Local Birds

One of my favorite local song birds is the black capped chickadee

Materials:

Nature journal, drawing utensils of choice, a field guide or apps like inaturalist , and a nature outing

Optional Materials:

Biographies of naturalists

Activity:

Go to a wooded area or tree-filled park and sit in the same place for awhile noticing as many different kinds of birds as you can. Use apps like inaturalist or local field guides to identify the species you see. Make quick sketches or write quick descriptions of what you see each time you identify a new bird. Repeat this card for wildflowers, butterflies, or whatever population piques your interest.

Younger:

Have the young kids point out the species they see and describe them. Identify the birds and teach their names to the kids. You will be surprised at how quickly they pick them up.

Older:

Have older kids use apps and field guides to identify the species themselves or have them pay special attention to the unique behaviors of each species.

Take it Further:

Do a mini-lesson on how to tell different species apart and research names and other information when they are curious about something they find in nature. If little information is found, encourage them to write what they observe. This is where much of our biological understanding comes from! Nature journals of naturalists. It may even be fun to talk about or read biographies of other naturalists like Charles Darwin or John Muir.

A good field guide that also lets you hear the songs of birds in northamerica is found here:

For more nature journaling card activities click here