Welcome to Hubbard Brook

The program provides Cornell undergraduates an entry point into field ornithology and trains them to become leaders of their field

Black-throated Blue Warbler by Tom Johnson | ML

Thank you for visiting the website of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Hubbard Brook Field Ornithology Program for Cornell undergraduates.

The Hubbard Brook Field Ornithology Program is a research and training program in field ornithology based during the summer months at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the scenic White Mountains of New Hampshire.

For over a half century, the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest has been used extensively for studies of birds. Over those years, the forest ecosystem has experienced significant changes. Long-term studies are extremely valuable for understanding the impact of slow changes in the forest ecosystem on bird populations and communities.

The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest has served as training grounds for learning and practicing a variety of field techniques used to study birds (500+ participants). The Hubbard Brook Field Ornithology Program provides Cornell undergraduates meaningful, field-based research experiences and the opportunity to develop original research leading to peer-reviewed publications to support their development as scholars.

Our highly interdisciplinary team of scientists, educators, and students at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and other external partner institutions study how individuals and populations of migratory birds respond to changes in their environment. We link individual mechanisms, including behavior, physiology and genetic variation, to population dynamics. Our long-term population study of the black-throated blue warbler at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is one of the longest and most comprehensive bird studies in the world.

We welcome inquiries from undergraduates with strong interests in mastering field techniques to apply to independent research projects developed under the broader scope of our research program in collaboration with research mentors from within our team at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest.

For recent program updates and activities, please also visit our From The Field blog.

Enjoy!
Sara Kaiser, Director