Bird watching is a great way for kids to become aware of birds. Birds can be found anywhere, all year round. Gather the basic gear—a field notebook, a field guide, and binoculars, if you have them—and go outside.
Bird behavior is fascinating to children and adults. Different species have definite and recognizable behaviors. Some bird behaviors are so species-specific that one can identify a bird on location and behavior description alone.
Weekly migration forecasts are available from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdCast project to help you know what to look for and which days to go out. Have kids observe and record what they see in several different habitats and make comparisons.
Wildlife professionals inventory wildlife populations to gather information about the number
and kinds of wildlife in a given area. Use Project WILD’s “Bird Song Survey” to give your students experience inventory a local bird
population.
Apps for Birding with
Kids
Merlin
Because of the simple, user-friendly interface, birding becomes both
easy and fun. To identify a bird, Merlin first asks five questions – when,
where, size, color, and activity of the bird observed. Using eBird data, Merlin
then gives the most common species around you who fit the criteria provided. It
also provides 1,000+ photo resources, tips from the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology’s expert birders, and bird sounds from the Cornell Lab’s Macaulay
Library. Cost: Free for iOS and Android users.
BirdsEye Bird Finding
Guide*
Information and population statistics on
1,000+ birds across North America. View seasonal populations, current
lists of birds reported near your location and notifications of when rare
birds are observed in your area. Open up the “Browse by Location tab in the app to view
checklists that were recently submitted in nearby areas. Cost:
Free for iOS and Android users.
Useful Websites
