Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Tree Swallows begin the mating season with chattering calls and the fluttering of wings. In Deutschlanders Maymester course, students use resources from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, made available in response to COVID-19.

A male or drake Northern Shoveler feeds in the shallow water of the main pool. Its distinctive coloring and unique bill makes this one of the easiest waterfowl to identify. Not all species are easy to identify, especially to new birders. Students use the Merlin app from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to help.

An Osprey heads back to its nest site with a meal of fish. Ospreys build nests along the electric towers in and around the refuge.

On campus, Deutschlander examines some of the contents of the bird collection at Eaton Hall, which includes 300 birds from renowned ornithologist Elon Howard Eaton P'37, Professor of Biology Theodore Odell from the Class of 1920 and William Smith.

A female Canada Goose tends to her goslings atop her nest, located on a muskrat den.

Adult and immature Bald Eagles squabble over a carp that was caught along the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. Once on the endangered species list, Bald Eagle populations have increased due environmental protection and efforts like those at the refuge.

A Song Sparrow belts out a tune at the water's edge. These small birds are known for their loud voices. Students learn about the structure of bird songs, including syllables, trills and frequency sweeps. By paying attention to song, birders can identify species without even seeing them.

Deutschlander poses with Madison Sutton '17. In 2016, they earned the Jed Burtt Undergraduate Mentoring Grant from the Wilson Ornithological Society. Sutton is currently studying avian ecology in a Ph.D. program at Marquette University in Wisconsin.

Only in recent years have Sandhill Cranes, like the one shown here, started nesting in the area. Hard to miss, these birds can grow to be 4-feet tall and have a wingspan up to 7.5 feet.

A male Redhead preens his back feathers on a calm afternoon. The preen gland produces an oil that makes a duck's feathers waterproof. Students study feather structure to learn about how they function in flight, insulation, camouflage and mating.

Adam Farid 20 films Professor of Biology Mark Deutschlander at the main pool of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in nearby Seneca Falls, N.Y. The videos are part of Deutschlander's remote-learning Maymester class, Birds in Our Landscape. The course helps students to identify birds and understand spatial and temporal patterns among bird populations and their relation to environmental change.

From atop a cattail, a Red-winged Blackbird defends the nesting territory he has claimed.

Montezuma is home to several species of wading and water birds, including the Great Blue Heron, seen here taking flight from the marsh. This species, the William Smith mascot, is abundant at the refuge and nests in treetops in large communal colonies.

A mother Redhead swims with her ducklings in the marsh. Montezuma is the summer home to many breeding water birds including rails, soras, shorebirds, grebes, ducks and geese.

A Common Gallinule works its way through the cattails along the main wildlife drive at Montezuma. Deutschlanders students learn to identify birds by observing differences in size, shape, color, vocalizations and behavior, as well as habitat and time of year.

Deutschlander releases a newly banded male Baltimore Oriole at the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory on Lake Ontario. Students often accompany Deutschlander to Braddock Bay to learn about bird banding and migration, and some have conducted honors research there.