Secondly - & completely child safe! - is Project Feeder Watch. It's not too late to join for this year's season (though you'll want to do it quickly as official watching starts on Nov 13)
"traffic jam at suet" northern flicker & downy woodpecker - Oct 14, 2010
Many of you may have heard of the Christmas Day bird count & other one day counts. This is sort of like that, except it's way cooler because it runs for 6 months!
Project Feeder Watch is a joint program, run by Bird Studies Canada & the Cornell Ornithology Lab.
Canadians sign up here
Americans sign up here
Basically, you need to pick a section of your property which you'll observe, put something there which attracts birds (feeder with seeds or suet is customary but it could also have a bird bath or shrubbery with berries etc), select two consecutive days & each week keep a tally of what birds you observe. You don't need to stick glued to the window - some people observe before & after work, some for 5 minutes at the top of every hour etc. Complete instructions on how to pick your observation days (you do need to stick to those weekdays, but it's ok if you miss some due to trips etc) & how to count the birds (that's actually very important & there are very specific instructions for counting the birds) & report them (online or mailed in) are all in the Research Kit package.
We pick days which we know we're going to be home, & the table where we do our schoolwork is right beside the window on our viewing area, so we just keep an eye out while we work.
(of course that does mean that when I grumble at my pupils to stop.staring.out.the.window.and.for.pete's.sake.please.just.do.your.work., they say but mom! I'm counting the birds! For science. Think of the SCIENCE! in an injured tone.....Then I tell them we're going to do unit on physics, specifically FORCE, or maybe ACOUSTICS - yes, let's see how LOUD I can yell......For SCIENCE!!!!)
Ahem. Where was I?
I do recommend that you get a basic birding book which identifies the birds in your area, as well as a copy of previous year's Feeder Watch data. The data lists the top 25 species observed at feeders in each geographical area. Odds are overwhelming that birds at your feeder will be on that list; so if you're not yet good at identifying birds, this list will help narrow down the possibilities.
Binoculars are nice if your site is large & a camera is very handy. If you are not good at identifying birds quickly, taking a photo is one way to 'catch' the bird & figure out what it is later.
All ages can participate & for homeschoolers, there's an entire section of resources, including several downloadable pdf resources with curriculum links & learning resources.
The data collected by Project Feeder Watch is used by scientists to track population trends. Feeder Watch results are published in scientific journals and contribute to a greater understanding of our environment.
There is a small fee to participate but it includes a subscription to a journal, & a variety of other goodies. Well worth it.
"Ha ha! I have eaten all your suet!" pileated woodpecker - Oct 3, 2010
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