Staff

Delivery Method: Online learning with tutor support.

This course explores the fascinating world of the birds that visit Wales during the breeding season before undertaking remarkable migrations to spend the winter in warmer regions of Europe and Africa.

Course Description

This course explores the fascinating world of the birds that visit Wales during the breeding season before undertaking remarkable migrations to spend the winter in warmer regions of Europe and Africa. Migration is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in the natural world, and this course examines the lives and journeys of around 30 of Wales' most characteristic migratory bird species. Throughout the course, we will study each species in detail, learning how to identify them by sight and sound, and exploring their distinctive plumage, behaviour, and field characteristics. We will investigate where these birds spend the winter, the routes they follow during migration, and the environmental cues that guide their incredible journeys over hundreds or even thousands of kilometres. The course will also examine the breeding biology of each species, including nesting habits, courtship behaviour, breeding success, and the habitats they depend upon in Wales. 

Migrant Birds can be studied as a stand-alone course and as an optional course for the Certificate of Higher Education in Field Ecology at Aberystwyth University.