Discovering Seabirds: Identification, Ecology, and Conservation - 23/02/2023 Online

This beginner to intermediate course is a starting guide to the skills required to begin identifying and observing our native UK seabirds in the field. You will learn valuable observational field identification tips, life history characteristics and general ecology of the different groups of seabirds found around the British coastline.

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 level 2/3 course is next in the series of our Birds framework and is a perfect progression from our level 2 Bird Field Skills online course.

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 4-5 hours a week and an E-certificate is provided upon completion. Understand how our online courses are delivered.

- Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Tutor: 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 FSC Millport, 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 FSC 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!