Hog Island Audubon Camp Online

Module 1: Winter Landbirds

• How to Identify Birds: Discover the ten most important considerations to improve your bird identification skills. Learn the importance of repetition and a focus on bird shape, posture, and behavior—along with hints from habitat, time of year, birdsong, and other clues.
• Winter Landbirds  part 1 -  With few species and little foliage, winter is a great time to watch local birds. Learn about the amazing lives of doves, woodpeckers, and crows, and the behavior of   feeder birds like chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches. 
• Winter Landbirds part 2 - Non-migratory winter birds possess remarkable strategies for finding food and surviving frigid temperatures during the shortest days of the year. Learn fun facts about waxwings, juncos, starlings, blackbirds, and finches. 
• Song and Courtship - Birds use song for courtship and for defending nesting territories. They use calls for non-breeding purposes like sounding an alarm and mobbing predators. Discover how habitat influences bird songs, how local dialects arise, and why some species have just one song while others have thousands

Module 2: Waterbirds

• Loons, Grebes, and Rails - At a distance, diving waterbirds may all look like ducks, but there are many other species and they are worlds apart in behavior and life history. Hear the haunting sounds of loons and discover the elusive lives of cormorants, grebes, and rails. 
• Ducks, Geese, and Swans - Waterfowl occupy every fresh and saltwater habitat on Earth and they have done so since the days of dinosaurs. Learn tips for identifying 26 waterfowl species and fascinating details about their migration and family lives. 
• Gulls, Terns, and Shorebirds - These short-legged waterbirds include champion migrants such as terns and shorebirds, along with more stay-at-home birds like gulls. Learn to recognize 12 species of gulls and terns, and 20 species of sandpipers and plovers. 
• Herons, Cranes, and Pelicans - These lanky waterbirds include some of North America’s most glamorous species. Enjoy jaw-dropping images and the bizarre sounds of spoonbills, cranes, and herons, while learning surprising details about 17 long-legged waterbird species. 

Module 3: Raptors and Migration

• Hawks, Eagles, and Falcons-  These adaptive predators live in every habitat and are among the world’s most accomplished migrants. Learn about 16 raptor species, including the fastest flying birds (Peregrines), and those with a keen sense of smell (Turkey Vultures). 
• Owls - These flat-faced raptors are the nocturnal equivalents of eagles and hawks. Marvel at their astounding sense of sight and hearing and how they capture prey in darkness. Enjoy family photos of nine owl species; treat your ears to their other-worldly voices. 
• Owls - These flat-faced raptors are the nocturnal equivalents of eagles and hawks. Marvel at their astounding sense of sight and hearing and how they capture prey in darkness. Enjoy family photos of nine owl species; treat your ears to their other-worldly voices.

Module 4: Migrant Landbirds

• Early Spring Landbird Migrants - Most early spring migrants journey from the southeastern U.S. to more northern habitats, just as winter ice and snow recedes. Learn to identify 28 species of early spring migrants and how they adapt to sudden changes in weather. 
• Early Spring Landbird Migrants - Most early spring migrants journey from the southeastern U.S. to more northern habitats, just as winter ice and snow recedes. Learn to identify 28 species of early spring migrants and how they adapt to sudden changes in weather. 
• Flycatchers and Vireos - Most flycatchers and vireos winter in tropical habitats, requiring long migrations to reach their winter and summer homes. These closely related birds are insect predators and important seed dispersers for many trees, shrubs, and vines. Learn about seven flycatcher and five vireo species 
• Warblers - These small, active birds occur in nearly all temperate habitats during summer months. Most return to their tropical homes each fall. Learn how glaciers, prairies, and mountains led to the great variety of warblers we enjoy today. Enjoy the images and sounds of 30 common warblers.

Module 5: Helping Birds

• Saving Seabirds - This heartening presentation focuses on Project Puffin, featuring the dedicated people in Maine and elsewhere that are bringing seabirds back to historic and safer nesting islands. Discover what seabirds are telling us about overfishing and climate change
• Gardening for Birds - Native plants are best for birds, providing them with food, nest sites, singing perches, and shelter. Plants also benefit when birds pollinate flowers and disperse seeds. Learn to choose just the right flowers, shrubs, and trees to attract birds. 
• Creating Bird-Friendly Habitats -      Learn how to create bird-friendly habitats on properties large and small, including backyards, schoolyards, rooftops, and parks. Discover plans for easy-to-build water features, nesting structures, borders, and brush piles that benefit birds.