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How to observe birds
in your schoolyard
What you need:
- Our bird data sheets (pdf
1.5 MB) or nature journals
- Thermometer and a watch to record temperature and time of
observations, at least one per class
- Inexpensive binoculars, several pairs per class (optional)
- Bird guides for your area, such as Peterson’s Field
Guide to Western Birds, several per class, or Audubon Society
Flash Guides
What to do:
1. Before taking students outside, familiarize yourself with
where the birds are in the schoolyard. Check leafy trees, telephone
lines and the tops of buildings. Many birds are active early
in the morning.
2. Before taking students outside, ask which birds they have
seen around their neighborhood or the schoolyard. Do they know
the names? Which are very common? What are they eating? Why
do people study birds? Make a list on chart paper or the board
of student predictions.
3. If you are using our data sheets, photocopy and follow the
directions for using them. If you are using field journals,
bring them outside. You can either have each student fill out
his own sheet, or have students work in groups of no more than
five, assigning one student to be the data writer.
4. Go to the locations you previously scouted and have students
start observing birds. Stay together for a few minutes, then
allow students to spread out.
- Note the date, time, temperature, weather
- Note where you see a bird, and what it is doing
- Note how many of each species you see
- Describe birds that you can’t identify
- Write any other things you find interesting
5. After 10-15 minutes, take students back to the classroom to share their observations.
Which areas have more birds? Why? Did they see new birds? How might these birds
be different from the ones in wild areas? Revisit their predictions. Do they
want to add anything to their earlier notes?
6. Use these creative writing ideas to extend these field observations:
- Describe a “day in the life” of one of the birds in the schoolyard.
What time does it wake up? Where does it get food and water? What does in do
when a student chases it? Where does it sleep?
- Describe ways that you would change your schoolyard to attract more birds.
What would you add? What would you take away?
- Research one of the birds you saw in the schoolyard. Why is it able to live
among humans while other birds can’t? |
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