Backyard Birds Archives

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Barb — 2 Comments

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Swallows and Swifts

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Swallows and Swifts Bird Study

Inside Preparation Work:

Read pages 109-115 (Lesson #28) in the Handbook of Nature Study. This lesson includes information on several different birds. There are links below to the All About Birds website and location maps so you can pinpoint which birds you have in your local area and what they look like.

Cliff Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer. Make sure to click the “video” tab and see them in action.

Barn Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer. Make sure to click the “video” tab and see them in action.

Bank Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer.

Tree Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer. Make sure to click the “video” tab and see them in action.

Chimney Swift: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer.

Learn about bird migration as part of this challenge. Make sure to note where your swallows and swifts migrate during the winter. Here are some links:

Bird Migration Facts for Kids

Advanced study: Read through these facts about bird migration and create a nature journal page that features any facts you found interesting: Bird Migration and Fun Facts About Bird Migration.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Make sure to look for any local resident birds that you can observe as the season is changing. During your walk, talk about bird migration and introduce the idea that not all birds stay in one place for the whole year.
Use your observation skills to listen for birds or look for signs of birds in your neighborhood.

Follow-Up Activity:

Create a nature journal entry for a swallow you have in your local area.
In addition, create a nature journal entry for any bird you observed this week. Make sure to look up information about the bird and include any interesting facts on your page.
Advanced study: Draw a map featuring a swallow’s or other local bird’s migration path.
Advanced study: View this link and create a sketch of a swallow in your nature journal: Swallow Naturalist Notebook.

If you want to purchase the Autumn Nature Study 2015 ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Autumn Nature Study 2015 announcement page for more details.

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Bird Watching Answer Book – Book Review

This month’s book in my Nature Book Project 2015 is The Bird Watching Answer Book (my affiliate link). As a bird lover and birdwatcher, I found this book to be easy to read and full of interesting and valuable information. The chapters are arranged by broad topics but then provide the information in question and answer style. I rarely have big blocks of time to read books so having the ability to read a shorter section and then pick up where I left off when the next opportunity comes along is very efficient. I actually enjoyed asking my family members questions to see if they knew the answers before I read them. What a great way to learn!

Interspersed in the chapters are pages with tips and practical ideas that relate to bird watching. Information about feeding, creating bird friendly environments, nests, songs, and migration. I wrote recently about my problem with birds flying into my windows. On pages 87-91 there are many ideas for preventing or reducing bird strikes which gave me some fresh ideas to try.

On page 7 it has this advice, “Birds are especially drawn to the sound of dripping or flowing water, so setting up a plastic bottle with a small hole in the bottom above your birdbath to provide a slow, steady drip will bring in more individuals and more species than a birdbath alone.” I’m going to try that one!
Ever wondered how long certain species of birds live? The book shares many common birds and their life spans on pages 302-304. Fascinating! Did you know a cardinal can live up to 15 years?
Then there are lots of questions that I had never even thought to ask. For instance, “Why is it birds can sit on electrical wires and not get zapped?” Hmmmm….good question!
Did you know four presidents had mockingbirds as pets? See page 191 for their names.
You can see the complete table of contents by clicking the Amazon.com link above.

I give this book a big thumbs up and it will be sitting on my living room table for awhile before it finds its home on my nature library reference shelf. I know that visitors to my home will pick this book up and thumb through it, finding something of interest to catch their eye!

Some Quick Thoughts

I love the size of the book and that the spine is actual cloth binding. The pages have a nice weight and it is just a pleasure to hold and read.
The author Laura Erickson is the science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
I think this would make a wonderful reference book in your nature library. Middle school aged children and up could read the book on their own but you could read aloud a few pages a day even to your youngest children and they would be interested. Charlotte Mason homeschoolers could read aloud a section at a time and have their children narrate back what they learned either in words or a nature journal page.
388 pages, indexed by topic and bird name for easy reference
This book would be a great resource for more advanced nature study students. It includes topics such as invasive species, birds that are endangered, and climate change.

Previous Month’s Books and Reviews

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Barb — 2 Comments

August Bird List

I love to list the birds that visit my yard. There are so many that frequent my feeders, fruit trees, birdbath, and other hiding places. Many times I hear a bird and then go to the window to try to catch a glimpse, using binoculars to aid my investigation. I know my neighbors probably think I am the crazy binocular lady but who cares!

The finches have been feasting on the leaves of my sunflowers. They leave just the skeleton of the leaf behind after clinging to the leaf and nibbling it.

Here is my list for August 2015.

(Some were flying over the house but I still added them to the list.)

Titmouse
House finch
Anna’s hummingbird
Western scrub jay
Mourning doves
Goldfinches
Crow
Black-headed grosbeak
California towhee
Acorn woodpecker
Turkey vulture
Canada goose
Robin
Starlings

***Black phoebe – This is a completely new bird to our list!!! During our dinner one evening out on the back deck, we spied him sitting up in a tree near the railing. He definitely was saying fee-bee, fee-bee. We saw him the next day in the same tree.

Here is my birds list from last summer: Summer Birds List 2014.

Here are my favorite bird notebooking pages from NotebookingPages.com.

(these are affiliate links)

Use code discount5 to save $5 on any purchase $10 or more from the NotebookingPages.com Shop. (This does not include membership purchases.)

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Baltimore Oriole

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Baltimore Oriole Bird Study

Inside Preparation Work:

Read pages 120-123 (Lesson #31) in the Handbook of Nature Study. Make sure to note the image of the oriole’s nest in the lesson!
Watch these Youtube videos: Feeding Orioles, How to Attract Orioles and Baltimore Orioles Up Close.
The Baltimore oriole is a beautiful songbird so I highly suggest that during your preparation time you listen to the song: Baltimore Oriole song.
Most of the lesson is a suggestion to observe the nest in winter and early spring. Mark your nature calendar to look for the nest in the next winter season.
West Coast families: Look for Bullock’s orioles instead of the Baltimore oriole.
Advanced study: Use this page on All About Birds to learn about bird song and how to identify a bird by its distinctive call: Songs and Calls.

Outdoor Hour Time:

During your outdoor time, take a walk in the woods and listen for the song of the oriole.
Suggested bird observations for any bird you see during your outdoor time: size, shape, color, and song.
Use the Bird Observation printable in the ebook to record your bird observations. You can take the page out on a clipboard along with a pencil to look carefully at any bird you see during your outdoor time.

Follow-Up Activity:

Create a nature journal page that features the nest of the Baltimore oriole. Use the image in the Handbook of Nature Study or the image in the ebook as a basis for drawing the shape of the nest. Make sure to include some facts about this interesting nest on your page.
Advanced study: Draw three different nests in your nature journal, making sure to include a caption for each one. You can use this page for images: Examples of Nests and Eggs.
Advanced study: Read about the citizen science project: Nest Watch.
Create a bird drawing for your nature journal using this video on YouTube: How to Draw a Bird Step by Step.

If you want to purchase the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Summer Nature Study Continues – New Ebook announcement page for more details.

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Barb — 7 Comments

Bird’s Eye View Window Decals-Saving Birds

I had such high hopes for the Bird’S Eye View Window Film. I will rewind to give you my story.

I have a subscription to Birds and Blooms and in the June/July issue there was a full page advertisement for a product that caught my attention, Bird’s Eye View Window Film. This product was developed to help protect wild birds from flying into windows by making shiny clean windows more visible. I thought they looked beautiful with the geometric designs and a touch of color.

Let me tell you that I have had a problem with birds smacking into my front and back windows. I happen to have a lot of windows in my house…love the natural light. But, it does make for a lot of window strikes.

I received two packages of the Bird’s Eye view product to try and share a review with you. These are more like square window clings, they went up easily and have stayed adhered to the window. You can actually peel them off and reposition them if you need to with no problem. I am totally happy with that aspect.

The problem is that I have had numerous birds fly right into the very windows with the product on them. Have they reduced the number of birds colliding with my shiny windows? It is hard to say. I went back and reread the application instruction and realized it does say that there needs to be 2 6″ pieces or 4 4″ pieces near the center of the window about 4″ apart. I moved my pieces around but put them right over where I could see the feathers from the bird strike on the outside of the window. We are still hearing birds hit the window.

Birds Eye view (5) — That’s my finger pointing at feathers from a bird who hit the window just to the side of the window film.

I am going to leave them up all summer and try to pay attention to see if we seem to have less collisions…partly because it seems proactive on my part and partly because they are pretty. And, I think I am actually going to get some more and see if placing more of the Bird’s Eye View product on my windows will help eliminate the bird strikes over time. I will keep you posted.

On this very day, a scrub jay hit my back door window and I found him dead on the back mat even though I have a decal on that particular door. It breaks my heart when this happens.

If you have a problem with birds hitting your windows, you can try this product and see if you have success. You can purchase this product online or on Amazon.com: Bird’s Eye View window film.

So, although this product hasn’t completely eliminated my problem with birds flying into my windows, I think it is a step towards solving a worrisome problem.

Additional Links

10 Things to do to Prevent Window Strikes – I might consider adding a few of these ideas to see if they help in my particular case.
Keeping Birds Safe Around Windows – from the much respected people at All About Birds.
Birds and Windows – from the Portland Audubon Society

Please note that the Amazon link is an affiliate link.

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015 Results

This year the Great Backyard Bird Count fell on a perfect spring-like weekend. We have had warm temperatures and loads of sunshine, causing the trees and flowers to burst open with color and fragrance. This was great for all of us humans but it seemed to lower the numbers of birds we typically see during this citizen science event.

We participated on two of the four days and here are our results.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015

Anna’s hummingbird 1
Titmouse 2
Western scrub jay 3
Crows 2
Spotted towhee 2
Juncos 2
Pine siskins 2
White-crowned sparrows 1
Mockingbird 1
House finches 9
Northern flicker 1

A total of 26 birds. (Of note, we haven’t counted a single House sparrow in months at our feeders as part of Project Feederwatch. Where have they all gone?)

The week before the count we had 8 inches of rain and 102 birds that visited our feeders and yard, including approx. 50 Cedar wawings, a Nuttall’s woodpecker, and 10 robins. Quite a difference!

Here is a link to last year’s results: 2014.

I created my nature journal page as part of the Once a Month Nature Journal Project featuring one of the robins I watched right outside my window in the pyracantha berries. The suggestion was to create a page that recorded something you saw out your window.

American robin nature journal — Once a Month Nature Journal Project for February

I also had some time to create a notebook page entry for the Northern flicker. The Outdoor Hour Challenge a few weeks ago was to watch for a flicker in your yard or neighborhood. I actually saw three flickers one day when I was driving over to my parent’s house. I love seeing them flash in front of me with their colorful underbellies. You can find the challenge here: Outdoor Hour Challenge – Flickers.

I know people are going to ask me so I will link the Cornell bird coloring book for you to download: Classroom Feederwatch-Cornell Bird Coloring Book.

I hope you had a chance to count birds this year!

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Crows, Ravens, and the Great Backyard Bird Count

We have had some changes in the birds that frequent our feeders and our neighborhood. Here are a few of my observations and thoughts.

1. We are seeing more ravens than crows these days. It isn’t unusual to see three ravens flying over the yard, landing in our tall evergreens right at the top. They sit there and make their CRONK, CRONK sound and then a gurgling. They are so much larger than the crows we have had in the past. I’m not sure what the reason is for the change but it will be interesting to see the numbers during the Great Backyard Bird Count. If you would like to do a really easy study and comparison of the raven and the crow, I highly recommend this page on All About Birds: Crows vs. Ravens.

2. We haven’t had any house sparrows in our feeders since last spring. Where did they go? We still have white-crowned sparrows and fox sparrows but the distinctive sweet song of the house sparrow is absent. Should I be sad at their disappearance? Is it only a temporary thing, perhaps having some connection to the drought we are experiencing? Only time will tell.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015

I invite you to mark February 13-16, 2015 on your calendar and plan on participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count at least one of the days. We have participated in this citizen science project for many years, keeping a record of the birds that come to our yard during the count period. This activity started us on a long term quest to learn all of the birds that come to visit us, learning their names and habits.

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Flicker

Inside Preparation Work:

Read the Handbook of Nature Study lesson on flickers (Yellow-hammers) found on pages 77-80 (Lesson #18).
You can also view the information on All About Birds website to learn more about the flicker: Northern Flicker. On that site, you can see there the map showing the distribution for the Northern Flicker. Make sure to listen to the sound of the flicker so you can listen for it in your area. I almost always hear a flicker before I see it (and then it is many times on the lawn looking for something to eat).
There are also videos on AllAboutBirds.com: Flicker videos.
Print page two of this pdf to read some tips for finding flickers: Living With Wildlife.

Outdoor Hour Time:

Use the observation suggestions in the Handbook of Nature Study lesson to observe the flicker.

Describe the colors of the flicker. (see lesson for specifics).
Observe the beak size and shape.
Did you observe the flicker in flight? What colors did you see flash underneath?

If you don’t have a flicker to observe, look for another tree clinging bird in your neighborhood.
If you have an outdoor birdfeeder, sit quietly and watch any birds that come to eat during your outdoor time.

Follow-Up Activity:

Create a nature journal entry for the flicker, including a sketch in color.
Learn how to attract flickers to your yard on this site: Audubon.
If you observed another bird for this challenge, you can use the notebook page in the ebook to record your observations.
Advanced Study: Create a nesting box for Northern Flickers. Use the information on this website to learn about the decline of flickers in most of the United States and then create a nesting box with plans you can download.
Advanced Study: View the birds on this page of All About Birds to pick another bird to compare to the Northern Flicker. Create a nature journal entry sharing those comparisons.

Join us for this series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

If you want to purchase the Winter Nature Study Continues ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Winter Nature Study Continues Ebook Announcement page for more details.

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Barb — 8 Comments

December Bird Study and Nature Notes

Our December bird study has been accomplished by participation in Project Feederwatch.

We didn’t see a Belted Kingfisher for that particular Outdoor Hour Challenge. As much as I travel in California, I have never seen one in real life. I used the location and species application over on the Great Backyard Bird Count website to local possible locations for future observation. It looks like that we can find them within an hour’s drive of our house which is encouraging.

Here are our details for Project Feederwatch so far in the month of December.

Anna’s hummingbird-1
Western scrub jay-2
Titmouse-2
House finch-12
Junco-9
California towhee-2
Spotted towhee-3
Sooty fox sparrow-2
White-crowned sparrow-8 (no house sparrows yet!)
Mourning dove-2
Downy Woodpecker-1
Mockingbird-1
American robin-5
Lesser goldfinch-6
Western bluebird-3
Northern flicker-3
European starling-6
White-breasted nuthatch-1

Other Nature Notes

Aside from counting birds this month, I have been keeping track of rainfall. Yes, we have had rain! Our rain gauge has measured a total of 11 inches of rain since 12/1/14. We have been so dry that we don’t mind the rainy days at all!
We have had some beautiful orange-pink sunrises in the last week with the stormy clouds.
The last of the autumn leaves are down from the trees.
My Zygocactus has started to bloom.
We have several rose buds on the plant.
My early spring Narcissus bulbs are blooming! I think they are a little mixed up about the season.

This year I am pretty much on my own for weekday nature walks. I am scheduling in at least two long walks a week because walking and thinking are so very refreshing. Just getting outside in the air to observe the season takes a little effort but it is never disappointing. Let me how you are able to keep your nature walks going during the winter. I will be writing an article for an up-coming newsletter about the benefits of regular outdoor time for families.

How is your December looking?

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Barb — 2 Comments

Autumn Bird List

We have been on the lookout for hawks or any birds that might come our way to study as part of our Outdoor Hour Challenge – Hawks assignment.

We had the opportunity to travel to Monterey, California last week for a wedding. While we were there we drove the 17 Mile Drive from Pebble Beach along the coast. This is a fantastic drive and winds through cypress groves, along the Pacific Ocean, and allows for many scenic stops at beaches and rocky outcroppings. The image above is the Lone Cypress stop along the drive.

At one stop, we heard and observed a Red-tailed hawk!

We were able to get a really good look at his silhouette and identify him both by his shape and his call. Perfect timing!

This is a month of changing birds at the birdfeeder.

My October Bird List (in our yard)

Anna’s hummingbird
American goldfinch
Western scrub jay
Dark-eyed Junco (returned to our yard 10/13/14)
White-crowned sparrow (returned to our yard 10/13/14)
Mourning doves
Flicker (heard and not seen)
Great horned owl (heard and not seen)
Northern mockingbird (singing his heart out every day from the top of a tree)
Edit to add: Titmouse 10/21/14
Edit to add: Nuttall’s woodpecker on 10/21/14
Edit to add: Spotted towhee on 10/18/14
Edit to add: House sparrows on 10/22/14

Now that the season is finally changing around here we will see more visitors to our birdfeeders. Coming up fast, Project Feederwatch will be here before we know it!

What birds did you see this week?

These are affiliate links to products I have used and love.

Category: Backyard Birds

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Swallows and Swifts

Bird Watching Answer Book – Book Review

August Bird List

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Baltimore Oriole

Bird’s Eye View Window Decals-Saving Birds

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015 Results

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015

Crows, Ravens, and the Great Backyard Bird Count

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Flicker

December Bird Study and Nature Notes

Here are our details for Project Feederwatch so far in the month of December.

Other Nature Notes

How is your December looking?

Autumn Bird List

What birds did you see this week?

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!