BirdSleuth for Homeschools

Hungry Bird

2012-01-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

The following story was sent in by Elijah, a 3rd grade homeschooled student in Texas. We're pleased to announce that Elijah has won the prize for the younger students in the writing contest!

My family often goes to South Padre Island at the very tip of Texas. Of course, we go to the beach and build sand castles and play in the water, but we also spend a lot of time birding. On a nice evening in May 2008, after playing at the beach, we decided to go to the boardwalk to bird. We did not know it, but we had picked a great evening to bird.

Usually there are not many people there, and we never see more than about thirty birds. Imagine our surprise to see lots of people and hundreds of birds. My family was still fairly new to birding, so we were not thinking about spring migration. Birds were everywhere, and they did not care how close people got to them.

They were returning to their nesting grounds and had already flown a very long way. All these birds had flown across the Gulf of Mexico without stopping. They could not stop to eat or sleep or even rest, so they were very tired. South Padre Island was the first land they saw. It seemed that they just fell out of the sky. I bet they were happy to find food and to rest.

We were very excited to see all these different birds, but even with our field guides, how could we figure out all these birds’ names? Well, some very nice birders let us follow them around, and they told us the names of all the birds. We wrote them all down, so we could study them in the field guide later. We added 21 birds to our life list that day.

Photo courtesy of Stewart Ho
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewartho/2531121516/

Now, I will tell you the best part, something that I could have never imagined would happen. I spotted a very pretty bird with red and yellow on it. Our new friends told me it was a Chestnut-sided Warbler. I squatted down beside him to see what he was doing. He was eating a few ants. When I got closer to him, I accidently stepped on the ant hole. This stirred them up. The bird started eating the tiny black ants as fast as he could.

Next, I reached out and touched him. He just kept eating. I have never before or since been able to get close enough to touch a wild bird before. I guess all the birders thought it was neat to see a little boy so close to a little bird because they took lots of pictures of us.

We were definitely at the right place at the right time that nice evening in May.

Some ideas for you to try:

1. Start your own Birding Life List. Record the names of all the birds you see and when and where you see them.

2. Find out more about stop-over habitat and why it is so important to tired and hungry migrating birds. Do you have any places near where you live where birds hang out in large groups?

Chloe & Her Fearless Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

2011-12-22T13:33:00.000-05:00

We were very happy to receive touching, funny, and terrific stories for our writing contest. As a quick reminder, the topic was - What is your most exciting real-life birding experience? It was difficult to select the best story from all the great submissions, but we are proud to announce that 6th Grader Chloe is our grand prize winner in the "older kids" category, with her story about one brave bird. The winning story in the "younger kids" division, and some of our favorite runners-up will be posted soon! Thank you to all who submitted.

Winner #1 BirdSleuth Writing Contest Entry!

Fearless the Ruby-throated Hummingbird

I’ll always remember the day I fed my first bird. Well, I didn’t exactly feed it from my hand, but still, I fed it. I had always looked at books with people holding seed in their hand while a chickadee or a nuthatch was eating the seed. I had seen and heard enough. I was tired of seeing pictures with a bird feeding from their hand, so I decided to try it myself.

It was September 26, 2011. In the past few days, when I had gone outside to fill up our seed feeders next to the hummingbird feeder, a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird would always dive down to the feeder to try and drink some sugar water, but would always fly away when she saw me. I saw how bold she was, and that afternoon, I decided to try my experiment.

It was around 3 pm. I changed my gray shirt and put on a red one. I walked outside next to the hummingbird feeder and stood there. I looked around for the female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. After a minute or two, I saw her sitting in the dogwood tree nearby. I picked up the hummingbird feeder, put the hook around my finger and held it. I waited for about a minute. My finger started to hurt, but I wouldn’t put the feeder down. I couldn’t give up yet. After about five minutes, she flew down, but didn’t drink the sugar water. She flew to another dogwood. After a few more dives, I started to say to her, “please don’t be afraid of me,” and as if by magic, she flew down to the feeder and drank the sugar water! “Thank you,” I said, as if she could hear me. Maybe she could hear me. I kept calling her Fearless, and when I called, she would always fly down to the feeder.

I kept repeating this process, and by the time my dad came home from work, I had fed her eight times! I told my dad and he was very excited for me, and started calling me the “hummingbird whisperer.” After dinner, I went outside and fed her three more times. At night, when my mom was putting me in bed, I said to her, “Maybe Fearless will be here tomorrow so I can feed her.”

Sure enough, the next morning I went outside and called Fearless, and there she came. I fed her two more times to make it thirteen times I had fed this hummingbird. I wish I could have fed her more, but since Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are very territorial, I knew I would not be able to feed her much longer.

That afternoon, I went out to feed Fearless, but the hummingbird that was outside was not Fearless. Fearless had tried to drive off another hummingbird, but she had lost the battle. I was sad. I knew the other hummingbird would not drink from the feeder while I was holding it because she would not even try to drink while I was outside.

That was the end of my hummingbird feeding adventures. Next year on September 26 and 27, I will go outside and try to feed a hummingbird, and maybe it will be Fearless, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Chloe
Grade 6
Murfreesboro, TN

Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Skip Bradley, Flickr

Thanks Chloe for sharing your amazing story with us. Check out this link to All About Birds to learn more about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds; specifically, be sure to check out the videos: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ruby-throated_hummingbird/id.

As you watch the video, try and focus on the wings of the Hummingbirds as they fly. Hummingbird flight is different from most other birds: they have very strong breast muscles which allow them to flap their wings incredibly fast - often too fast to see. Plus, their wings attach to their bodies only at a single point near the shoulder joint - this allows the wings to rotate like a figure 8. These fast, versatile wings let hummingbirds fly forwards and backwards AND hover in mid-air!

Now, imagine seeing it up close, and hearing those tiny wings buzzing like a bee! Awesome! We encourage everyone to keep an eye out for these acrobatics of the air; but keep in mind that hummingbirds migrate out of most locations in Canada and the northern United States.

Here are some activity ideas for you:

1. Use eBird (www.eBird.org) to learn which hummingbird species live in your area and when they are found there.

2. Find out more about flight and how hummingbirds are unique.

3. Build your own bird feeder or purchase a hummingbird feeder so you can feed birds!

Drew's Favorite Bird Experience

2011-11-29T16:03:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the BirdSleuth for Homeschools Blog! We want to encourage our BirdSleuth students to think about their own birdwatching experiences. As you've probably seen in a previous post, we're holding a contest for students to write in about their favorite bird experiences (entries are due December 15 and there are prizes!). Maybe it seems like a challenge to think about birding in this way? I'm hoping to inspire you by share one of my favorite bird experiences with photographs =).

Before I share one of my favorite birding stories, it's only fair that I give you a little background about me. I'm a senior in college at Cornell University, and really interested plants and communication (no, I don't mean communicating WITH plants). I mean, I've been very interested in communicating ABOUT science, which is why I am an intern for BirdSleuth. In the scientific community, I think that birds are one of the best things to communicate about. They're an incredibly important part of the environment, and they are really cool: they can fly, and they have so much diversity! It's no wonder that so many people devote their careers to studying birds.

But as I said, as a student, my interests have always been focused on plants (perhaps because it's easier to study something that doesn't constantly try and fly away). It's because of plants that I found myself in Argentina my sophomore year of college. A group of students and I were studying the desert plants of South America - little rough, spiny bushes that live in one of the hottest, driest places on the planet. You'd need to be a plant person to want to deal with this these thorny things ... or so I thought.

Along with us plant people was a small contingent of birders - they studied the plants too, but they were in Argentina for the birds. It was my first experience dealing with these passionate people, and I hadn't seen anything like them before. They always had binoculars around their necks, and were never more than a few feet away from their cameras with ginormous telescopic lenses. Every time they saw a bird, it was like an achievement, even if they'd seen that species before, and they spent so much time taking page after page of notes about these birds. It was incredible.

The most curious thing, though, came on a stop in a small inland town. We had the morning off, but it was a scorcher - hot, dry, and uncomfortable. We heard rumors of a delicious ice cream shop somewhere in town, and my plant friends were determined to find it and eat ice cream in the shade. The birders, on the other hand, had a different destination for that morning: the town dump.

You can call a dump a lot of things - a land fill, a recycling center, a garbage heap - but on a hot day, it's always going to be a dump. Why did they want to go to the dump?! And why did my plant science professor want to go too?! Knowing that I could get ice cream anytime back home, and that perplexing questions bother me, I said farewell to my plant friends and went to the dump.

As expected, it was hot, smelly, and dirty. There was no shade, no ice cream, and no relief. There was water - a big pond of sludge and garbage. And there were birds - gulls and a few other species that I had seen in the desert - but nothing else to speak of. Why had I come?! I could have been partaking in ice cream in the shade!

As I stumbled around the dump, trying to avoid the worst garbage, I saw the birders stop up ahead - I thought it was a flock of gulls or something else, so I didn't rush to catch up. But, they stood there for a long time until I had caught up and seen the most amazing thing: flamingos! Flamingos are generally interesting animals - they have long legs so they can wade in shallow water. Due to their diet, they have bright pink feathers, and the pinker males are the most favored mates. Some species filter feed on brine shrimp and blue green algae - cool stuff! But, the reason this is one of my favorite birding memories is because of the number - not until you see hundreds of flamingos wading in the mudflats of a hot, muggy dump in Argentina do you really appreciate how social birds can be.

We stood there for a while, watching the flamingos move around, dunk their heads under water, and then fly away when we got too close. All I can say is ... flamingos were a lot better than ice cream! That much, I am sure. So, it's no wonder that when I we stopped in at the next town, the birders and I were at yet another dump. There weren't any flamingos, but I saw some pretty cool hawks. Who knew that landfills were such great places for birdwatching?!

Drew Muscente
BirdSleuth Intern

November "Share-Athon"

2011-11-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

Homeschoolers are probably our most connected and socially networked participants. We imagine you belong to several email lists, regularly check online forums, and probably have many friends who also homeschool. We'd greatly appreciate it if you could share about BirdSleuth and Cornell Lab resources to your friends and contacts. We'd like to help more people discover the things we have to offer!

What can I share? You can encourage your friends to:

Visit our All About Birds site to learn more about birds and bird watching

Download the FREE Homeschooler's Guide to Project FeederWatch

Purchase the Science Investigator's Kit for Homeschoolers

Follow our homeschool blog

Become a friend on Facebook

Where should I share? The possibilities are varied! Facebook; blogs you write for or follow; your email contacts; lists you are a part of; your state, local, or regional homeschool lists or newsletters. Think about the places where you get information... and the people you could share this information with.

Here’s the November Share-Athon Challenge—create a message about BirdSleuth and share it. Then, simply let us know who you share it with by emailing us (birdsleuth@cornell.edu). Let us know where you shared it by December 1 and you will win!

Share it in one place and you’ll receive a free copy of our kid's research magazine.
If you share it in two or more places, we’ll send you up to 10 copies of our kid's research magazine to distribute and use—just let us know how many you want.

Here’s the fun part—whoever shares the word with the most places will get a prize pack that includes any one of our BirdSleuth kits, a “Diversity of Life” CD, and a set of picture game cards (approximate value of prize: $125).

So, please help us pass the word—it’s easy—and you could win a great prize!

Finally, on this Thanksgiving eve, I'd like to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday together.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Fee

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Education Program

The Wild Turkey was an important food source for Native Americans, but it was eliminated from much of its range by the early 1900s. Today, programs have reintroduced this species most of its original range. You can learn more on All About Birds! Thanks to Vicki's Nature (Flickr) for the photo.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

2011-11-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

What is inquiry... and how does it fit so well with homeschoolers?

When I first was hired at the Cornell Lab, they told me to create an inquiry-based curriculum. Hmmmm... I started by asking myself and my team: WHAT IS INQUIRY? First, it's not the same as doing "hands-on science." I came up with my own personal definition: it's when someone asks and answers his or her own questions. Therefore, it's based in personal curiosity and investment in the answer.

Science is, by its nature, inquiry-based.

Inquiry implies ACTION on the part of the learner: a search for information; a pursuit of knowledge; the exploration of phenomena in order to better understand the world. To accomplish this, learners need experiences with objects, phenomena, and/or nature that will stimulate thinking and raise questions.

Thus, inquiry-based learning seems to fit perfectly with homeschool families as it requires:

Learner-centeredness
Active, open questioning
Opportunities for active investigations that include gaining knowledge and skills through observing or manipulating objects, phenomena, and/or nature.

One easy way you can incorporate inquiry into your teaching is simply to reconsider how you ask questions and how you provide opportunities for your child to think or puzzle things out.

For example, take the photo on the right.

You could state: "Sam, that is a Rock Pigeon."

By "giving it away," Sam is left with memorizing the bird's name--or not.

Or you could pose a question: "What kind of bird is that, Sam?"

That question is a good start. Sam can look up the bird online or in a field guide if he doesn't know it. By figuring it out, he's learned that he CAN find answers... and also, how to go about it.

Better yet, there are even more questions--open-ended questions-- that require even more thought or are based in experience or invite interpretation. These questions might not even have a right-or-wrong answer, or they might push thinking well beyond the bounds of the simple observation! These questions include:

What is that bird is doing? Why is she doing that?
Where do birds usually get water? Does it depend on the species?
What kinds of things do you think this bird has to do to survive in her habitat?

Take a moment to help me brainstorm some open-ended questions and add them to the comments section of this post!

By the way, one of the curricula modules we ended up developing is a truly inquiry-based resource called BirdSleuth: Investigating Evidence. It's available for a free download. It invites kids to collect their questions on an "I wonder board." This approach has worked so well, I hope you'll give it a try!

Happy investigating,

Jennifer Fee

K-12 Programs Manager

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Student Writing Contest!

2011-11-11T12:52:00.001-05:00

Dear homeschool families,

Yesterday, I shared one of my favorite birding experiences. Now, we'd like to invite BirdSleuthing homeschool students, ages 5-15 years old, to share theirs and enter our contest!

The topic for this writing contest is: What is your most exciting real-life birding experience?

We want to hear about your most interesting memory that involves birds or bird-watching! Your story only needs to be 500 words or less. (That means less than one page. Illustrations are welcome but not necessary. If you include a photo, make sure it is not copy-righted.) Please use our online submission form to send us your creative story.

I look forward to reading your story, and look forward to sharing the best story on this blog! The deadline for the contest is December 15. We'll post the winning entry before we leave for winter break!

Jennifer Fee
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

PS: Besides having their story published here, the winning student will also receive five gifts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: a plush Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a "Diversity of Animal Sounds" CD, a set of BirdSleuth Game Cards, a field guide to backyard birds, and 2 issues of Classroom BirdScope.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's mascot...
and this one plays our real calls if you give him a good squeeze.

I have the tools!

2011-11-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

I'm not a "bird expert" like many of my colleagues at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who can identify most birds by hearing a snippet of their song or catch a brief glimpse of a species flying away and name it. However, I do enjoy watching birds--they are the part of nature that I find most fascinating. In my job, I'm really interested birds as a way to interest children in the outdoors and engage them in science. I also think the Cornell Lab's citizen science projects--like eBird and Project FeederWatch--are a great way to get involved and turn an interest in birds into something meaningful and important.

Black-necked Stilt by Mike Baird (flickr)

Last February, I had the pleasure of going to Nassau, Bahamas to participate in a Caribbean WaterBird Monitoring workshop. There, I had one of my favorite birding moments: for the first time, I knew that I had the tools I needed to figure out what kind of bird I was looking at--even if I'd never seen it before. The best part was the excitement I felt at identifying birds; it felt like a sport: something I could get better at--my own personal competition!

Shore bird with pink legs? Black necked Stilt!

Black swimming bird with a red beak? Common Moorhen!

And I knew not to confuse that stilt with any of the similar plovers or sandpipers we saw... nor to confuse the Common Moorhen with the similar-shaped-and-sized waterbirds we saw (like coots). I knew my field marks, was getting better using my field guide and binoculars, and I was remembering the names.

Later, when we played Bird Jeopardy (Jeopbirdy, anyone?), I felt confident in my abilities, and I enjoyed going head-to-head with other participants in a race to identify each species as quickly as we could.

Yes, my team won! And I learned a valuable lesson--that a beginning birder can learn new birds quickly...and doing so was fun!

Can you identify this bird?

Mystery bird by Billtacular, Flickr and All About Birds

Please add your answer to the comments section below--let's see who's into bird ID like I am =)

Lastly, get out there and notice the birds in your neighborhood!

Happy birding,

Jennifer Fee

Education Program

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Kicking off a new season of feeder watching!

2011-11-01T19:52:00.000-04:00

Dear Homeschool Parent,

Each fall, Cornell Lab of Ornithology staff gear up for a new season of Project FeederWatch (PFW). This year, we have something special to celebrate: we mark 25 years of helping people collect and submit data about their backyard feeder birds. If you are already involved in this citizen science project: thank you! Your data helps us understand how bird populations are doing around the country. If you have yet to participate: maybe this year is the time to put your location on the map! Participating in Project FeederWatch is fun and easy and really makes a difference in our understanding of birds.

What kinds of adventures might you and your children witness at your feeders? (photo by Nosha, Flickr)

Meanwhile, as fall gets in swing, our Cornell Lab education staff turn attention to helping homeschoolers utilize this amazing citizen science project that we think is perfect for families. It provides an ideal way to teach and learn science in a way that is connected to life in your community, real-world, and motivating. We've listened to parents who want to participate and get quality resources to aid them in using PFW educationally, but who are concerned about tight budgets. This season, we are thrilled to be able to lower our price on our BirdSleuth: Science Investigator's Kit for Homeschoolers kit: $20 off (now $69.95 in the US, $89.95 in Canada). The kit still includes participation PFW (including a participant kit, poster, data forms) and the BirdSleuth kit (lesson plans, student journal and resouce guide, a kid-friendly field guide and a bird log book). Plus, all orders in November will also get a free finch feeder sock so you can start feeding birds immediately. For more information on this kit, please visit the BirdSleuth website.

Our BirdSleuth homeschool kit comes with everything you need for an entire season of science eduation and backyard birdwatching and study.

Finally, pease follow this blog thoughout the season, as we'll be regularly posting information, invitations for children to participate in contests, and activity ideas that will appeal to homeschooling parents with children of all ages.

Happy Birding!

Jennifer Fee
K-12 Programs Manager
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birds of the Mississipi Delta

2011-04-14T08:34:00.000-04:00

Dear homeschoolers,

The Lab has just released a new video, "Birds of the Mississippi Delta," and I think you will enjoy it and find it educational, too!

As someone who grew up on the Mississippi (in St. Louis), even I had no idea about the importance of the delta and the amazing diversity there!

Some topics to address include:

Caspian Tern, Suzanne Black, Flickr

Adaptations and Diversity: What different kinds of beaks do you see in this video? How are these beaks adapted for eating what they eat? Draw several beaks and research the foods they eat. How are the legs of birds different, and how do these differences give hints to how these species make their living?

Habitat: A habitat provides the food, water, cover, and space that an animal needs to survive. How does the Mississippi Delta provide these things for the birds that live there? What is so special about the barrier island habitat for nesting birds?

Food Chain: Draw a food chain including a bird that is found in the video. Be sure to start with the SUN and end with a DECOMPOSER! You may need to do some research on what the bird eats, and what might eat it.

And, don't forget to go out and look at the birds in YOUR area, and share them with Project FeederWatch, eBird, or another Cornell Lab citizen science project!

Happy Spring,
Jennifer Fee
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Great Backyard Bird Count Going on NOW!

2011-02-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

For birdwatchers, there’s a real reason that February is the month of love. No, I’m not suggesting that you send a cardboard paper professing your undying love to that elusive Indigo Bunting (I doubt it would appreciate the sentiment). I’m talking about the Great Backyard Bird Count! Every year, bird watchers of all ages go outside and count the number of birds and the number of species they see. Even the most inexperienced of birders can participate in this event; all it takes is at least fifteen minutes of counting and a passion for our feathered friends.

This year, the Great Backyard Bird Count takes place on February 18 to February 21. If you can spare 15 minutes to count birds for GBBC, please visit their site. And watch for GBBC events around the country at parks, nature reserves, and various bird clubs so you can get out and join other birders.

Photo courtesy Photofarmer, Flickr.

The information gathered over the course of these four days will give us an excellent snapshot of where the birds are across the continent, and in real time, you can monitor the information data your fellow birders are providing via the GBBC website. There’s even a photo contest with prize, so send in your best pictures from the event!

Due to a winter advisory (immense snow squall over Ithaca, NY), I'm looking forward to doing my count tomorrow! Join me this weekend in helping our scientists understand birds!

Happy birding,

Jennifer Fee
Education Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Coffee and Bird Conservation?

2011-02-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

Cup of Coffee Beans, courtesy JenK, Flickr

Did you know that the kind of coffee you drink affects birds, trees, and people halfway across the world? I was thinking about that when I sipped my morning "cup of joe," warm in my house and watching the birds in my backyard. Whenever possible, I try to buy shade-grown coffee instead of the more commonly commercially-produced sun-grown coffee. Here’s why:

Traditional coffee trees needed taller plants to shade their leaves from the sun’s blistering heat. Coffee farmers would grow their coffee trees under rainforest trees and let the over story trees shade their crops. However, when sun-resistant hybrids were produced, the farmers that bought them started clearing the rainforest in order to build coffee tree plantations. Many people thought these new hybrids would help poorer farmers. After all, they were smaller and easier to harvest than traditional coffee trees, and they would produce almost twice as many coffee beans per crop to boot! And truth be told, the new trees DID increase total profits and helped establish coffee as the number one imported food good in the world; as such, most coffee producers have switched over to sun-grown coffee. However, these new trees affected their environment in ways that scientists and coffee growers did not foresee.

Unlike traditional coffee trees, sun-grown coffee trees require pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in order to grow. This coupled with the coffee trees’ relatively shallow tree root structures, greatly increased erosion and toxic run-off, which destroyed the soil and the natural habitat of local animals. In fact, sun-grown coffee plants can only produce beans for a few years before the ground becomes too eroded to sustain the trees. Farmers are then forced to burn down even more land in order to expand their coffee plantations!

Traditional coffee trees, on the other hand, maintain local environments, rather than destroying them. Shade-grown trees require little to no pesticides or fertilizers: insectivorous creatures help control harmful insects while the decaying leaves of rainforest trees provided natural fertilizer. Shade-grown coffee trees provide natural habitat for local animals, including beneficial animals like seed-eating birds and fruit-eating bats. For example, shade-grown coffee plantations in Mexico can support over 100 bird species, while sun-grown coffee plantations can only support around 6-12 species. Shade-grown coffee also promotes biodiversity in native tree species and can be a key part of tropical forest regeneration. Additionally, because shade-grown coffee takes longer to ripen and has more natural sugars, it usually has a better, more flavorful taste than sun-grown coffee. YUM!

If you are interested in buying shade-grown coffee, watch your labels! Some coffee companies scatter trees from one species across their fields; this technically makes their coffee “shade grown” but does not help promote biodiversity, inhibit water erosion or reduce pesticide use. Because of tricks like this, it can be a frustrating process finding a legitimately shade-grown bag of coffee. However, with determination and a little research, you can find a good, trustworthy brand to brew. Here are a few tips to help you:

The Smithsonian Institute’s Migratory Bird Center’s “Bird Friendly ®” seal of approval is one of the few labels you can trust.
Look for coffee brands that say they were rustic or traditional shade-grown. To find out more about the “shades of shade-grown coffee” check out this link http://www.coffeehabitat.com/2006/02/what_is_shade_g/
Check out the brand Birds & Beans at its website at http://www.birdsandbeans.com/. The Lab of Ornithology buys this brand of coffee for the staff breakroom because of its commitment to shade-grown coffee.

A few activities for you and your family to consider:

Research shade-grown coffee. Share what you learn (via the comments section of this post)! If you drink coffee, please consider buying shade grown! A few links to get you started:

Learn about other bird conservation issues that you might impact (postitively and negatively) without even knowing it! For example, can "buying local" or choosing organic food make a difference? How? Determine as a family whether there are one or two small commitments that you'd like to make to help protect the environment (turning of lights, walking more, etc.) Let BirdSleuth know what you've accomplished!
Play an online migration game from Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. The Wood Thrush is a bird whose habitat includes shade-grown coffee plantations!
Find out where (geographically) your food comes from. At dinner tonight, which countries are represented on your plate?

One thing that working at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has taught me: we really are all connected on this beautiful planet. We appreciate your family's interest in birds and conservation!

Best,
Jennifer

Special thanks to Caleb Arellano, Cornell University biology major, for assistance with background research and writing this post.

Citizen Science Discoveries!

2011-01-26T10:07:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone!

Our guest blogger, Alexandria, has been participating in the Cornell Lab's citizen-science Project FeederWatch with her family this winter. From my experience, participating in citizen science is a great way for kids and adults to really get to know their backyard birds and habitat. Plus, the data that Alexandria and her mom send to Cornell Lab helps our scientists understand where birds are and what's affecting them. I urge you to participate--Project FeederWatch continues each year until April. And don't forget, we have the Science Investigator's Kit for Homeschoolers that provides additional resources to make participating even more educational!

See Alexandria's post, below...

Happy birding,
Jennifer
Education Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Case of the Disappearing Birds

One new bird at my feeder site; how exciting! I really enjoy when different species appear at my feeder site. However, the presence of this one species immediately changed everything. It was heartbreaking and thrilling at the same time. How so, you ask?

In the early afternoon of the second counting day for the week, Eastern Meadowlarks and Vesper Sparrows peacefully enjoyed the feast of seeds and grain I had provided. Their constant hopping about nibbling here and pecking there was fun to observe. My counts had been increasing each week. I had even added a few “new” species.

Northern Harrier, courtesy Dan Pancamo

Suddenly the mood changed: in swooped a Northern Harrier. I was excited to add him to my count. I had often observed him about one-half mile from my home perched on the utility poles. I guess he decided there was more action at my feeder site.

I enjoy watching raptors hunt for food, but not this time. He dove and swooped, each time lower and lower, over the entire area of my count location, which is not small. His body and wings tilted first one way, then the other as he swept the entire area of all birds. He really looked like a broom sweeping the air. Then, as quickly as he came, he was gone. We watched the rest of the afternoon, but no other birds returned.

The next week, on our counting days, we had very few birds. For the following two weeks’ counts, no birds appeared. The presence of the Northern Harrier had frightened away all the birds. Would it be permanent? I hoped not.

Finally, the meadowlarks and sparrows returned. Their numbers are increasing again, and we added a few different species to our counts. I am content to observe him on the utility poles down the road from my house, hopeful that he has found some field mice to satisfy his hunger and will not feel the need to visit my feeder site again.

--Alexandria

Red-winged Blackbirds and other Catastrophies

2011-01-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

The phones were literally ringing off the hooks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the first days of 2011. Everyone was concerned about the large numbers of birds found dead in Arkansas on the first day of the year. They wanted explanation: what's going on, and should we be worried? My colleague, Dr. Kevin McGowan, fielded many of the calls and I heard the explanation... over and over!

The bottom line is this: scientists theorize that loud noises, probably from fireworks launched in a new year's eve celebration, frightened the birds from their sleep in roosts near the Beebe subdivision. Keep in mind that the blackbirds, unlike owls, have poor night vision. Scared and flying blind, they then crashed into houses, each other, telephone wires, and other objects. Can you imagine if someone popped a firecracker under your bed in the middle of the night? What are the chances you and your family would not run into a few things as you scattered in fear?!?

Blackbird flock by Bill Swindaman, Flickr

North America has an estimated 210 million red-winged blackbirds, and some areas are especially heavy with roosting birds in the winter. For example, in Arkansas almost exactly 2 years prior, an ornithologist reported seeing an estimated 1 million blackbirds going to roost. “I guarantee you, if there hadn’t been 5,000 birds fall into somebody’s laps … you would not have heard about the blackbirds dying", McGowan said. “But 5,000 birds is a lot, and they fell in everybody’s yards."

And what about the reports since then of other bird and fish die-offs? People are concerned that maybe something more is going on, and wondering why it seems that all of a sudden there are so many reports. “Once you get alert to what’s out there, you start seeing it more often,” Kevin states. This happens to me all the time... for example, one of my friends is heading to Turkey for vacation (which I thought was a very odd destination) but then suddenly everywhere I look are references to Turkey!

Miyoko Chu, another Cornell Lab colleague, found that according to the USGS, which keeps official records within the U.S., there have been 188 incidents in the past 10 years involving the deaths of more than 1,000 birds. This averages out to more than one a month. We just don’t hear about them all the time because they’re not typically considered sensational news. So sadly, this is a story that is repeated often in nature, whether we know it or not. (For details from USGS, visit this site.)

Finally, the beauty of science allows us to make some predictions about what the dead birds should look like depending on the cause of death. "The bodies say it was a collision.” according to Kevin. Hence, the most plausible explanation seems to be the "loud noise, scared and colliding birds" hypothesis, rather than poisoning, gas, disease, end-times, or some of the other explanations that have come across Kevin's desk.

Things are starting to calm down at the Cornell Lab. As I type, Kevin is only fielding his second phone call of the day about the "dead birds in Arkansas." If you'd like more information or listen an interview with Kevin, please visit the Cornell Lab's blog.

May the birds in your yard be safe and healthy,

Jennifer Fee
Education Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Planning some summer travel?

2010-12-22T13:18:00.026-05:00

Hi everyone,

I always seem to get bitten by the "travel bug" during the winter! If you are like me, you might already be thinking about where you might go with your family this summer. Whether you have enough funds to travel on a spectacular educational trip, you'd like to journey to the "birder's mecca" of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, or you simply want to enjoy some time away camping in your local state park, I hope you'll consider encorporating birds and bird-watching into your adventure!

This summer, there are several ornithology sessions Audubon’s spectacular Hog Island in Maine, that might be of interest to homeschool families. Taught by some of the country’s leading birders, scientists, authors and artists, these dynamic sessions are designed for both beginners and experienced bird enthusiasts. For example, in June, there is a course called Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens designed for teens ages 14 to 17 with an avid interest in birds. And in July, I’m fortunate to be heading to Hog Island to help lead their Sharing Nature Educator’s Week. There are a couple of bird and ornithology courses for adults, as well. These courses are well-done and action-packed! For example, there may be field trips to see the restored Atlantic Puffin and Tern colony on nearby Eastern Egg Rock, excursions into a lush spruce/fir forest, a rich pond, and along the island’s verdant inter-tidal and tide pool zone, as well as many useful and intriguing presentations and workshops.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the surrounding fingerlakes region of New York are also a spectacular place to visit. You can find out about visiting the Cornell Lab at our website. Get in touch if you visit; I'd love to meet you! Truly, I can't say enough good things about Ithaca, NY and would love to fill you in on some of the things to do here (my favorite place to hike, the best waterfall in my opinion, the nicest swimming hole, to name a few!)

Where are your favorite places to bird? Will you explore birds and nature in your upcoming travels?

Happy birding,

Jennifer

The Bird's Blue!

2010-12-20T15:43:00.001-05:00

Another guest blog post from Sawyer to enjoy!
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It's that time of year again. The Western Bluebirds around my house are getting noisy. I hear and see them everywhere. I guess that's because we have their ideal habitat (open woodlands, farmlands, and burned areas), along with their ideal food (insects in the summer and berries and fruits in the winter). Their blue bellies and tails perfectly balance their chestnutty brown chests. Last week there were 15 or so hopping around the oak trees right outside my front door.
My mom and I love the western bluebird; sadly, it is declining in population. Here's why:

According to an article in the Scientific American, in the late 1800's, a group called the American Acclimatization Society was working to import every bird mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare into the United States. In 1890 and 1891, at least one hundred European Starlings were released in Central Park, in New York City, because Henry IV, Part I mentions a starling (Hotspur says, “Nay, I’ll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but ‘Mortimer.’”). Today, the starling can be found everywhere in the United States.
Where I live in California, clouds of starlings can be seen making spiral shapes in the sky as they hunt flying insects. Though interesting to watch, these large, iridescent birds are a menace to the Western Bluebird. They knock the eggs, or even chicks, out of the bluebird's nest and seize the nest for themselves. Because of this the bluebird population has gone down. But there is something people can do to help bluebirds: nesting boxes.

Female and male Western Bluebirds, photo by Kevin Cole.

The Western Bluebird nests in cavities such as small holes in a tree. They make nests out of dried grass, straw, and/or conifer needles. They will also nest in boxes, and nesting boxes are easy to make. What is special about them is the diameter of the hole: it is large enough for the bluebird to get through, but not the starling. These boxes are a simple way to help out the declining western bluebird population. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides blueprints for the easily built nestbox. My dad and I are going to make one over winter break.

Bluebirds eat insects in summer. They will perch on a tree branch and wait for prey to walk by on the ground; then they swoop down to grab their meal. Sometimes they beat their larger prey against a tree before eating it. They switch to a diet of fruits and seeds in winter. Here also is a nice receipe for bluebirds from For the Birds, a book of recipes from Birds and Blooms.

Bluebird Miracle:

1 cup lard or melted beef suet
1 tsp. corn oil
4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour

In a large saucepan, melt the suet over low heat. Remove the pan from heat and stir the othe ingredients in. After mixture cools and becomes hard, cut into chunks and serve in a suet feeder or as slices on a tray feeder.

Yields: 2 large suet molds or 10 slices of suet

Who else out there is going to make a bluebird box?

Happy Birding,
Sawyer

Bald Eagles, A success story!

2010-12-16T11:41:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Photo courtesy of Howard Ignatius.

After growing up near the Mississippi and taking trips to a Marquette State Park (Illinois) to see wintering Bald Eagles, I'm simply captivated by the sight of this magnificent species! I was pleasantly surprised to see a Bald Eagle this fall in Ithaca, flying near downtown (which is right on the shore of beautiful Cayuga Lake). How wonderful that conservation actions have so positively effected this species!

I thought I'd share some good news about Bald Eagle sitings this year at Hawk Mountain. This AP story (below) was forwarded to me by a coworker. If you'd like to learn more about our national symbol, read the article below, and here are some questions and activities to explore:

Are Bald Eagles found where you live? (Hint: see our eBird site and All About Birds to explore further.) If Bald Eagles are not found in your area, are other eagle species found there?
What do Bald Eagles eat? What kinds of habitats do they live in? Are they found in different places at different types of the year? If so, why?
Consider reading the conservation classic "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson. What changes have been made since the that book was published, which have helped species like the Bald Eagle?
What birds are still listed as threatened or endangered? What problems do these birds face? What are people doing to help?
Check out the "Creature Feature" on the Bald Eagle from National Geographic Kids.

Thank you for your interest in birds! Keep learning more!

Best,
Jennifer
BirdSleuth Project Leader
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

AP 12/15/10 06:05 PM

KEMPTON, Pa. — Bird-watchers at a ridgetop preserve in eastern Pennsylvania counted a record number of migrating bald eagles this fall, another sign of the species' remarkable comeback following a century of decline.

The huge flight of 407 eagles smashed the old record of 245 set two years ago at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, which has kept an annual tally of migrating hawks, eagles and falcons since its founding 76 years ago as the world's first refuge for birds of prey.

As the autumn raptor count at Hawk Mountain drew to a close Wednesday, sanctuary biologists and birding enthusiasts alike cheered what Keith Bildstein, the sanctuary's director of conservation science, recently called "possibly the greatest wildlife success story of our time."

The U.S. population of bald eagles suffered a steep decline between the 1870s and 1970s, first due to habitat destruction and hunting, and later because of the widespread use of DDT. The pesticide accumulated in fish, a major food source for eagles, and resulted in eagles laying eggs with weakened shells that broke during incubation.

By 1963, there were only 417 breeding pairs left in the lower 48 states.

They also were an extreme rarity at Hawk Mountain, which is situated along a major Appalachian flyway for migratory birds known as the Kittatinny Ridge. The low point came in 1975, when counters spotted only 13 bald eagles the entire fall.

"One of our members always used to bring champagne in hopes we would see one," said veteran bird-watcher Catherine Elwell, who has been visiting Hawk Mountain since the early 1970s. She said "great cheers would rise up" on North Lookout – an outcropping where the official count takes place – whenever an eagle was overhead.

Rachel Carson's 1962 conservation classic "Silent Spring" used data from Hawk Mountain to warn about the dangers of chemical pesticides. DDT was banned in the U.S. a decade later. The bald eagle began a gradual recovery that has seen its numbers reach more than 10,000 pairs, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The eagle was removed from the federal Endangered Species list in 2007.

"This has been just the most remarkable recovery, and I don't think many of us thought it would happen," said Elwell, 68, of Alburtis.

Bald eagle numbers have risen steadily at Hawk Mountain, with a 10-year average of 235.

This year's count included one superlative day in late August, when research biologist David Barber tallied 36 eagles – 31 of them after 3 p.m., and 14 of those in a single hour. It was the second-highest single-day flight in Hawk Mountain's history.

"We just kept looking at each other, like, where are all these eagles coming from?" he recalled Wednesday.

Where indeed. While 2010 might turn out to be a statistical anomaly, senior monitoring biologist Laurie Goodrich, who coordinates the annual count at Hawk Mountain, speculates that a number of factors came together to make this year like no other.

The weather cooperated, with plenty of days of northwesterly winds that helped push migrants closer to the ridgetop. An increase in the number of breeding pairs in the Northeastern United States may also have contributed: Local eagles are territorial, pushing migrants from Canada farther south.

The record flight might simply reflect that there are more eagles than ever before. Three more were spotted Wednesday at Hawk Mountain.

Whatever the reason, Goodrich said, "It's something we can celebrate, as bird-watchers and as scientists."

How to Attract Birds

2010-12-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

Today, we have a guest blog from Sawyer, who just began participating in Project FeederWatch (PFW) as well! Sawyer has been discovering some of the habitat needs of birds (food, water, cover/shelter, and space). Have you been teaching about habitat? Would your family like to know more about your local habitat and how it supports the birds that live there? I've found that participating in a citizen science project like PFW or eBird can be a great way to connect to the local environment and birds in a fun and educational way.

Sawyer has great advice about how you and your family might be able to attrract birds to your yard!

Enjoy!
Jennifer Fee
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Project FeederWatch
by Sawyer Brand

I have just started Project FeederWatch, which you‘ve probably read about at Birdsleuth or this blog. Participants are supposed to put water, shelter, and food out for the birds and then count the species that show up. This blog post will help not only participants, but also those who want to attract birds just for the fun of it. For those of you who want to participate in Project FeederWatch but aren’t already enrolled, go to http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/.

The first of many things I have learned from Project FeederWatch is: too close to the house will scare away birds. After one week of the feeder being a foot away from my bedroom window, I realized that at least 5 feet should be between the house and the feeders. So I then put it 6 feet away from the sliding glass door in my living room. Still no birds. Never be afraid to ask for help. The employees working in a store like Wild Bird’s Unlimited are there to help new and inexperienced birders. I asked the woman who worked there, and she said I had the wrong kind of food for my feeder.

I moved the feeders (including a new one) to a tree 15 yards away from my kitchen window. That was only a few days ago. The songbirds probably haven’t noticed it yet but Jen says to be patient.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a feeder.Courtesy Martin Cathrae, Flickr

Another good thing to have is a hummingbird feeder. The hummingbirds are so pretty and cute. They have some really nice feeders; mine is glass with iron flowers and ivy covering it.. Be sure to make your own hummingbird nectar with 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. The kind bought in a store has red dye in it which is unnecessary and can be harmful to the birds. If you think the red will help attract the hummingbirds, just put a bit of red tape on your feeder.

Feeders

There are many different types of feeders. Each is fitted for different birds and feed. The four categories are platform feeders, house feeders (also called hopper feeders), tube feeder and suet cages. Here’s a little description of each:

Platform feeders are just a platform on a pole, usually with some kind of cover.
House(or hopper): House, or hopper, feeders are the traditional feeder: a house with a platform under it. Also on a pole or sometimes a line.
Tube: A tube feeder is what it sounds like….a tube. With little perches and openings for the birds.

A Downey Woodpecker on a suet cage. Photo courtesy Photofarmer, Flickr

Suet Cages: a suet cage is an iron cage which can opened and inside is a suet block. Suet is the fat around a cow’s bladder (gross, right?), and seeds are mixed into the fat; luckily enough all you have to do is put in in the cage. That’s it. Then wash your hands. You can get suet and the feeders at hardware stores or feed stores along with all the rest of the supplies.

Food

The food depends on what type of bird you have. In my case, I live an hour north of San Francisco. I get western bluebirds, house finches, and American robins around the house. I think I also see cliff swallows, but I’m not sure. That’s what makes Project FeederWatch so fun! I’ll be finding out who lives in the woods around my house, and I”ll have to figure out what types of birds I’m looking at. For some help in recognizing what shows up at your feeder, here‘s a website: All About Birds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ What type of birds do you have?

Water

Bird baths, dishes, and drippers. Water isn’t just for drinking. It’s also for washing. Here’s a brief description of them all:

Purchased bird bath: buying a bird bath at a store can be fun. They have pretty designs, but really a bird bath is just a dish filled with water. Usually it’s raised off the ground on a stand, though it’s been found that birds like them better when they are closer to the ground.
Dish: A dish is a dish. Only this one is filled with water and raised slightly, like on a platform three bricks wide and two bricks deep. Put sticks in it so that the birds can perch without getting wet. This is especially important in winter.
Dripper: birds love these. You can buy them or just use a 12 oz soda bottle turned upside down over a bird bath or dish, filled with water and with a hole punched into the top. Therefore, it drips onto the water. A bird shower, as it were.

Shelter

Birds also want protection. From the elements, and from predators. A brush pile is a good choice. That way the small song birds can get into the pile but not the hawk or the cat. Place the brush piles near your feeder to protect the guests who show up!

Here are your first facts about how to attract birds. In my next blog, we’ll talk more in depth about cats and other predators and extra treats you can make for the birds.

Until next time, happy birding!

Sawyer

Reflections from a guest blogger...

2010-12-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

I've asked a young Cornell Lab friend to share her insights as she participates in the Lab's citizen science projects, in particular, Project FeederWatch. Alexandria is a young teen who lives in Texas, and I'm anxious to find out what she uncovers this winter! How do the species that she sees compare to what you might see in your area this winter?

By the way, just as Alexandria writes about seeing Cardinals in the snow, as the first Ithaca snow begins piling up outside my window, I'm reminded of an online article I write last year, "How do Birds Stay Warm?" You might find it informative, along with the whole "Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears" online magazine for which I wrote it!

Happy birdwatching,
Jennifer Fee
Education Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Alexandria's Post

I am excited about my first year participation in Project FeederWatch. Although I have never kept an official count of the birds that visit, various types of feeders are stationed around my family’s acreage all year round. “Winter” birds arrived about six weeks ago, and I was delighted to see them again. These cold-weather guests consist of sparrows: White-crowned, Harris’s, and Vesper; Lark Buntings, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice.

Courtesy Larry Meade, BirdShare

My favorite birds who come to the feeder area are the Northern Cardinals, especially the bright crimson males. I enjoy watching them cock their heads at the seeds inquiringly; the way they hop around like sparrows amuses me. Last January, we received a couple inches of snow, a rare occurrence for central Texas. The eye-catching cardinals looked especially beautiful on the white snow. Because they sought shelter under our eighteen-foot trailer to escape the snow, we placed wild bird food under the trailer for them. They seemed to be very appreciative, and hung around for long periods of time, giving us time to observe them well.

Right now, the sparrows find the feeder area quite satisfying. Hopefully, other birds will join them soon. I am waiting for the year-round birds like dove and quail to discover this feeding ground.

Social Networking!

2010-11-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

It seems everyone uses online social networking sites these days. If you are like me, you check your Facebook account nearly every day! Facebook is one way to help me feel closer to my family and friends because I see their updates. But it's also a great way to easily track organizations I like to hear from.

In case you are on Facebook, please considering "liking" any of these Cornell Lab Facebook pages. It will help you follow what we have going on!

BirdSleuth's Facebook page is trying to reach 1,000 friends before the end of the year!

The Cornell Lab just launched it's Facebook page.

Project FeederWatch's Facebook page is very active right now since the season just started!

Thanks for your interest in Cornell Lab of Ornithology programs!

Best,

Jennifer

K-12 Program Manager

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

White-crowned Sparrow

2010-11-02T13:51:00.000-04:00

This week, the Cornell Lab has named the White-crowned Sparrow as the Bird of the Week! You might think that this sparrow was awarded her white crown as this week's "winner," but she's actually had that crown since she was a nestling! (Thank you to Norm Townsend, BirdShare, for this lovely photo.)

This species is found in the winter throughout much of the United States. Put up a feeder, and perhaps they will visit you!

Visit the Lab's All About Birds page to learn more about this species, see more photos, and hear the species' call. Also, see if you can find the answers to these questions:

1. Do male and female White-crowned Sparrows look alike? Do the juveniles look different than the adults?

2. Where does this species breed?

3. How can you tell this species of sparrow apart from other sparrows?

4. What does this species eat? Does its diet change throughout the year?

5. Have you ever heard the song or call of this species?

Happy Birding!

Jen Fee

How do birds find their way?

2010-10-28T16:06:00.005-04:00

Hello all,

I'm happy to bring you the second installment about bird migration from Sawyer, our student "guest blogger." She's been reading a book by the Cornell Lab's own Miyoko Chu (see http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/studying/migration/sbj).

Bird migration was a major component of the Bird Conservation Conference I just attended; it is a fascinating topic that scientists are anxious to know more about. From a conservation standpoint, I learned that it is important to protect habitats where migrating birds are in the summer (where they breed) and in the winter... as well as along their migration routes! Consider that the warbler you see outside your window in the spring may have just flown in from Costa Rica, Mexico, or Cuba... or that the songbird nesting along the Mississippi River may fly to overwinter on the banks of the Amazon River. To me, it makes the world feel like a smaller place, and the conservation of bird habitat truly becomes a world-wide concern.

By the way, one of my all-time favorite children's books, Flute's Journey by Lynne Cherry, happens to be on migration. I'd encourage you visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/education/educators/flutesjourney to learn more about the book and find several activity ideas.

And now, onto Sawyer's post!

Best,
Jennifer Fee
Education Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

In my last blog, I shared about the fall migration and how songbirds prepare for such a long journey, but I didn’t talk about how they get where they're going. How they migrate across those thousands of miles and back. What scientists have found built into them to help them find their way.

When the birds take off, it appears they use a variety of methods to help them find their way: landmarks, celestial navigation (navigation using the stars), solar navigation, and magnetic fields.

For example, the bobolink (see http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bobolink/id; photo courtesy by Kelly.Colgan.Azar on birdshare) has been found to have magnetite in its nasal tissue, and so has the white crowned sparrow. This is a really cool discovery! Magnetite is a mineral and is “the most magnetic of all naturally occurring minerals on Earth,” according to Wikipedia (www.en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite). Magnetite acts as a compass, telling the birds where they are in relation to the North and South Poles.

However, as they near the Equator (www.astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/E/equator), they are at an equal distance from both magnetic poles and if they only relied on this built in compass, they would become confused and disoriented. That’s why they also rely on the stars, setting sun, and landmarks.

Another way birds can tell where they are is by polarized light patterns.

Polarized light patterns are created when sunlight scatters while going through the atmosphere. Birds can see polarized light, whereas humans don't have that ability. An interesting story is one told by Myoko Chu in Songbird Journeys:

Researcher William Hamilton, III asked a friend in Nebraska to capture and airmail him a bobolink at the University of California, Berkeley, for some tests. Before the tests were finished, however, the bobolink escaped from the lab in Berkeley. The next spring, the bobolink came back to where it had been captured the previous spring, in Nebraska. The bobolink, despite the fact it had left for fall migration from a different area (California), came back to its mating grounds, because it had several different ways to find its way back!

Until next time, happy birding!

-Sawyer

What is Citizen Science?

2010-10-25T20:43:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

Before this week, it had been many years since I'd attended a scientific conference. Nowadays, the conferences I typically attend are definitely geared toward educators. However, I've just returned from the Northeast Bird Conservation conference, which was held in Plymouth, MA. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to get inspired about science from some of the best bird and conservation biologists in the region. It was also a fantastic opportunity to share BirdSleuth with these scientists, who seemed hungry to learn about ways to communicate their work and help inspire ALL people to care about birds and their conservation.

I'm as convinced as ever that getting kids and families involved in citizen science projects, such as Project FeederWatch and eBird is an ideal way to meaningfully teach science, support awareness and stewardship of birds and habitats, and contribute to our understanding of birds around the world.

What exactly is "citizen science?" Essentially, it is when public participants are involved in scientific research. At the Cornell Lab, it's a partnership between scientists and people around the world who perform research-related tasks such as observing and counting birds. Cornell Lab scientists want to know where birds are and what their populations are like throughout the year, and they invite us to be the eyes and ears that watch and listen to the birds in our areas, and share this valuable data with them.

To learn more about the Lab's citizen science projects, click here.

I also left the conference inspired to participate in Project FeederWatch this winter with my family. I hope you'll join me in participating! You can learn about BirdSleuth resources that support homeschool participation in Project FeederWatch. The PFW season starts on November 14... and until then, we are offering $10 the BirdSleuth Kit Science Investigator's Kit for homeschools.

Best,
Jennifer Fee

A "guest blog" on Fall Migration!

2010-10-13T09:58:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,

I received this informative essay from a 13-year old homeschooler, and thought you might find it interesting and useful. Indeed, I've invited Sawyer to be an occasional "guest blogger," and I hope that she will share her experiences participaing in BirdSleuth and Project FeederWatch with us this coming season!

Some potentially new vocabulary for you to explore with your child:

flyway
migrate
photoreceptors
molt

Activities for you to try:

Find out which species of birds are migrating in your neighborhood this season (visit http://www.ebird.org/ and "view and explore data")
Listen for birds during the day: what bird species are calling in your area? Go out on a clear night and see if you can hear birds or other nocturnal animals.

Best,
Jennifer Fee
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Education Program

The Fall Migration

At least once every fall, my family goes to Hawk Hill, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Marin Headlands. Hawk Hill is on the Pacific Flyway, one of the four flyways which pass over North America: the Atlantic, Pacific, Mississippi, and Central. A flyway is basically a highway for the birds. They fly along that stretch of land (or water) while migrating. A good map of the four flyways is at http://www.birdnature.com/flyways.html.

Did you know that the diet of a songbird changes when it comes time to migrate? In the fall, as the days shorten, the change in daylight triggers photoreceptors in a songbird's brain. The photoreceptors cause their diet to change from 90% insects to 90% fruit and grain. The reason is that fruit and grain make a lighter, more energy efficient fat. The photoreceptors also make the birds jumpy and molt.

One surprising thing I learned is that, at migration time, birds mostly fly by night and rest by day. Some even fly 24/7, with no rest at all. They fly over our heads as we sleep, a silent, nocturnal hoard. Actually, they aren't silent at all. If we were to sleep with our windows open, we would hear them. But sometimes it is too cold to do that, so a researcher named Bill Evans has come up with a way to hear them without opening a window. He records the night migration using a microphone attached to a computer. (Note from Jen: Here at Cornell Lab, we also work on "night migration" using sound recording learn more about the kinds and numbers of birds overhead. To learn more about work on this topic, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Summer1994/brp94083.htm.)

In my next blog entry, I'll tell you about what I'm learning about how songbird's migrate from the book Songbird Journeys by Miyoko Chu. Until next time, Happy Birding!

Sawyer B.
California

Suddenly Fall!

2010-10-08T09:36:00.000-04:00

Dear homeschool families,

As you may know, the Cornell Lab built our homeschool resources around Project FeederWatch (PFW). PFW is a winter-time citizen science project in which people throughout the U.S. and Canada watch their bird feeders and tell us about the kinds and numbers of birds that they see. While this blog has been on haitus since the PFW season ended last spring, we are all gearing up to put out our feeders and start counting in November!

Perhaps you'll consider participating in Project FeederWatch this winter, and help us understand what the birds are doing in your neighborhood? Besides making a real difference to our understanding of the Earth, it is fun and educational for participants. Keep following this blog as in the coming weeks we'll be offering many ways for you to get involved and extend the learning and fun!

Looking forward to another successful season!

Jennifer Fee
K-12 Program Manager
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Education Program

February Discount

2010-02-08T14:51:00.000-05:00

I have some money-saving news I hope you'll like: February might be the shortest month of the year, but it holds the best discounts ever offered for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's BirdSleuth curriculum. If you've considered ordering a BirdSleuth kit, now is the time: we're offering $10 off, free shipping, and a special "end of winter" bonus! The curriculum offers you months of engaging science and math teaching and learning, brought to you by the birds in your neighborhood. Indeed, the curriculum can help you launch a multi-year exploration (and new hobby!) with your child.

Science Investigator's Kit for Homeschoolers:

$10 off and FREE shipping. Plus, as a special bonus, you will receive a FREE participation in the 2011 "Project FeederWatch" season (you'll get two years instead of one).

To order: Order online using code "FEB10" or call us at (607) 254-2489. With this code, you will get $10 off and free shipping. We must receive your order by February 28 for these special discounts to apply.

Need more information? Please check this site.

As always, if you have any questions at all about the BirdSleuth curriculum and how it is used in a homeschool setting, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Fee, project director

BirdSleuth

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Great Backyard Bird Count coming soon!

2010-01-18T14:59:00.000-05:00

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent and in Hawaii. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. Find out how your family can participate!

GBBC also has a page for kids, where your kids can learn more about their local birds, do online jigsaw puzzles, download coloring pages, and listen to birds.

How fast do birds fly?

2009-11-13T13:34:00.000-05:00

Someone recently told me that her kids were curious about how fast birds fly. Good question; it got me thinking, too! For example, I've heard that falcons travel really fast in a dive, but does that count as flying? Well, I did a little research on the topic, and here are some thoughts and resources from reputable sources.

While it doesn't give speeds for different birds, this site does talk in general about the energetics of flight and mentioned sustained flight versus short bursts (i.e. in a chase). It seems that just like humans walk and run, birds do, too! It's interesting to think of the different energetic needs to birds, and how they might differ seasonally (for example, during the nesting season or when a bird is migrating or surviving a cold winter).

Here's a very informative page from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. This site also speaks in more general terms and gives migration speed ranges for general bird types (for example, songbirds travel 10-30mph and waterfowl are somewhat faster at 30-50mph).

So, from my little bit of research, I'd conclude that bird speeds do vary within a species as well as between species. The different conditions at which the measurements have been taken (i.e some might be measuring "top speed" versus "travelling speed" versus "migration speed") might make comparisons between different websites difficult.

In the BirdSleuth curriculum, we recommend that educators track "I wonder" questions like "How fast do birds fly?" This particular question requires research, can generate great discussion, and in the end leads to new questions and directions. This exploration is much of the excitement of science!

What questions do your kids have about birds? How could they go about answering them? What new directions might be explored? What science content can you teach through these "I wonders"?

Happy exploring!
Jennifer

Geese in a "V"

2009-11-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

As I've learned more about birds through developing the BirdSleuth curriculum, I simply notice birds more, and they've become more a part of my everyday life. For example, I like changing seasons (I think it would be hard for me to live in a place that didn't have a fall with red-orange-yellow leaves, a blustery winter, a spring green, and a baking-hot summer). This fall, I've noticed the leaves changing as I usually do, but this year, the seasonal change has also been marked by me noticing the change in birds and their behavior.

Some birds are flocking... others are flying south. The species I see out the window are different than they were two months ago. There's a different sound to fall--the singing of the summer is gone, and now I am noticing little "chips" and loud geese honks. Ever since I heard this radio boadcast, I can't stop noticing geese flying in a "V" and noticing the big flocks of blackbirds and starlings who are not flying in neat alphabet-shapes.

Birds provide a neat way to connect kids to science and other subjects. Birds can be used to teach about everything from seasonal change to physics (flight, sound, color) to math (bird counts, population changes) to biology (habitat, conservation, diversity) to...hmmm... it seems endless! Can you give any of the content you're teaching a "bird's eye view"?

Birds: singing and honking through the seasons!

2009-10-23T15:27:00.001-04:00

One thing that I miss this time of year is birds singing, espcially on my walk into work. Lately, all I hear is geese honking loudly as they go south! Birds' ability to sing is one of the things I really appreciate about them. In fact, our first BirdSleuth module (Most Wanted Birds) starts by kids listening to a bird "dawn chorus" trying to figure out how many species there are. Bird song is a great clue to bird ID. But the dawn chorus is a bit of a mystery: Scientists have often wondered, "why do birds sing so much in the morning?"

My colleague, Karl Berg, a PhD candidate in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University, likes waking up early... and it's a good thing! With his wife, Karl took to the tropical forests of Ecuador to find out why so many birds sing at dawn. Karl and his wife spent several months making over 100 hours of recordings synchronized with twilight to find out if the birds had a singing schedule (also called “bio-acoustical” monitoring). Back at Florida International University, Karl identified 130 bird species from the recordings and logged the times of 25,000 songs.

From his field work, Karl discovered that tropical birds begin to sing only when they see light. Big-eyed birds that foraged high in the forest canopy sang earlier while late-rising birds have small eyes and inhabit the dark, dense underbrush. I never even thought about birds having big or little eyes!

As the destruction of tropical forests continue, which affects the quality and quantity of forest light, Karl's research and the continued bio-acoustical monitoring of birds may help us understand more clearly how our interactions with the Earth affect the behaviors and health of other species.

It's all related, isn't it!?!

See the full article that inspired me to think about this at: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/events/news/2009/01_08_09_feature.html

Happy Honking!
Jen

Great new how-to video on better birding...

2009-10-08T08:31:00.001-04:00

My collegues at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have been working on an educational online video series called "Inside Birding." These videos take people step-by-step through learning to identify birds, and they're good for kids or adults. Whether you are new to birdwatching and want to get better, or an experienced birder ready to take on new bird ID challenges, or simply someone who wants to learn a little more about the birds you notice in your neighborhood, I think you will learn something!

In this episode, my friends Chris and Jessie teach you the most fundamental skill for identifying birds – recognizing them by size and shape. Join them "in the field" to practice these techniques on common birds and learn how to distinguish similar species such as Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers.

Five years ago, I knew very little about identifying birds-- but using tips like the ones Jessie and Chris recommend (and a bit of practice) has made me more able to identify the birds I see. Better yet... I simply NOTICE birds more. And that's really the fun part for me!

I hope you'll enjoy this video, and maybe choose to get outside today and see what birds you see!

Happy birding,
Jen

Strange Birds?

2009-10-05T08:26:00.000-04:00

Every fall, many people ask: "I have a bald bird at my feeder! Is it sick? What should I do?"

These bald birds are often Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals-- which seem to look EXTRA weird because they are brightly colored and typically have a tall crest on their heads. Thankfully, most of these birds aren't sick--they're just molting! In late summer and fall, when a bird molts, it usually looses and replaces its feathers gradually, but occasionally a bird loses all of the feathers on its head. This is particularly true of Blue Jays, many of which molt the feathers of the head, or "capital tract," all at once. The result is a very strange looking bald bird! This bald appearance lasts for about a week before new feathers replace the molted ones.

Want to read more, and see some very strange photos? Visit this site from the Cornell Lab's Project FeederWatch. One neat thing to notice in the photos: what a bird's ear looks like!

Keep your eyes out for bald birds!
Jen

Advice for getting kids outside...

2009-10-01T14:59:00.000-04:00

It always surprises me when kids can tell me more about the tropical rainforest than they can about the habitat right outside their home.

I've always felt that a stewardship ethic could only be developed by at least spending some quality time in a local habitat. As the African environmentalist Baba Dioum said, “In the end, we will only conserve what we love. We will only love what we understand. We will only understand what we are taught.” How can we develop a love and understanding of the outdoors without spending time in it?

Whether you are a pro or still struggling with teaching your kids about the environment...you probably still wish for more ideas that will help get your kids get engaged in their local habitat. "Saving the world" can be heavy business... but I'd like to start with something really simple... these top 10 tips for getting kids outside. Take your kids outside--What birds do you see? What are they doing? Do they interact with each other? What questions do you have about them?

Have fun,
Jen Fee

Welcome to our blog!

2009-09-30T12:52:00.002-04:00

Two years ago, I barely knew what a "wiki" was. I had not caught the Facebook "bug." I didn't read blogs, let alone have one. "Social Networking" was something I did with my friends.

Now, I share with teachers via wikis-- and kids in BirdSleuth classrooms are starting to communicate with each other via them, too. I hold live chats online to network with educators around the country. We are approaching 500 fans on the BirdSleuth Facebook page, and it is growing every day. And, I'm creating this blog so I can communicate more effectively with the homeschool families who have begun using BirdSleuth.

Science is fun! And homeschool families and groups have an amazing opportunity to teach science in engaging, deep ways. BirdSleuth can help you bring science to life for your kids!

Some families want to channel their child's strong interest in birds into science learning ("My 10-year old already knows he wants to study ornithology at the Cornell Lab. How can I support him?). Others want to work on something with real-life meaning while teaching science content ("We can count birds together. We send our bird data to the Lab and scientists use it to better understand birds-- it's so motivating!")

As this blog grows-- and you hear from me, other BirdSleuth staff and environmental educators, fellow homeschoolers, and Lab scientists-- I hope you'll discover the many ways that BirdSleuth can support you in bringing science home!

Happy BirdSleuthing,
Jen Fee
BirdSleuth Project Leader

BirdSleuth for Homeschools

Hungry Bird

Chloe & Her Fearless Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Drew's Favorite Bird Experience

November "Share-Athon"

Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

Student Writing Contest!

I have the tools!

Kicking off a new season of feeder watching!

Birds of the Mississipi Delta

Great Backyard Bird Count Going on NOW!

Coffee and Bird Conservation?

Citizen Science Discoveries!

Red-winged Blackbirds and other Catastrophies

Planning some summer travel?

The Bird's Blue!

Bald Eagles, A success story!

How to Attract Birds

Reflections from a guest blogger...

Social Networking!

White-crowned Sparrow

How do birds find their way?

What is Citizen Science?

A "guest blog" on Fall Migration!

Suddenly Fall!

February Discount

More videos in our "Inside Birding" Series!

Great Backyard Bird Count coming soon!

How fast do birds fly?

Geese in a "V"

Birds: singing and honking through the seasons!

Great new how-to video on better birding...

Strange Birds?

Advice for getting kids outside...

Welcome to our blog!