Textbooks

Gill, F. B. 1995. Ornithology. 2nd edition, W. H. Freeman and Co., New York.
Proctor, N.S. and P. J. Lynch. 1993. Manual of Ornithology. Yale University Press. New Haven, CT.
Field guide (your choice). National Geographic Guide to North America Birds is highly recommended and will be used by instructors.

Texas Memorial Museum gives 20% discount to Dr. Hall's students. Ask cashier to verifiy this with his/her supervisior.

Grading and exams

If you choose not to take the final, each in-class exam is worth 25%.
If you choose to take the final, your lowest in-class exam is dropped, the remaining two in-class exams are worth 20% each and the final is worth 35%.
Lab is worth 25%. More information will be given during the first lab.

Lab meets most weeks at 2pm on Monday or Tuesday. You are required to attend every lab session. For each lab missed, four points will be deducted from your final average. We will take three field trips during lab to local sites in Austin. These trips will leave at exactly 2pm. If you are late, you will be left behind and will be assessed the four point deduction. You are also required to participate in one overnight field trip. Two trips are planned. If you cannot make (or don't want to attend) either trip, you must write a four page paper on some aspect of avian biology (which must be approved by me). The sign-up sheet for the trips will be posted in the lab -- reservations on a first-come, first served basis. If you fail to attend a weekend trip and do not turn in a paper you will be assessed a 10 point penalty. Poor attitude on the weekend trip or a poorly written paper will result in a deduction of up to 5 points from your final average.

Blackboard will be utilized during this course to post copies of handouts, exam scores and exam score distributions. We will also utilize e-mail to contact you when necessary (for example, if we decide to cancel an overnight field trip). Please check e-mail regularly.

All birds in North America, except European starlings, house sparrows and rock doves (pigeons) are protected. It is illegal to interfere in any way with any protected bird (though you can look at them). I have the appropriate state and federal a permit that allow me to salvage dead birds.