Course Description

Aim: - To give the bird watching enthusiasts the tools and knowledge to develop this fantastic wild life hobby further.

Course outline.

1) General introduction

a) Birds of the world

b) Irish Birds

c) Galway Birds

d) ID test

2) Tools of the trade.

a) Binoculars

b) Camera

c) Telescope

d) Digiscope

e) What to wear

f) Field guides and other bird books.

g) Photographic editing Software

h) Map Reading

3) About the birds

a) Feathers

b) Beaks

c) Migration

d) Breeding

4) Bird watching starts at home

a) Garden

b) Spring

c) Summer

d) Autumn

e) Winter

5) Bird groups/families

a) Gull

b) Waders

c) Passerines

d) Birds of Prey

e) Ducks

6) Bird Identification

a) What Time of year

b) Where is it i.e. habitat

i) Farmland

ii) Woodland

iii) Towns, parks and gardens

iv) Marine and coastal

v) Wetlands and lakes

vi) Heath land, moorland and bogs

c) First impressions

d) What group is it in

i) Size

ii) Colour

iii) GISS

iv) Features

v) Call/song

vi) Flight

e) Tricky species to separate

7) Bird watching

a) What kind of bird watcher will you be

b) Twitcher

i) Birders speak/birding terms

c) Surveyors

d) Other wildlife

8) The law and birds/wildlife

9) Birds and the World Wide Web

Note: There will be two birdwatching field trips done as part of this course and you will be asked to provide GMIT with some basic health information for insurance purposes.

Course Tutor:

Tom has an interest in birdwatching for many years. He has had photographs published in a number of publications including an international magazine ‘Birdwatch’, BirdWatch Irelands quarterly publication ‘Wings’ and Eric Dempsey’s recent book ‘Bird Watching in Ireland’. He is an  INTO Schools Heritage Specialist with BirdWatching as a  chosen discipline.

Fee:  €95

Duration: One class per week, for 7 weeks from 7pm – 9pm

Location: GMIT Dublin Road Campus

Course Lecturer: Tom Cuffe

Start date: Tuesday 28th September 2010

For your convenience, a Postal Application can be downloaded

The running of courses is conditional on sufficient enrolments.