| Course Title: Bird Migration: The Spectacle and the Science |
| Start Date: 09/09/2026 End Date: 12/22/2026 |
| Term: Fall Semester 2026 |
| Description: This class will bring you face to face with one of the most remarkable phenomena of the natural world: bird migration. We will search for tiny Blackpoll Warblers, which migrate through our campus before making three-day, nonstop flights over the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to South America. We will look for Chimney Swifts, which nest in chimneys on campus and spend their winters skimming through the mist and treetops of the Amazon Rainforest. We will learn how to identify birds visually and by song, study the science behind bird migration, practice ecological census techniques, and learn how these incredible creatures can be protected. This class will involve time spent outdoors. |
| Distribution(s): NO - Meets No Distrib. Rqmt , FY - First-Year Seminar , WI - Writing-Intensive |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Theodore Gilliland | tgillila@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 09/09/2026 - 12/22/2026 | Seminar | Tuesday and Thursday | 10:30AM - 11:45AM | TBA | TBA | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| FYSEM0001 | First-Year Seminar | This is a First-Year Seminar. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 16 | Enrollment: 0 | Available: 16 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |