Course Highlight: Ornithology

There is a new class taking flight at Chatham’s Eden Hall campus this semester, that’s full of fun, feathers, kayaking, and more. Ornithology (a.ka. the study of birds) is being offered through a partnership with the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, and it offers hands-on experience for students to learn more about our local birds. We spoke with the course instructors, Dr. Steven Latta the Director of Conservation and Field Research at The National Aviary, and Robert S. Mulhivill, the National Aviary’s Ornithologist to learn more about this unique course.

Dr. Steven Latta (he/him)
Director of Conservation at the National Aviary

Q: What is this course about?

Dr. Steven Latta: The class is really an introduction to wild birds in the field. It’s almost strictly field ornithology, so we’re out in the field every day. We’re interested in introducing students to the study of birds and the sort of tools and field methods that we use in the field of ornithology to understand birds, their ecology, and their conservation.

Robert S Mulhivill (he/him)
Ornithologist at the National Aviary

Robert S. Mulhivill: It’s truly a chance for students with any interest in birds to explore that interest within the context of academia as a scientist would explore the interest. Everything that we do is centered around what ornithologists are doing and why they do it.

Q: How did this course come to fruition?

SL: Here at the National Aviary, we’ve been working on building relationships with local universities for the past few years. We have some common interests with Chatham surrounding sustainability and conservation, so we’re looking at different ways that we can reach some of our sustainability goals together. One of our first actions was this past spring, where Bob and I began some field research up at Eden Hall. We had 3 Chatham students intern with us for that project, and it went well, so we thought that this field course would be a good follow-up.

RM: This partnership gives us the opportunity to conduct research that we’re unable to do at the aviary on the North Shore due to space restrictions. The Eden Hall campus provides the opportunity for us to conduct that research and to work with Chatham students to learn more about conservation.

Members of the Ornithology course on a recent kayaking trip taken to observe birds

Q: How does this class embody Chatham’s core value of sustainability?

SL: One of the key takeaways from this course is the critical condition of a lot of birds in North America. That was the basis of the fieldwork that we were doing at Eden Hall in the spring and summer. We looked at birds that reside in grasslands and how we protect their habitats at Eden Hall. It’s the focus of a lot of our work, on how we sustain populations of birds by matching them to a habitat.

RM: It ties in really nicely because the Eden Hall campus is expanding and this work helps us see how the habitats of the declining species of birds at Eden Hall are important. It can inform Chatham on how to maintain these habitats and ensure their safety in the future. Sustainability is all about doing what we need to do in our lives in a mindful way that doesn’t ruin things. By doing this conservation work, we can say what these habitats at Eden Hall are doing for these populations of declining species and provide recommendations for their safety as the campus expands.

Q: What are your favorite parts of the course respectively?

SL: I really enjoy sharing our knowledge and passion for birds and conservation with the students. I really like getting students out into the field. While Chatham students have more opportunities for this kind of study than most universities, field ecology and field studies are such rare opportunities. I like to see how excited the students get about this opportunity and how appreciative they are of the course.

RM: I think about how when I was these students age, at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1970s, there was nothing like this. I got my first opportunity to be in the field through the Carnegie Museum of Natural History out at its research station, Powdermill Nature Reserve, which really sparked my interest in field ornithology and I worked there for 30 years. My hope with this course is to spark that same kind of interest in a few students for their future careers.

Q: What are the plans for future collaborations between the National Aviary and Eden Hall?

SL: I expect that we will have the class again depending on the interest of students. We have also been thinking about introducing some other classes as well and continuing to offer research internships.

RM: The potential exists for future courses to involve other members and aspects of the National Aviary. In the future, there may be opportunities for not only courses, but for students to learn hands-on techniques such as Avian Care and Avian Husbandry within the context of conservation.

Kendra Scheideman ‘23, holding an Eastern Towhee caught by the instructors during a demonstration of bird banding

Q: What kind of students should consider taking this course?

SL: Obviously students who have an interest in ornithology but more generally, students that are interested in conservation or field studies or field ecology. A lot of skills that we are imparting through this course are transferable to other areas of field study.

RM: Students should also take this course if they enjoy being outdoors. It’s going to serve students well because so much of what we’re doing is hands-on.

Learn more about how our Eden Hall campus and our Sustainability and Environmental Science programs continue our commitment to a more sustainable future.