Okay, so now you know I am human. I got the dates for the Great Backyard Bird Count confused in my new Winter Nature Study ebook.In the book you will find on the schedule that I planned the Winter Bird Challenge (#7) for February 19th. It needs to be this Friday, February 12th, so you can count birds and send in your results.
This means that we will be skipping the Winter Series Challenge #6 (Salt) and completing Winter Series Challenge #7 (Winter Birds) this week instead. Please adjust your calendar in your records.
I apologize for the mix-up. Today is the big day to start your bird counting. We are eager to get started and I will keep you posted with our lists of birds.
Now for this week's challenge.
Outdoor Hour Challenge
Winter Series #7
Winter Bird Study
For this challenge, instead of picking a particular bird from the Handbook of Nature Study, we will focus on learning about bird migration and then spend some time outdoors looking for birds in our own neighborhoods. In addition, I am encouraging you to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count that takes place from February 12th to the 15th. You can participate in the bird count even if you just spend 15 minutes observing birds in your own yard or neighborhood. See their website for more information: GBBC.
Inside Preparation Work:
Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 35-37. This will help explain why you have some birds in your area only during certain seasons. If you are interested in more information, you might want to check the Peterson Field Guides (see links below) for additional information about particular birds that you have in your feeders or near-by parks. There will be maps in the field guide that show where birds winter, migrate, and spend their summers. I encourage you to pick one common bird you have in your area and see if it migrates. (If you do not have a field guide, use the links in the Follow-Up Activity to research your bird.)
Outdoor Hour Time:
Spend 15-20 minutes outdoors this week looking for local birds. Choose one of the birds to learn more about and to record in your nature journal. If you are participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, plan on spending your outdoor time to tally birds you see in your yard. If the weather is too cold, you can always sit at a window where you can see your birdfeeder and take a tally from there.
Follow-Up Activity:
Give an opportunity for a nature journal after you talk about any birds you observed. Help your child identify any birds they saw if you can. Remember to check the table of contents in the Handbook of Nature Study to see if your bird subject is covered in a lesson. You can use those suggestions to learn more about your backyard birds. If you have a field guide, use the information there to discuss if the bird is a winter resident or a year-round resident. Our family uses this online bird site to help us identify birds: WhatBird? And this website for additional information as well: AllAboutBirds.
Also make sure to log into the Great Backyard Bird Count and record your results from your neighborhood.
Additional bird migration websites:
Bird Migration (Backyard Nature)
Bird Migration (Wild Birds Unlimited)
If you would like all the Winter Series Challenges in one book, I have an ebook gathered for you to purchase for your convenience. The ebook also contains art and music appreciation plans for the winter months as well. Please see this entry for more details:
Winter Nature Study Ebook Now for Sale. You can also purchase just a set of custom notebook page for the Winter Series Challenges by following the link above.
Make sure to come back and enter your blog entry for this challenge in Mr. Linky.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
I love this picture book for younger children if you can find it used or at your library.
I also think this field guide for younger children is very well done and I use it in all my bird challenges listed on my right sidebar.
