| GOOD BIRDING! We look forward to reading about your monthly school birding adventures. |
Search fledgingbirders.org
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bringing the joy AND BENEFITS of birding to our youth - to promote their healthy development and bird conservation. |
| Fledging Birders Institute P.O. Box 1774 Bellmawr, NJ 08099 logo developed by aclogodesign@aol.com Great Horned Owl and Red Knot images courtesy of www.scottelowitzphotography.com |
| Submit your SBC entries online! Eastern Region Western Region February entries must be received by March 12th! |
| Frequently Asked Questions about the SBC |
What if our school is in an urban area? There's no way we can win! One of the best things about
birds is they can be found almost everywhere all the time. Take your students out to really observe
some of the "urban specialties" and submit your checklist. You'll be surprise at how much you will see.
When you submit your sightings, let us know you're if you consider yourself an "urban" school so you
can be entered in our random drawings for bird-related prizes.
How can we find more birds at our school? Some ideas to find more birds include:
Another way of finding more birds is to attract new birds to your school. You can do this by:
What if the teacher is not a bird watcher? At the school's discretion, each participating group can
have a parent Chaperon that helps the students learn about the birds and assists with field
identification. You can include the chaperone's name on the submission form.
How can we do identify birds if we don't have a field guide? Actually, not having a field guide can make
your participation in the NSBC even more beneficial for the students. Here's how you can still ID birds
without carrying a guide into the field:
you add more details, the list of possible bird species will get smaller.
5. Discuss the ID possibilities: If students disagree on a particular identification, have them state
their case based on observation, notes, and info found online.
6. Record the species on your monthly list!
birds is they can be found almost everywhere all the time. Take your students out to really observe
some of the "urban specialties" and submit your checklist. You'll be surprise at how much you will see.
When you submit your sightings, let us know you're if you consider yourself an "urban" school so you
can be entered in our random drawings for bird-related prizes.
How can we find more birds at our school? Some ideas to find more birds include:
- recruit new teammates - more eyes always helps!
- study the field guides and birdsong cd's
- come to school early - stay late (with a teacher - of course!)
Another way of finding more birds is to attract new birds to your school. You can do this by:
- putting up bird feeders
- planting a garden of native plants
- getting a bird bath
What if the teacher is not a bird watcher? At the school's discretion, each participating group can
have a parent Chaperon that helps the students learn about the birds and assists with field
identification. You can include the chaperone's name on the submission form.
How can we do identify birds if we don't have a field guide? Actually, not having a field guide can make
your participation in the NSBC even more beneficial for the students. Here's how you can still ID birds
without carrying a guide into the field:
- Encourage your students to list as many details as possible for each bird: Start with overall
size, shape, and behavior. Then, working from head to tail, take in feather patterns/color of
various parts, shape of bill, and other features (ex: crest, wing bars, etc.) Write down these field
notes so they are not forgotten! - Have students compare notes: They may have noticed different features or even been looking
at different birds! - Try to narrow your choice to a group of birds: If they find a long legged bird spearing fish at the
edge of a pond, this would indicate the heron family as opposed to a sparrow. - Use an online resource to identify each species: In addition to generously supplying feeders
as prizes, Wild Birds Unlimited has a wonderful interactive guide for identifying birds.
you add more details, the list of possible bird species will get smaller.
5. Discuss the ID possibilities: If students disagree on a particular identification, have them state
their case based on observation, notes, and info found online.
6. Record the species on your monthly list!