“Bird Watching” guided by Prof. Dr. Rosli from Universiti Malaya during a field trip study for Biology Students in Rajolelo Forest Park (Taman Hutan Raya), Tanjung Terdana Village, Central Bengkulu

Department of Biology, FMIPA UNIB carries out Field Trip Study as one of the World Class Professor (WCP) series programs which will be held on Wednesday, December 20th 2023 guided by Prof. Dr Rosli from the Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Scince, Universiti Malaya. This activity is part of the mandatory courses in conservation biology, molecular biology and bioprospecting which are carried out and organized by the Biology Masters Study Program. These activities also can be carried out simultaneously in one field which facilitates all field practicum activities and there is also collaboration between one course and another in sampling so that it will make the practicum activities easier.

Field trip studies are a support for students’ learning activities. Students can apply the knowledge they have acquired in the lecture process. Apart from being able to apply the theory studied, field courses also help increase knowledge and provide direct experience in nature in terms of exploring and observing ecosystems, biodiversity, collecting and analyzing field data for ecological study materials, as well as general studies of ecosystem structure and function.

This field trip was carried out by biology undergraduate and graduate students. This field lecture activity is closely related to bird watching in the field which is supervised directly by Prof. Dr. Rosli Bin Ramli,   Dr. Risky Hadi Wibowo, Dr. Sipriyadi, Mrs. Fatimatuzzahra M.Sc, and Miss. Vestidya Atmaja M, Sc. Students observe birds in the field and learn how to use binoculars properly and basic techniques in identifying birds in the field based on sound, feather color, bird morphology and others.

The location for this field trip study is in the Rajolelo Forest Park, Tanjung Terdana Village, Central Bengkulu Regency. This location was chosen because there is still a high diversity of birds found in this habitat as a conservation forest and is easily accessible from the UNIB campus. Apart from that, Prof. Dr. Rosli, lecturers and students had the opportunity to visit several tourist areas in Kepahiang District such as tea plantations, Sengkuang waterfall, Puspa Langka Conservation Park to see the giant stingky flower Amorphopallus titanum and also visited the Hutan Lindung Taba Penanjung Forest to see the flowers of Rafflesia arnoldii as one of the icons of Bengkulu Province.