The Doug Tarry Bird Study Awards foster the development of ornithological interests in Canadian teenagers. The Doug Tarry Young Ornithologists' Workshop is a major component of the Observatory's educational program. Since its inception in the mid 1970s, the Workshop has been the jumping-off point for many of today's most talented field biologists. Thanks to the keen foresight and generosity of humanitarian and naturalist Doug Tarry, the Workshop is offered free to selected applicants.
Participants learn how to identify, age and sex birds, and to study their populations and behaviour.
Careful and skilled instructors teach the secrets of bird handling and banding techniques, how to prepare specimens for scientific study, and an array of bird censusing techniques. Regular afternoon field trips are taken to places of biological interest within the internationally designated Long Point Biosphere Reserve. Evenings too are busy with slide presentations and nocturnal field work. This year, the Workshop is being held from Friday 27 July to Friday 3 August 2001. Space is limited to 6 participants, ranging in age from 13-18 years old.