Great courses (DVD)

Title from disc label

In these 24 highly enjoyable lectures, National Geographic takes you into the multifaceted world of birding, focusing on the astonishing range of bird species in North America. With its wide spectrum of wildlife habitats, North America is an endless region of interest for birders from around the world. Within the course, you'll make an in-depth study of bird identification, covering bird size, shape, and color, flight patterns, geographic range, habitats, and much more. You'll also explore core elements of birding such as: the functions and dazzling variety of bird plumage; the remarkable phenomenon of birdsong; understanding avian migration; the marvel of bird behavior; exciting tactics for locating, observing and approaching birds in the field

Course no. 7782

24 lectures (30 min. each)

Lecturer, James Currie, Birding expert

DVD

In English; closed-captioned

disc 1.

Birding basics: Bird origins and taxonomy ; Basic bird anatomy ; Size, shape, and color as birding tools ; Bird distribution, status, and endemism ; Habitat and season as birding tools ; Introduction to birding optics --

disc 2.

Tactics for better birding ; Using bird behavior to identify birds ; Understanding variations in plumage ; Birding by ear ; Essentials of bird migration ; Birding at night --

disc 3.

Pelagic birding ; Waterbirds, shorebirds, and game birds ; Diurnal raptors ; From doves to kingfishers ; Passerines: From flycatchers to thrushes ; Passerines: From thrashers to warblers --

disc 4.

Passerines: From tanagers to finches ; Photography for birders ; Birding sites in eastern North America ; Birding sites in western North America ; Birds and people ; Birding ethics and conservation