For the Birds

 

“The act of studying things is, in a way, a meditation on detail.  . . . The qualities of a fragment of nature are deeply impressed upon an individual.” —Maria  Montessori

 

 

The children and I have been discussing acting as field naturalists when we walk in the woods next week.  In preparation, we had a wonderful lesson on ornithology. We began by reviewing nature awareness skills including using a sneaky, quiet Fox Walk, taking in the big picture with Owl Eyes, focusing in on details with Eagle Eyes, and listening with perked Deer Ears. 

 

We then began to train our Deer Ears by listening to bird calls on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website.  Search a specific bird or choose from the list of "Most Popular Birds" on the main page.   For each bird, there are photographs, descriptions, behavior, videos, sounds, and more.  The children brainstormed birds we were likely to see here.  Beginning with cardinal and blue jay, we viewed the photos, noted identifying features and marks, and listened to the calls.   Then I disconnected the projector from my laptop and just played the call.  The children guessed which bird it was and then I re-connected the projector to reveal whether they were correct.  We then added two more birds (crow and the tricky mockingbird) to our repertoire.   Again, playing the same guessing game.  The children loved it!  

 

We were generously gifted enough child-size binoculars to add a pair to the field pack each group will carry.  After a lesson on how to use them, we went outside in cooperative groups to practice.  We closed the lesson with For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson.