Lesson 1: Birds: The Most Visible Wildlife
Golf courses are excellent habitat for birds. The open fairways give birds of prey a clear view for hunting. The rough and wooded areas provide nesting sites. The ponds attract waterfowl and wading birds.
Some of the most common golf course birds include herons, egrets, red-tailed hawks, killdeers, mockingbirds, and various species of duck.
In Florida and the southeastern United States, sandhill cranes are frequent and fearless golf course visitors — they often walk right across the fairway without any concern for golfers.
Birds are one of the easiest ways to measure how healthy an ecosystem is. A course with many different bird species is usually a course with a healthy, diverse environment.
Why do you think herons and egrets like to stand near water for such a long time without moving? What are they doing? What does their patience teach us about observing nature?
Conduct a bird count during your next visit to the course. How many different species can you identify? Use a simple field guide or a phone app to help with identification. Record your findings in your nature journal with a small sketch of your favorite sighting.
A basic bird identification app (Merlin Bird ID from Cornell Lab is free and excellent) transforms any course visit into a citizen science activity. If your student becomes interested in birds, this is a hobby that can last a lifetime and connects to serious conservation biology. Follow the interest wherever it leads.