November 25, 2009 | Category: Birding
Explore bird behavior with new online course
 Red-winged Blackbird photo by Ted Schroeder © Cornell Lab of Ornithology |
Answering these questions gets to the heart of bird behavior, which is all about sex and survival. Anyone can explore fascinating patterns of bird behavior in a new five-week online course from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The goal of"Investigating Behavior: Courtship and Rivalry in Birds" is to help people learn how to observe and interpret some of the ways birds are communicating with their behavior. Some of those behaviors are literally a matter of life and death.
"The online course will make all my bird watching that much richer," said Phyllis K.of Washington state, one of the first student to go through the course.
"It's not your typical text-heavy, lecture-based tutorial," said course instructor and content coauthor Colleen McLinn.. "It's packed with multimedia and interactive activities that make this course unlike anything else available. We wanted to create a learning environment that's friendly and accessible to everyone." Course multimedia content comes from the Cornell Lab'sMacaulay Library, the largest archive of animal sounds in the world, with a growing video collection.
"Courtship and Rivalry in Birds" explores a basic principle of bird behavior each week, featuring common and exotic species. From Florida Scrub-Jay families in which siblings help raise new chicks, to the jaw-dropping plumages and bizarre dances of the birds-of-paradise, the goal is to help students develop new skills in observing birds and be able to apply what they've learned anywhere.
"You get the whole gamut-from birds you might see in your backyard to the most spectacular birds on the planet," said course coauthor Kevin McGowan. "If you pay attention, there are a lot of things happening-you can look at small movements, see how movements are put together, and figure out what it all means.."
As part of the course, students participate in online discussions with the instructor and classmates. Interactive activities include trying to think like a bird-making behavioral decisions that have a direct impact on survival.
"With this new online course, we want to share our passion for birds and nature in a new way," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "We want anyone who is curious about nature to come along as we explore the fascinating, beautiful, and continually surprising world of birds!"
The online course was developed in partnership with eCornell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cornell University. For more information about the course and to register for the next session, which will begin Jan. 6, 2010, visit www.ecornell.com/birds--be sure to watch the video with more about the course contents. The cost of the course is $295 ($255 for Cornell Lab members) with a $30 dollar registration fee. To receive the Cornell Lab member discount, sign up by phone at (866) 326-7635.
About the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab's web site athttp://www.birds.cornell.edu.
eCornell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cornell University, provides many of the world's leading organizations with online professional and executive development in the areas of leadership and management development, human resources, financial management and hospitality management. eCornell's proven course development model and asynchronous instructor-led course delivery provide for engaging, rigorous and interactive learning. The company has delivered over 120,000 courses to more than 35,000 students in almost 200 countries. For more information visit: www.ecornell.com.
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