Discovering Seabirds: Identification, Ecology, and Conservation – Online

Seabirds are among the most charismatic and mysterious species on our planet. They spend most of their lives miles from land, surviving in extreme conditions and undertaking foraging trips and migrations that cover vast distances.

This is the perfect course for beginners looking to learn more about the seabirds seen around our coastline, appreciate their amazing lives, and start to identify these animals. These include gulls, terns, skuas, auks, petrels, shearwaters, gannets, cormorants and sea-ducks. Participants will also discover numerous opportunities to get involved with seabird monitoring and conservation efforts, from training courses and field surveys out at sea, to citizen science and group events on land.

This is a 3-week online course covering 3 topics, for which you will complete a variety of self-led online resources and activities. Each topic is then concluded with an interactive Zoom workshop to complement the online content. Time commitment is approximately 2-3 hours a week and an E-certificate is provided upon completion.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Identify a variety of common British marine birds
• Describe their adaptations for surviving at sea
• Outline the different life-history strategies of different groups of seabirds
• Discuss some of the main threats to seabirds, and conservation measures implemented to protect them
• Understand how to get involved with seabird citizen science
• Share this new and exciting information with friends and family when out and about at the coast!

Who Should Attend? – Nature enthusiasts, Students, Rangers, Early career ecologists.

Knowledge Level – Beginner to intermediate. Level descriptors can be found on the following webpage: Framework and Course Level Descriptors

Prior Knowledge – No existing knowledge or experience is needed for this course, though an understanding of bird groups would be beneficial.

Live Webinar Information

There are 3 webinars for this course, taking place at the end of each week. Please see the date listing below for the day and time.

Please note – webinars will be recorded and uploaded to the virtual learning platform for learners unable to attend.

Understand how our online courses are delivered.

Please note that bookings will close 2 days before the course start date to allow for all participants to be enrolled to the online platform – booking will not be taken after this time. Bookings will close sooner if course capacity is reached

Jack Lucas

Jack is an experienced professional marine ecologist with broad range of field skills and scientific knowledge. With a focus on marine mammals and seabirds, Jack has worked all over the world on research projects studying these animals in their natural habitats. Jack was formerly the Senior Tutor at Millport Field Centre, where he led the provision of science, wildlife and outdoor activity courses to learners of all ages. He has taught seabird, marine mammal and other wildlife courses at Field Studies Council centres for the last 6 years and has an in-depth knowledge of the sites and species that feature in his courses. His love of marine megafauna is channelled through his teaching, where learners will discover how they too can get involved with these amazing creatures! Jack currently lives on the west coast of Scotland, and when back on land he can usually be found in the highlands or the islands, photographing wildlife or engaging in a variety of outdoor activities!

Week 1: Introduction to Seabirds and Conservation
Self-study material available from the start date
Week 1 live webinar

Week 2: UK Seabirds Species Accounts
Self-study material available at course start
Week 2 live webinar

Week 3: Becoming a Seabirder
Self-study material available at end of week one
Week 3 live webinar

The final deadline to complete any outstanding activities and self-study components is 2 weeks after the last webinar

Time commitment: This course will require approximately 2-3 hours of your time each week. This includes covering course materials on our Moodle learning platform and the zoom session.

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  Expert Tuition

The course has been carefully created to help you continue to build and develop your knowledge as the course progresses. With content crafted to the online Moodle Platform and bespoke to the Field Studies Council.

The course includes:

• 45-minute interactive weekly Zoom workshops to connect with the tutor and other participants
• Expert tuition for which the Field Studies Council is renowned
• Activities to work on independently in advance of each Zoom workshop
• Tailored course completion certificate

Once registered, you will follow well-illustrated, user-friendly ’books’ to pick up knowledge. Quizzes and skill checks will give you instant feedback on your learning. Forums give students the chance to interact with each other as well as a place to share work.

Student Discount

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off all Biodiversity courses.

Accessing Your Course

• Once you sign up you’ll receive an email at least 24 hours in advance of the course opening with details of how to access our easy-to-use platform, Moodle.
• Moodle can be accessed through a browser or an app.
• Webinars are via Zoom so you won’t need any new software to attend

Recommended Devices

It is recommended that you access your course through a PC or laptop. Please be aware that there will be reduced functionality if you decide to access the course through a tablet or smartphone. The Field Studies Council is unable to email content directly to you.