Birds in Flight

Keep your eyes on the skies! It’s time for waterfowl to start their remarkable journey south. The WILD Aquatic activity, Migration Headache, is a great way to explore factors affecting migratory birds. Discover how wetlands have changed in your county since the mid 1800’s. Look up your county on the Iowa Historic Vegetation Map on the Iowa Geographic Map Server. Compare the historic vegetation with the more recent maps. Visit your local library to find more information on your county’s past.

---

Reading Connections
Check out these great books about migratory birds.

Grades PreK-2
Allen, K. 2006. Why Do Geese Fly South in Winter?: A Book About Migration. Capstone Press.
Crossingham, J. 1997. What Is Migration. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Maslowski, S. 2001. Birds in Fall. Smart Apple Media.
Owens, M.B. 1993. Counting Cranes. Little, Brown & Company.
Sayre, A. 1998. Home At Last – A Song of Migration. Henry Holt & Company.


Grades 3 – 5
Bredeson, C. 2002. Animals That Migrate. Franklin Watts.
Cherry, L. 1997. Flute's Journey: The Life of a Wood Thrush. Harcourt Brace.
Davies, J. 2004. The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon. Houghton Mifflin Company
Knight, T. 2003. Marvelous Migrators. Heinemann.
Lerner, C. 2001. On the Wing: American Birds in Migration. HarperCollins.
Willis, C. 2006. Red Knot: A Shorebird’s Incredible Journey. Birdsong Books.

Grades 6 – 8
Arnold, C. 1997. Hawk Highway in the Sky: Watching Raptor Migration. Gulliver Green.
Gans, R, Mirocha, P. 1996. How Do Birds Find Their Way? HarperTrophy.
Rylant, C. 2006. The Journey: Stories of Migration. Blue Sky Press.

Check back next week for a list of books about wetlands.