Great Backyard Bird Count Summary

I started the new blog so I could take up less air time over here about birding. 

I promise. 

However, just once more, I wanted to let those of you who follow Olive Plants for the birding content know you can read all about our birding adventures at Birders for Life.

We participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend and saw a lot of interesting birds.

We saw 35 species on Friday, 35 species on Saturday (although there was a lot of overlap), and only 14 different species on Monday.  However, we counted nearly 1,000 birds on Monday and almost 1,500 birds in all!

Fly on over to read all about it!
Dawn

Birding 101 has moved....

If you have been following Olive Plants for my bird watching content, please check out my new blog that I coauthor with my fellow birding enthusiast, Heather.  Together we are The Birding Chicks, and our blog is Birders for Life.

I have moved Birding 101 to B4L and am adding in several new posts and updating the old ones to include even more tips!  I have feedburner set up now so that you can have our posts delivered directly to your inbox.  Please subscribe so you won't miss any of our tips and tweets!





Also, don't forget the Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend.  It only takes fifteen minutes to participate; however, like eating a bag of Lay's potato chips, once you start, I'm sure you'll want to keep going! 

Click here for more info.

Lay's Potato Chips?!?  Why did I mention those??  If, like me, you are trying to rid your life of unneeded calories, join me for Wednesday Weigh-ins!

Read about how to join the weigh-in
torture FUN under my Wednesday Weigh-in tab!

And Heather is hosting a meme on her blog called Tweet and See.  To participate, keep a record of the birds you see and hear during the month then record your list on your blog on the last day of the month and link in at Kingdom Arrows.





Heather and Barb, the Harmony Art Mom, are also hosting a new meme, Drawing with Children, Nature-Style.  Barb has written lesson plans to accompany the book, Drawing with Children by Mona Brooks, and has made them available for free on Squidoo.  I am going to use these plans with my VSL.  They look great.  Thanks Barb!  Thanks Heather!





Happy Birding and watch out for those potato chips!
Dawn

How It All Began

In the next few weeks (maybe months) I will be moving a lot of my bird watching content over to my new blog which I co-author with my friend Heather.  It is my intention to add new content as well, in particular teaching tips.

Today I posted a new article about How It All Began.  The story of how we started bird watching with the Counter-cultural School family is one that is near and dear to my heart, and I felt it was a story which needed to be told. 

Heather posted a great tip on identifying birds by call.  Hop on over to read it, too. 

Together Heather and I are the Birding Chicks, and we have started our new blog, Birders for Life, to help other budding bird watching enthusiasts and to help our readers teach this pastime to their children as well.  We have other exciting plans for the blog, too, but that will have to wait for another day....

Subscribe to our new blog
so you won't miss
any tweets or peeps!
I think you'll like what
we have up our sleeve!

Happy Birding!
Dawn

Tweet and See

Visit Kingdom Arrows to join in on the bird watching fun!

In honor of Heather's new meme for bird watching enthusisasts like me, I have launched a new blog, Birders for Life.  Hop on over to read the list of birds we identified in December and January. 

We added a new bird to our life list, saw one of our favorite birds while stuck on the interstate, and spotted an uncommon bird while waiting in line at Wendy's.  It was a very interesting birding month!

You can tweet and see, too.  Visit Kingdom Arrows for all the details!

Happy Tweeting!
Dawn

Summer School: Ornithology

While on vacation,

we saw a painted bunting for the first time at Skidaway Island,

near Savannah, Georgia.

This is where we camped for the first two days of our vacation.

We heard more birds than we saw.

In fact, we woke up to a chorus each morning

and had difficulty identifying the birds we heard

because there were so many

and because we are not familiar with coastal birds.

This is the 1st time I have ever photographed a hummingbird.

It was taken near our campground at Skidaway Island.

This is a lake at Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge, near Savannah, Georgia.

We saw little blue herons, common moorhens, black-crowned night herons,

wood ducks, cattle egret, northern bobwhite and white ibis here.

We also heard many types of warblers, buntings, and other song birds.

The white birds in the trees closest to the foreground are

great and snowy egrets.

There were also many anhingas mixed in with the egrets.

On the trees in the background were wood storks.

We spent three days in Charleston, South Carolina.

Here are the boys bird watching on The Battery in historic downtown.

They spotted royal tern, brown pelican, laughing gull, and boat-tailed grackle.

You can also see Fort Sumter behind them in the distance.

We (Wilbur was 1st to see it and gets major kudos for this spot) 

also spotted ospreys nesting in trees along the highway

to the beach we visited each evening.

We were unable to get a picture because of the location

along the very busy road.

We ended the birding portion of our vacation at Francis Biedler Forest,

about one hour north of Charleston.

We saw many prothonotary warblers and heard a variety of other birds.

We heard almost every species of woodpecker specific to the swamp.

We followed a boardwalk through the swamp

which made the walk easy and pleasant.

Just before leaving, we saw this barred owl perched 

about ten feet from the boardwalk.

We're birdin' in the rain...

Just birdin' in the rain

What a glorious feeling,

And I'm happy again.

We're laughing at clouds,

So dark, up above.

Cause God's in our hearts,

We've no reason to pout.

Let the stormy clouds chase.

Sin from this place,

Come on with the rain

Wash away doubt, leave not a trace.

I´ll walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just birdin', birdin' in the rain.

The birding competition starts tonight (Friday), and it seems that each year, there is a lesson to be learned that has nothing to do with bird watching.  The weather reports for tomorrow are not favorable.  Looks like there will be storms all day, all across the state, but our team will be singing this song all the while, remembering that God moves the winds and the rains and we cannot just give Him praise in the sunshine.  I have rewritten Arthur Freed's little diddy, Singin' in the Rain*, to fit the occasion.  Feel free to sing along with us.  Your prayers are appreciated, too. 

I will report back on Monday.  For now, I am off...

birdin' in the rain!

Dawn
*performed by various artists, most famously by Gene Kelley in the 1952 movie of the same title.

Birds of a feather...

Go birding together!

You only need to read a few of my posts to know that I am a bird watching nut bird enthusiast.

Recently, friends of mine, both bloggy and irl, have caught the bird watching bug. One of those friends is Kellie @ Blue House Academy. BHA was one of my favorite blogs before Kellie caught the bug, but now, she has the most beautiful photographs of our feathered friends on display.

Her most recent post, A little bird told me..., is filled with great ideas and resources for teaching your young bird watchers. If you are wanting a good unit study on birds or nature, I encourage you to check out the ideas and resources she has suggested.

Also check out my Birding 101 series. I have links to each article in the series in my sidebar. Lord willing, I will be adding to the series soon since my pain has subsided and we are getting some nice sunny days here in Georgia, perfect for filming a tutorial or two.

Happy birding!
Dawn

Great Backyard Bird Count and SNOW!

It's snowing!

In my part of Georgia!!

It started around noon and has not slowed even slightly. I know some of you have had more than your fair share of snow lately and are probably a little sick of the stuff. You can't imagine why some silly woman in Georgia would get so excited about this....

But trust me when I say that magnolia trees rarely look like this....

And southern bird baths almost never freeze over like this....



Speaking of birds (how's that for a segue?!)...

Today is also the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count. The snow interfered with our regular plans. Normally we would spend the first day of the GBBC searching for birds at a nearby lake. Two years ago we took the boys and their birding competition teammates there and spotted over 1,000 birds. We wore light-weight clothing and drank cold water.

Today, however, we didn't want to venture too far from home in case "the roads got bad".

Okay, I was going pause for a giggle here. Then I went outside to take this picture...

And there was a wreck right in front of my house.

Seriously. I clicked my camera. Then a car slid out of control and slammed into a light pole.

Not even 10 feet from me.

Everyone was okay, but it just goes to show how it only takes a dusting to create dangerous conditions.

So take it easy out there, Georgia. We're just not equipped for this kind of weather in the Deep South.

Okay, the public service announcement is over, so allow me to get to my story of the day- the real point of this post.

We drove very slowly around our neighborhood and stopped in front of our neighbor's yards where we saw birds. We identified them while inside the car if possible and got out as necessary. Michael kept the car creeping along as the boys and I peeked through the foggy windows as best as we could, using our binoculars to inspect birds on wires, chimneys, bushes, and the ground.

Did you get that mental image?

Think about it for a second.

Four bundled Southerners creeping slowly through the neighborhood, looking all around their neighbor's houses... through binoculars.

Yes, we got a few funny looks.

But thankfully, no one called the police.

We managed to identify 10 different species, including a loggerhead shrike- that's a new one for our list, and it was a fun day that motivated us in the bird watching department. We were getting a little rusty and, dare I say it, apathetic. The long, dreary winter was affecting us I suppose.

Well, since this post has gone in fifty different directions, allow me to summarize...

• drive carefully
• if you see strange people scoping out your neighborhood, they are probably bird watchers
• you can freak out your neighbors join in on the bird watching fun, too

The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place today through Monday. You only have to bird watch for at least 15 minutes to participate, and you don't have to be an expert.

You can also look at pictures of birds from around the country on the GBBC website. We took a little time to look at them today and saw familiar birds searching for food in the snow and western birds perched on cacti.

You don't have to brave the snow or scare your neighbors either. You can watch your feeders from the comfort of your own home.

Visit the Great Backyard Bird Count's site for more details.

A Blessed Birding Day

Michael, the boys, and I spent the morning bird watching. We live near a large lake and have a few spots that we frequent. Today we decided to be adventurous and visit a few new water-front parks. As we pulled into the first park on our itinerary, two birds were chasing each other only a few feet from our parking spot. When we opened the car doors, we could clearly hear they were an Eastern-wood Pewee and a Chipping Sparrow. We were able to get a good view of them (and six other Pewees) through our binoculars.

While at this park we also heard an Eastern Towhee, Downy Woodpecker, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, and Brown Thrasher. We saw several crows. There were both Fish and American species. We also saw a large group of Turkey Vultures and another bird of prey that we could not identify. It flew by us too quickly for a good view. I also saw a bird diving but could not identify it either.

Cliff Swallows

At our next stop, we walked onto a boat dock where we had an excellent view of a bridge. There were hundreds of swallows flying to and from the underside of this bridge. We could not get a good enough view (we left the scope at home, of course) to identify the species, so we walked to it. There was a line of about fifty Cliff Swallows perched on the power lines above. Many more flew over our heads and under the bridge. We had seen these once before but not with an up-close view like this. Beautiful!

Cliff Swallows Perched on Power Lines

These pictures do give you as clear of a view as what we saw in person. We could see their red necks and rust-colored rumps so clearly.

When we arrived home, there were about ten different birds singing in our backyard. We were able to identify all but one. We are still working on it. As we were walking in the back door, a Great Blue Heron flew through the trees and over our house. It circled for about two minutes and then flew back in the direction it had come. We have seen ths bird many, many times before but never at our house. We live in downtown! Unbelievable! What a blessed birding day!

I have promised a few readers that I will write an introduction to bird watching series. I have an outline and some plans in place. I intend to begin that series when I complete the Plan-It School series... by August, Lord willing.

Birding Competition 2009

This is a list of the birds my boys and their teammates identified in the birding competition last weekend. I have marked each bird as to whether it was identified by sight (S), sound (H), or both (B). As you read the list, notice how many birds were identified by sound. Learning bird calls/songs has made bird "watching" more enjoyable for my boys. Finding birds in tree tops is really difficult; however, birds love to sing and can be heard and recognized much more easily. Also, Orville is amblioptic and wears progressive bifocals. Using binoculars is difficult for him. Birding by ear is a nice accommodation for his special need.

Each bird was identified by at least two members of the team. I have marked them according to how they were given credit. Occasionally, two boys would hear and identify a bird, be given credit, and then see and identify the bird later in the day. They could only be given credit once. Similarly, some birds were identified by sight by one boy and confirmed by a second who heard it and recognized the sound, leading to a "both" situation.

I have listed the birds in the order they were identified.

Purple Martin B
Canada Goose S
Barn Swallow S
American Crow H
Mallard S
Great Blue Heron S
Double Crested Cormorant S
Tree Swallow S
Red-winged Blackbird B
Killdeer B
Prothonotary Warbler H
Mourning Dove B
Pine Warbler B
Northern Cardinal B
Eastern Meadowlark H
Carolina Chickadee H
Red-bellied Woodpecker H
Blue Jay H
Red-eyed Vireo H
Tufted Titmouse H
Northern Parula H
American Goldfinch S
White-breasted Nuthatch B
Brown-headed Nuthatch B
Catbird H
Bank Swallow S
Palm Warbler H
Yellow Warbler H
Blue-winged Warbler H
Easter Towhee H
Brown Thrasher H
Chestnut-sided Warbler H
Black-crown Night Heron H
Eastern Screech Owl H
Carolina Wren H
Common Grackle B
Eastern Kingbird S
Chimney Swift S
Belted Kingfisher H
White-eyed Vireo S
Indigo Bunting H
Eastern Phoebe H
Pileated Woodpecker H
Scarlet Tanager B
Cedar Waxwing H
Prairie Warbler H
Cape May Warbler H
Downy Woodpecker H
Chipping Sparrow S
Wild Turkey S
Turkey Vulture S
Black Vulture S
Field Sparrow H
Norther Mockingbird S
American Robin H
House Finch H
American Redstart H
Black-throated Green Warbler H
Common Yellowthroat H
Great-crested Flycatcher H
Red-cockaded Woodpecker H
Northern Rough-winged Swallow S
Black and White Warbler H
Eastern-wood Pewee H
Blackburnian Warbler H
Bay-breasted Warbler H
Orange-crowned Warbler H
Cerulean Warbler H
Black-throated Blue Warbler H
Worm-eating Warbler H
Tennessee Warbler H
Pine Siskin H

Creating a Birding Journal

In Not to Us, I mentioned that my boys had created birding journals for this year's Youth Birding Competition. If you would like to read more about their award-winning journals, visit their blog, The Write Brothers.

Orville explains the process we used in creating the journals and shares pictures and pages from his.

Wilbur shares about the fun he had creating his journal and displays some of his best pictures.

Visit Olive Plants often this summer for more on birding with children.

Not to Us

As I mentioned in previous posts, my boys and their teammates participated in a birding competition last weekend. This was their third year to compete, and though they were the champions in their age division last year, it seemed as though the cards were stacked against them this year.

I usually begin training my boys in January. By the end of the month, they have memorized or refreshed their memory on at least 50 bird calls. They have been outside and observed birds every day the weather conditions allow. But not this year! Instead, we fought the croup and respiratory infections while I packed everything we own in preparation for our house remodel.

Here is our house in the beginning stages of the packing process. A few weeks later, this room was filled with boxes and furniture, from floor to ceiling.

In February, we always participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Last year, we traveled around our county all four days of the count and tallied over 1,000 birds by the end. But not this year! Instead, our house got flipped inside out and upside down as practically every part of it was renovated. Our days were filled with buying materials (I think we helped keep Home Depot afloat during the economic crisis), solving unexpected problems that arose (almost everyday!), and struggling to finish the basic skills elements of our schooling.

You can see what was the first round of remodeling supplies stacked on either side of this room. There was much more to be bought.

March is usually team-building time. We always set aside several days to bird watch with their teammates. These days are so important because they must communicate well as a team. For a bird to be counted on their tally, two members of the team must identify the bird in question. During our team building sessions, Molly and I dedicate a lot of time honing their communication skills so they can explain to their teammates quickly and quietly where a bird they see is located. If they do not direct their teammates well, the bird can be scared off or just decide on its own to fly away before another teammate sees it and can confirm the sighting. But not this year! Instead, I spent the month, painting, cleaning and clearing messes, and restoring order to my home.

April is crunch time. By then, my boys have memorized over 100 bird calls. Their spotting skills and communication skills are well honed. They can flip through their field guides with ease and even recognize a large number of birds visually without the aid of a guide. The month is dedicated to fine tuning the skills in place, spending huge amounts of time outdoors, getting them excited about the competition and ready for the fast-pace and long-haul of a twenty-four hour trek with only a few hours sleep in the middle. But not this year! Instead, we battled another round of croup. Then the hot water heater developed a leak and destroyed a third of our brand-new flooring in the kitchen. In the midst of re-doing the kitchen… again, I coordinated our local homeschool association's Spotlight Night (another post about this is in the works). There was barely time, once again, for covering basic skills, and we found ourselves heading to the competition with very little preparation.

You can see the edge of the new flooring in the top right corner of this picture. The flooring in the foreground is what was two flooring layers beneath. It is covered in sticky residue that I have tried to remove for three weeks now. We put the towels down as a walking path so our feet won't stick to the floor!

The first night of the competition, we took the boys to one of our favorite birding locations. It is a prime birding spot in our state, and there are always so many birds there. But not this year! Not the night we were there! It was a real struggle for the boys, and we all felt discouraged. After four hours, we left the prime spot and headed toward our lodging.

Team Birds of a Feather Working Hard to Find Birds

(from left to right) Wilbur, Orville, K, and C

We normally spend the night at a really nice lodge located at the finish line site. The accommodations are excellent… a bed for everyone with linens provided, a private bath, and air conditioning. Plus, it is so quiet and peaceful and there are always night birds in abundance. But not this year! Because of our state's budget crisis, we were not able to get the room for the normal, affordable price. We found a "yurt" at another state park for a good price. It fit our budget but there were not enough beds for everyone and no linens and the not-so-clean, public bathroom was across the street. There was no going to the potty in the middle of the night! Plus, it was very close to a highway and a "honky tonk". The music was so loud as was the traffic that there were no birds around.

Yurt Camping

The next day was much of the same. The weather was clear but hot, so the birds were not very active. The boys really had to work to find anything to identify. It was tough and at times discouraging. There were good moments… finding swallows under a bridge, a great devotion on 1 Cor 13 in which the Lord convicted and encouraged us all, the cows, and a short birthday party at Dairy Queen. But overall, we thought this was going to be our year to lose, and we were ready for it.

The boys had just identified swallows which had nested under this bridge and were enjoying a break in a shady, cool spot.

As we headed to the finish line, I talked with my boys about how winning is not the goal. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. We believe in His sovereignty and providence. A loss for us is not really a loss. When the Lord is pleased to bless others, even if it seems as though He is withholding from us, we rejoice in His will, knowing that He is to be praised.

We turned in our tally with 73 birds, nine less than last year's total (I will post this list later), and enjoyed a lovely banquet. For me, it was a relief that it was over. I was prepared for them to lose, thinking it might actually be in their best interest. This year they had to move to the next age bracket. The competition was more intense, and I thought they needed a year to"get their feet wet". After a great birds of prey show, it was time for the awards.

Orville and Wilbur pose in front of the championship trophy. Their team's name is engraved on the 2008 plaque for having won the Primary Division that year.

First, the event coordinator announced the winners of the birding journal competition. In the midst of all the remodeling, I had managed to get my boys to complete one each to submit. To my absolute shock, Wilbur won in the Primary Division. Orville won in the Elementary Division. Unbelievable! (yet another post in the works)

Wilbur with 1st Place Journal and Prize

Orville and His 1st Place Journal and Prize of New Binoculars

Then it was time for the team awards. For fundraising, they received first place, not just in their age division but among all teams, K-12. The coordinator then began to announce the winners in their age division for the most species spotted. I sat back in my seat and said a quick prayer… not that they would win, but that the Lord would enable them to give Him glory either way. The coordinator announced the 3rd place team. Their total… 62 birds. My eye brows raised. "They got second?" I thought. 2nd place was announced… 71 birds. My jaw hit the floor. By two little birds, found very late in the day, one just steps before the finish line, they had won.

Team Birds of a Feather Receiving New Binoculars for 1st Place in the Elementary Division
(from left to right) K, C, Wilbur, and Orville

The day before the competition began, I taught my boys Psalm 115:1. "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory." This verse became the theme for the weekend and sums up our experience. There was no "super mom" residing at the Olive Plants house this year. Most days, I was covered in paint and dirt, struggling to get through the basic requirements of home life and school. Though I believe in the value of hard work, there is no glory due to men. It is the Lord who blesses the work. I have shared so many details in this post because I want you to know just how unremarkable I am, how very normal and human my boys are, and how very great our God is.

I like what Orville had to say after the banquet. He approached me and said, "Mom, I used to say Birds of a Feather (their team name) win together, but I think we have a new team motto. Birds of a Feather praise God together." Glory to God for He alone is worthy to be praised.

Birds of a Feather... Praise God Together!

Audubon Plush Toys and Tree Display

When I posted pictures of the remodeled classroom, I received comments/questions about the bird tree pictured. For all of you who wondered, here is the story.

Three years ago, we completed Apologia's elementary science unit, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day by Jeannie Fulbright. This excellent study piqued my boys' interest in nature in general but particularly in birds. Around the same time we began the study, our good friends, Molly at Counter-cultural Mom/School and her sons K and C, wanted to participate in a 24-hour bird-watching event. They needed two partners, and my boys fit the bill. We joined forces and have been birding buddies ever since.

To prepare for this event, I needed as many age-appropriate resources as possible to engage my boys in the process of bird identification. Paying close attention to the many details that distinguish one bird from another was a challenge for boys who were only five and six at the time. Molly found Audubon plush toy birds and passed the idea on to me. They are accurately designed and contain a sound chip that plays a recording of the bird's song or call when the plushie is squeezed. Michael and I bought a few of the birds for our boys as birthday and Christmas presents. They loved them and soon their collection began to grow as did their knowledge of birds.

Over time, the bird collection became an extension of our family. Orville and Wilbur have named each bird and assigned it a birth date. Many of the birds have married and are the parents of other birds. Last year, I integrated the birds into our study of government. The boys created four states for the nation of "Birdieland" and wrote a Constitution for their nation of birds. The birds held "elections" and have a president, vice president, members of Congress and a Supreme Court. You can read more about our government project here.

To get our money's worth, Michael and I now have the boys work for their birds. They still get new plushies as presents from time-to-time but also complete special chores and earn "mommy money" for school assignments and grades to use toward purchasing them. To ensure that they work extra hard and that Michael and I don't go broke, items in the "mommy store" cost twice what we actually pay for them. So the plush toy birds that we bought for $8 each cost $16 each in the "mommy store".

At the beginning of the last school year, they had collected about 60 birds, and we needed a good place to store them. They wanted a display tree. It sells for $160 plus shipping (about $180 total), a big stretch for our budget. We decided to take advantage of their motivation and teach the boys how to set a larger financial goal and save for it. We continued to "pay" them for chores and school assignments with "mommy dollars" (I know. I know. Some say never pay for chores. But I say they have to earn the money somehow.) Meanwhile, Michael and I put 20 real dollars into our real savings account each month. They had to save $360 "mommy dollars" to pay for the tree. It took them the entire school year to accomplish this which gave Michael and me nine months to save $180.

The boys were thrilled when they were allowed to reap the reward of nine months of hard work. They really learned the value of a dollar, at least a "mommy dollar". We have a lovely way to organize the family, er... collection, and the tree really adds a nice touch to our classroom.

Learning from Mistakes

At breakfast this morning, we all reminisced about our “early” days in birding… way back in the fall of 2006. As we discussed our favorite moments, I recalled some of the boys first attempts at identifying birds...

One morning while I was washing dishes, BT (6-years-old at the time) came running from the classroom (which is in on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen), yelling, “Mommy! Mommy! I just saw a Scarlet Macaw in the back yard.” I knew it could not be a macaw, but, in case we needed to call the folks at Guinness, I went to the classroom window and took a look. To Ben’s disappointment, it was only a Northern Cardinal.

A few days later, Bruster (5-years-old at the time) yelled, “Mommy! Mommy! I see a Roadrunner.” As we live in Georgia, I was once again very doubtful, but, to be fair, I took a look anyway. Not a roadrunner… a Brown Thrasher (our state bird, btw).

As I told them these stories today, they laughed, and we all recognized how far we have come in two years. I also remembered that I have been meaning to put together a "life list" for them. This is a record that most birders keep to help them remember their sightings. So, from mounds of check lists scattered here and there, I have compiled the following list of birds the boys have successfully identified. It is not as detailed as I would like, as I have omitted when and where the birds were spotted, but it is an accurate list of what they have seen in the last two years.

As I typed this list and saw how long it is, I realized how much little kids can accomplish when we encourage them and give them the grace to learn from their mistakes.

Our Life List since 2006:

American Bittern

American Coot

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Kestrel

American Redstart

American Robin

American White Pelican

American Woodcock

Anhinga

Bald Eagle

Baltimore Oriole

Bank Swallow

Barn Owl

Barn Swallow

Barred Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Black Vulture

Black-and-white Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-headed Vireo

Blue Jay

Blue-winged Teal

Bobolink

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown Pelican

Brown Thrasher

Canada Goose

Canvasback

Cape May Warbler

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Wren

Cedar Waxwing

Cerulean Warbler

Chimney Swift

Chipping Sparrow

Chuck-will's-widow

Cliff Swallow

Common Grackle

Common Loon

Common Yellowthroat

Cooper's Hawk

Dark-eyed Junco

Double-crested Cormorant

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Meadowlark

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Screech Owl

Eastern Towhee

Eastern Wood Peewee

Eurasian Collared-Dove

European Starling

Field Sparrow

Fish Crow

Golden Eagle

Golden-winged Warbler

Grasshopper Sparrow

Gray Catbird

Great Blue Heron

Great-crested Flycatcher

Great Egret

Green Heron

Great Horned Owl

Green-winged Teal

Hairy Woodpecker

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Warbler

House Finch

House Sparrow

Indigo Bunting

Kentucky Warbler

Killdeer

Laughing Gull

Least Flycatcher

Little Blue Heron

Loggerhead Shrike

Louisiana Waterthrush

Mallard

Mourning Dove

Muscovy Duck

Northern Bobwhite

Northern Cardinal

Northern Flicker

Northern Harrier

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Parula

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Northern Shoveler

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Orchard Oriole

Osprey

Ovenbird

Palm Warbler

Peregrine Falcon

Pied-billed Grebe

Pileated Woodpecker

Pine Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Purple Finch

Purple Martin

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

Ring-billed Gull

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Rock Pigeon

Salmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Scarlet Tanager

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Spotted Sandpiper

Summer Tanager

Swan Goose

Tennessee Warbler

Tree Swallow

Tufted Titmouse

Turkey Vulture

Wild Turkey

Wilson's Snipe

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-eyed Vireo

White-throated Sparrow

Whip-poor-will

Wood Duck

Wood Thrush

Worm-eating Warbler

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-crowned Night-heron

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

A Year for the Birds, Part II

Birding really has become a passion in the Hays Home School. Our boys collect Audubon plush toy birds which contain accurate sound recordings that play when squeezed. I thought these might annoy me at first, but to my surprise, the sixty-something birds in the collection have become a part of the family.
The boys have assigned each bird a name, birth date, husband/wife, and children. They are residents of one of four states in "Birdieland" and hold different responsibilities within the nest. This year we also studied the founding of America, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States Government. In response to their studies, the boys created a "birdie" government for their plush toys, complete with a president, vice president, and members of Congress.
They began by writing a Constitution with a BILL of rights (pun intended). Their Legislative Branch is divided into two houses, the Senest and the Bird House of Representatives. They write "birdie bills" that must be passed by a majority and sent to the President for approval or to be vetoed.
They have held formal elections, even involving the children of our local home school association. They wrote and delivered campaign speeches and organized a mock election for their friends. Their president is a ring-necked pheasant named Pheasy. His slogan.... Pheasy for Prezzy, and he is a Republibird, not a Tweetycrat btw.
The final project was to create a journal of their work. I have posted pictures in a slide show.

A Year for the Birds, Part I

One of the nicest blessings the Lord has given the Hays family is the pastime of bird watching. The boys first got interested in birding because their two buddies, K and C, had studied Exploring Creation with Zoology: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day by Jeannie Fulbright. This study piqued their interest, and they wanted to compete in Georgia's Youth Birding Competition. Their mom and my friend, Molly, recruited us, and we have been birding ever since. Our boys ranged in age from 4-6 when we began training them for competition.
We really had to get creative to engage such young kids in an activity that requires quiet focus, especially when there were sticks to be played with and rocks to be tossed into the pond. The Lord blessed our creativity and I have listed some of the training activities we used below. I have also listed a link to Molly's blog where she details many of the great resources and tools available.
In that two years, our boys have memorized well over 100 bird calls and learned to use binoculars and field guides. This past weekend they swept their age division in the Youth Birding Competition, winning 1st place for the most species identified and for fund raising. They also won the most improved award for increasing their total from 51 species last year to 82 this year. Even veteran birders were amazed by this accomplishment.
Here's hoping that other bird enthusiasts will enjoy our ideas and lead children to appreciate the beauty of God's creation.

Binocular Hunt: Hide different colored plastic Easter eggs in a variety spots around your yard. Have children search for them using their binoculars. Make sure they describe the color and location of the egg they spot to other children or to adult leaders. For example, "I see a blue egg to the left of the bird bath on the ground."

Describe That Bird: Print small (approximately wallet sized pictures) of 5-10 different birds (or clip from magazines). Attach them to the wall of a room with small pieces of scotch tape. Have child stand at opposite side of the room and view pictures through binoculars. Have the child describe features such as wing bars, eye color, and field marks. Then have the child research the bird seen in a field guide. We like the Kauffman guide the best.

Who Do You Hear?: Follow the instructions above, only play a call of one of the birds pictured on the wall. Bird Songs by Les Beletsky is a great resource for this. Have child locate the bird on the wall that matches the call you played.

Bag of Birdies: This one requires Audubon plush toy birds. We found the best deal at http://www.shiptheweb.com/. Hide 5-10 plush toy birds in a pillow case. Squeeze one while it's still inside the case and have your child identify it before you reveal it.

Write Mnemonics for Calls: We write our own mnemonics for the bird songs/calls. Most of the ones listed in guides just don't stick with us. We make them personal... like the indigo bunting which just happens to be my favorite bird is "I am Mommy's favorite bird... yes, I am." The Prairie Warbler (in our opinion) sings, "Little House on the Prair...air...air... ie."

Silhouettes Puppet Show: Print pictures of birds and cut out on outline of the bird's image. Color over it with a black permanent marker and tape to a popsicle stick. Hold them up one at a time from behind a puppet stage (or from the foot of the bed) and have the child identify it.

20 Questions: Select a bird (but don't reveal it to your child). Have him ask questions in the style of the game "20 questions" until he can identify the bird or runs out of questions. On the next turn, have the child select the bird, and you attempt to I.D. it.

Singing Bee: Works like a traditional spelling bee, only instead of giving the participants words to spell, give them bird songs to identify. Songs can be played from a variety of resources: Bird Songs by Les Beletsky, Identiflyers, http://www.whatbird.com/, Thayer Birding Software... just to name a few. The last birder standing is the champion.