The idea: Head out to your backyard to bird watch.
Our notes from the field: A few weeks ago, my oldest son and I painted a bird feeder to hang in our backyard. We filled it with black oil sunflower seeds, hung it out near the end of a branch on our lemon tree and have been feeding the birds ever since.
One afternoon, my son wanted to help me refill the feeder. Since we were already there, we plopped down under the tree for a few minutes to watch for birds.
While we waited, we heard a ton of chatter coming from the trees above. The little birds that hang out there are plentiful, small and quick. So quick I couldn’t snap a photo of them. But we did see quite a few!
We had a lot of fun taking a break from our day to listen to all the chatter and connect with each other and the environment around us.
Take-home tips: I’m sure as we add more bird feeders to our collection, we’ll have even more visitors stopping by. In the future, I’d make a few changes to our backyard bird watching time:
- Bring binoculars! My son has a pair (which we forgot for this outing), but I’m in denial about the fact that I’ve lost mine. This puts me at a severe disadvantage when it comes time for games of bird “I spy.”
- Get to know your birds. Prior to our backyard bird watching adventure, I didn’t really notice the different types of birds hanging out in our trees. I’ve since become obsessed with figuring out who’s out there. The best part is my son wants to help! So far we’ve identified the house sparrow.
How marvelous to have a lemon tree to hang your bird feeder in. I think house sparrows were the first birds my kids learned to identify. I wish there were less of them, but at least if they start off an interest in learning about birds that is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting started in the bird watching adventure - taking the first step is sometimes the hardest part!
How about keeping a list of the birds you see? Also, the Backyard Bird Count is coming up in Feb (I'll be posting about it soon). That's a fun "goal" to keep kids interested.
ReplyDeleteAlison, I am excited to have finally joined the flock of bird watchers & I hope my kids will follow suit (how can they not?). Plans for hanging different feeders to attract additional birds are already in the works.
ReplyDeleteMel, LOVE the idea of keeping a list of the birds we see. My son loves lists! I'll be looking out for your post on the Backyard Bird Count. :)
We've been trying to identify the birds in our backyard lately and also trying to recognise their calls.
ReplyDeleteBird feeding can be so educational and fun. Roger Tory Peterson, the author of several field guides said “The observation of birds can take many forms. It can be an art, a science, an environmental ethic, a recreation, or a sport, depending on the person.”
ReplyDeleteTo learn more about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology has some resources for kids and families at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/education/kids.
Have a great, sunny day! Our current weather in mid-Michigan is 19°F with snow flurries. Six weeks until spring.
Sarah
Hi Sarah, welcome! We used the site you mentioned to identify our backyard bird finds, so thanks for sharing that. Keep thinking warm thoughts! :)
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