictured on right), field assistant, of all species sighted on each of the five trips of each class each year.

Photo courtesy Brian G. Prescott ©

A Field Study of Birds: Fall
Biology X405 (2 units)

An introduction to the local birds in relation to their communities. Emphasis is placed on identification in the field and museum. Field trips include local mountains and valleys, San Diego Bay, High Desert, Salton Sea and Imperial Valley.

Species almost always seen on field trips: American Kestrel, Brewer's Blackbird, Killdeer, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Mockingbird, Red-Tailed Hawk, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Western Meadowlark

Sometimes seen: American Avocet, American Crow, Black-Necked Stilt, Cinnamon Teal, Common Yellowthroat, Great Egret (pictured right), Greater Yellowlegs, Horned Lark, Long-Billed Dowitcher, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Osprey, Red-Shoulder Hawk, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Snowy Egret

Rarely seen: American Bittern, Cassin's Kingbird, Common Goldeneye, Hermit Warbler, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Mountain Plover, Nashville Warbler, Pacific Loon, Parasitic Jaeger, Peregrine Falcon, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Swainson's Thrush, Vaux's Swift, Western Wood-Pewee

Seen only once during 35 years of field trips: Ancient Murrelet, Band-Tailed Gull (Belcher's), Blue-Headed Vireo, California Gnatcatcher, Connecticut Warbler, Least Grebe, Lesser Nighthawk, Ovenbird , Sandhill Crane, Tropical Kingbird, Wandering Tattler, Western Screech Owl, Winter Wren

Note: This course may be taken twice for credit toward the Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology. Visitors not permitted. Enrollment is limited.

Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology
Vertebrate course for Certificate in Field Ecology

Introduction to the wintering birds of Southern California with special emphasis on identification and natural history of waterfowl, gulls and birds of prey. Many of the prime wintering areas are visited on the field trips to the Malibu coast, Salton Sea (sunset pictured right), High Desert, San Jacinto Valley and Orange County Coast.

Almost always seen on field trips: American Kestrel, Black Phoebe, Common Raven, Green-Winged Teal, Red-Winged, Blackbird, Red-Tailed Hawk, White-Crowned Sparrow, Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Sometimes seen: American Avocet, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Plover, Bushtit, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Great, Egret, Greater Yellowlegs, Herring Gull, Lesser Scaup, Long-Billed Dowitcher, Western Grebe, Willet

Rarely seen: American White Pelican, Black Skimmer, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow, Clapper Rail, Gambel's Quail, Greater, White-Fronted Goose, Hooded Merganser, Oak Titmouse, Rough-Legged Hawk, Sage Thrasher, Violet-Green Swallow, Virginia Rail

Seen only once during 35 years of field trips: American Oystercatcher, Arctic Loon, Black-Chinned Hummingbird, Broad-winged Hawk, Brown Creeper, Elegant Tern, Harlequin Duck, Laughing Gull, Reddish Egret, Ruff, Short-Tailed Shearwater, Wilson's Phalarope, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Note: This course may be taken twice for credit toward the Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology. Visitors not permitted. Enrollment is limited.

Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology
Vertebrate course for Certificate in Field Ecology

Birds during the spring migration and in their breeding territories. Emphasis on identification of breeding plumages in the field and museum. Field trips include Mystic Lake, Imperial Beach, Salton Sea, Imperial Valley, Morongo Valley, High Desert and San Jacinto Mountains (rainbow pictured right).

Almost always seen on field trips: American Kestrel, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-Headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, Cliff Swallow, Common Raven, European Starling,, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Song Sparrow, Western Kingbird

Sometimes seen: Black-Necked Stilt, California Quail, Caspian Tern, Great Blue Heron, Greater Roadrunner, Hooded Oriole, Horned Lark, Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, Pied-billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Snowy Egret, Spotted Towhee, Turkey Vulture, Western Sandpiper

Rarely seen: American Redstart, American Dipper, Black Turnstone, Bronzed Cowbird, Brown Creeper, Indigo Bunting, Least Bittern, Little Blue Heron, Pine Siskin, Prairie Falcon, Purple Martin, Spotted Owl, Townsend's Solitaire, Whip-poor-will

Seen only once during 35 years of field trips: Black-Legged Kitiwake, Brown Booby, Eurasian Wigeon, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Inca Dove, Lewis' Woodpecker, Mountain Bluebird, Neotropic Cormorant, Rhinoceros Auklet, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Ross' Goose, Short-Eared Owl, Yellow Rail

Note: This course may be taken twice for credit toward the Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology. Visitors not permitted. Enrollment is limited.

Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology
Vertebrate course for Certificate in Field Ecology

Birds of Anza-Borrego
Biology X404.9 (1.5 units)

The oases in and around the Anza Borrego Desert are home to a surprisingly wide variety of birds species. This habitat also provides the perfect resting place for migrants such as warblers, flycatchers, grosbeaks and other tired travelers on their way south for the winter. After a short lecture Friday night, the class spends Saturday and Sunday in the field, studying both migrant and resident bird species. Along the way participants learn about their conservation, ecology, natural history and special adaptations to the harsh desert environment.

Note: For birders of all abilities. Visitors not permitted. Enrollment is limited.

Vertebrate course for Certificate in Field Ecology
Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology
Elective for Desert Ecology

The Greater Roadrunner: A Natural History
Environmental Science X404.7 (2 units)

Discover one of the Southwest's most fascinating birds, the roadrunner. Learn how this member of the cuckoo family survives in desert environments by hunting tarantulas, scorpions and rattlesnakes. Course participants have an opportunity to examine newly hatched roadrunners in active nests and participate in an ongoing research project. As part of the course, participants attend the Palm Springs Desert Museum's "Roadrunner" exhibition and a day-long symposium on the roadrunner which includes presentations by the world's leading authorities on the roadrunner, Robert Ohmart, Kathleen Beal and Charlene Webster.

Note: Visitors not permitted.

Vertebrate course for Certificate in Field Ecology
Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology

Field Study of Birds: Southeast Arizona
Biology X404.8 (3.5 units)

A one-week field study of birds in southeastern Arizona, one of the premier locations in the U.S. to observe and study birds. Southeastern Arizona has diverse habitats including desert, mountain and riparian zones, and lies at the northern end of Mexico's Sierra Madre Mountains. Thus, many species of birds can be studied here that are unlikely to be observed anywhere else in the country. In addition to field study are lectures on geography, weather and habitat associations. Topics include biogeography and climates, bird habitats, birdwatching and the "specialty" birds of southeastern Arizona.

Note: Upon enrollment, students will be sent information on what to bring, where to meet and a course outline. Visitors not permitted.

Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology
Ornithology course for Certificate in Field Ecology

Introduction to Bird-Banding
Biology X404.4 (2 units)

Through short lectures and hands-on experience, class participants study the ethics and history of bird-banding and tracking, how to handle birds correctly, and how bird-banding is used to develop information for research and monitoring. Participants capture and band resident and wintering birds in Southern California and gather important biological information. Topics include the sex-related differences, age classes, wintering site tenacity and survivorship of the wild birds observed. Banding takes place at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park, near Victorville. All banding equipment is provided.

Note: Visitors not permitted. A course syllabus and map to the Mojave Narrows Regional Park will be provided.

Prerequisite: Basic bird identification skills. Enrollment is limited.

Vertebrate course for Certificate in Field Ecology
Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field Ornithology