Birds Archives

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Autumn Bird and Woodpecker Nature Study

The Outdoor Hour Challenge this week is to go outside and observe a bird. If you want to learn about a specific bird, the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study referenced below is for the woodpecker. Take some time to follow the links in the archived challenge to view a variety of woodpeckers and determine which ones live in your neighborhood.

After your outdoor time, no matter what bird you found to study, follow up with the Autumn Bird notebook page found in the free notebook page bundle available here and on the Autumn tab of the website.

Autumn Bird and Woodpecker Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 15 (pages 70-74)

Archive Outdoor Hour Challenge – Click the link above to take you to the original challenge.

Make sure to click the link below to read the entire Outdoor Hour Challenge with helpful links, nature study ideas, printable notebooking pages, and suggested follow-up activities.

Autumn Bird and Woodpecker Nature Study – Handbook of Nature Study Lesson 15 (pages 70-74)

Printable Bird Feet Grid and Advanced Study Notebook Pages

A suggested activity in this Outdoor Hour Challenge is to look at birds’ feet and make some comparisons. This part of the study can be done with any two birds you can observe in person. Use the notebook pages linked above to record your research and observations.

Additional Ideas

Don’t forget that the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships have a Learning About Birds ebook for you to use in your bird nature study. This ebook helps you study many common birds using the Handbook of Nature Study.

This Outdoor Hour Challenge is part of the 2018-2019 Plan here on the Handbook of Nature Study. We’ll be using the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock to discover new things about the world around us. Join us each Friday for a different nature study topic. Make sure to subscribe to this blog to receive the weekly challenge right in your email box.

If you want to become a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you can click the Join Us button for more details. Benefits include those shown above including access to ebooks, notebooking pages, archived newsletters, and new ebooks and printables published during your membership.

The links below are my affiliate links on Amazon.com. I personally have used all of these books in our homeschool nature study of woodpeckers.

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Barb — 1 Comment

August Planning Page and Printables

August 2018 Nature Planning Page – Print Your Copy Here!

Download your copy here: August 2018 Nature Planning Page

In addition, I’ve created three new printables for you to use this month as well.

Seashore Observations: This is an exciting new printable activity that you can take with you to the beach. It helps your family through making some observations and then a scavenger hunt!

Rattlesnake Notebook Pages: This set of three notebooking pages will give you a spot in your nature journal to record what you learn and/or observe with rattlesnakes.

Eagle Notebook Page: Here’s another page in our on-going bird series for the eagle. We’ve seen so many eagles this summer that it just has to be featured on one of my nature journal pages. I invite you to do the research and then look for eagles soon!

Print a complete list of printables available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by clicking the button above.

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – May 2018

Outdoor Mom
May 2018

Our outdoor time made us wonder…..

We’ve been watching birds in our yard since we moved here a year ago. We’ve now seen the complete cycle of birds in each season. I’m thrilled every time a new kind of bird shows up at a feeder or within sight of our windows. Now, the nesting boxes are being occupied by a couple of bird families. The tree swallows are the most fascinating to watch as they bring the materials into the box for their nest. How do they fly with those long grasses in their mouth? How do they manage to get them through the little hole and into the box? Truly a miracle of life!

In our garden, we are building…..

Construction has begun on our new yard landscape. We picked the pavers for the walkways and patio so now all we need to do is make a plan for getting them laid. My husband is working part time at a landscaping and floral nursery down the road from us and this is how we’ll finance the bigger purchases of rock, sand, and the majority of the trees and shrubs. It’s been awesome to have an expert help us at least get started with this huge project. Now that we’re underway, I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

I’ve had to do quite a bit of research about native plants in anticipating the filling of our garden beds. I don’t want to spend a lot of money purchasing things that will not survive our harsh, long winters. Or as I’ve discovered from experience, plants that the deer will eat in one night. Instead, it makes sense to take the time to find out the best way to spend our money and energy and still end up with a yard that is beautiful and will stand the test of time.

I am dreaming about…..

The promise of another summer season here in Oregon is just about to be realized. I can feel the days getting longer and the landscape is filling up with green things and flowering things and life in general. The river is calling us to come and float on its cool clear water. The sun is warm on my face and shoulders when I’m out in the garden. I can’t wait to be in the middle of July when all my family is going to be around me for a big anniversary picnic!

One last image…..

This is just the start of something pretty outside my bedroom window for the birds, bees, and butterflies. It just makes me happy to think of the seasons to come where I will be able to look out my window and see a little nature looking back at me.

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you would like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Owl Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Owl Nature Study

From the Archives and from the Summer Nature Study ebook

This week is one of my favorite “hands-on” bird studies of them all! Use all of your senses to look for signs of an owl, including their sounds and owl pellets. If you don’t know what an owl pellet is, take a look at the link in the archive post for more information.

If you find an owl pellet or you order one up for your family, you will learn so much about an owl and their diet. See the link in the archive post for suggested sources for owl pellets. There’s even a link to a virtual owl pellet dissection!

Plus, make sure to take a look at this blog entry from my family’s owl study to get an idea of how you can use an owl pellet to supplement your owl study: Raptors of the Night.

Join us for this exciting series of nature study topics as we work through the Summer Nature Study – Using Your Senses ebook. Although this ebook is titled “summer nature study”, most of these nature study topics are applicable at all times of the year.

This ebook is found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Members also have access to a complete bird study ebook!

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Gray Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Gray Birds – Pigeon and Mockingbirds

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

Using the link above to the archived challenge, you’ll find a lot of helpful information on getting started with a gray bird nature study. Pick one or two of the ideas to get you started and then make sure to get outside to observe your backyard or neighborhood birds.

An advanced study would be to do a comparative study of the pigeon and the mourning dove.

This is our last bird study from the Learning About Birds ebook. I’ve enjoyed taking a closer look at the birds in our backyard using the Handbook of Nature Study and I hope you have too!

Starting next week, we’ll be working through the Summer Nature Study – Using Your Senses ebook.

It’s found in the Ultimate level membership for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Black and White Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Black and White Birds – Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Towhees

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

The birds in this week’s challenge are some of my favorite birds! There’s such a great variety of birds to choose from. To learn more, use the link above to the archived challenge. Which bird will you choose?

Woodpeckers: These are some of the most interesting birds that come to our backyard. They’re usually bigger than the rest and will cling to the tree trunk, pecking for their next meal. You can often hear them before you see them if they’re tapping on a tree or fence post.
Chickadees: Chickadees are very social little birds that have a simple to identify song. Listen for them with their chickadee call from the tree limbs. They’ll also come close to you if you sit next to your feeder.
Nuthatches: These little acrobats will climb up and down your tree trunks. They often remind me of little clown faces. They are fast!
Towhees: You will pretty much find towhees under your feeder and not perching at the feeder itself. They have a funny way of scratching around under the feeder to find their seeds. My favorite are the spotted towhees!

Pick one of the birds in this challenge to read about and then go outside and look for them!

This black and white bird challenge is from the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It’s found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Bonus Notebook Pages!

I am including two bonus notebook pages to all subscribers this month.

Download your notebook pages below!

Bird Study with Nest and Egg Notebook Page

My Nest Study Notebook Page

Make sure to save this email or download and save these pages now for future use. I will be eliminating the link 604/26/18. All new subscribers will get these two notebook pages in their follow up email after confirming their subscription.

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Mom – April 2018

Outdoor Mom

April 2018

I was born and raised in California and California spring is all I’ve ever experienced until this year. Central Oregon has rocked my conception of what March and April weather should be and how it should look. Usually by now, I’m in the thick of spring wildflower season, taking hikes to see the lupines and poppies. Not this year.

April has been a subtle changing of the season. Our landscape is just now starting to show some signs of green and I actually spotted my very first dandelion in my yard. Our temperatures are getting warmer and we had some rain this week rather than snow so maybe, just maybe, we are headed to spring.

This new version of spring has not stopped us from getting outdoors. In fact, my husband and I take a daily walk to check out our river and the changes that are happening there.

Changes in Our World

We’ve spotted more birds, including new ones for our life list like the Wilson’s snipe, the wood duck, and the common goldeneye. Also, we spied our very first rufous hummingbird scouting out our backyard. I had an inkling that they were around so I’d just hung our feeder and sure enough, they visited while I was watching. I’ve been super happy with the Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell. This is a free app that helps you identify a bird without the use of a field guide. I find it very easy to use and pretty much every time, I can use the app to find out a bird’s name.

We’ve been observing the Belding’s ground squirrels with binoculars. I’d noticed activity around the holes out back and one afternoon they made their appearance. They’re such busy little creatures as they scratch around on the ground looking for something to eat. They’re smaller than I thought they should be and their tails are much shorter than expected. But, there is something quite entertaining about these ground squirrels and I love their cinnamon color.

We’ve been talking about taking the kayaks out on the river and today it was so sunny and warm that we just did it!

We’ve started exploring our area some more and all of its many lakes. My son and I drove up to the Twin Lakes, stopping to hike completely around South Twin Lake. What an enjoyable mile or so hike! There are some gorgeous ponderosa pines along the trail and we saw quite a bit of green manzanita just starting to blossom. It’s great to have my hiking buddy living with us for now…hoping to find some more trails to explore soon with this guy.

I’m eagerly anticipating a great upcoming month of outdoor time as the spring weather really hits. It’s like awakening from a long winter’s nap to find a new world to observe with new plants, animals, birds, and insects to get to know.

How are you enjoying your spring?

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you’d like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Black Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Black Birds – Crow, Red Winged Blackbird, Cowbird, and Starling

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

The birds in this week’s challenge are some of the more common birds most of us see during our daily activities. The challenge is to take a few minutes this week to observe and learn about one of the birds listed above. Currently, we have starlings and red winged blackbirds in our birdfeeders so we might do a compare and contrast of these two black birds.

The secondary part of this nature study challenge is to focus on looking at a bird’s eye color. Many times eye color is a field mark in identifying a particular bird. For example, some of the blackbirds in our feeders have a gold eye. This helped us to determine that we have brewer’s blackbirds and red winged blackbirds.

Note: There is a fantastic crow video in the archive link above so don’t miss it!

This black bird challenge is from the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It’s found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Brown Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Brown Birds – House Sparrows, House Wrens, and Mourning Doves

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

“Anyone who attempts to recognize birds by sight alone misses much of the pleasure that comes to those who have taken the time and pains to learn bird songs and use them as a means of bird recognition. It is true that not all people have a talent for music; but everyone interested in birds can learn to identify the songs and most of the call notes of common birds.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 42

Use the ideas and resources in the challenge linked above to learn more about the birds in this week’s challenge. In addition, make sure to listen to the birds singing in your neighborhood. The mourning dove is a particularly easy bird to identify by its cooing sound. Listen here: mourning dove song. See if your children can imitate this common backyard bird.

This brown bird challenge is from the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It’s found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy — Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Goldfinches and Meadowlarks

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Yellow Birds – Goldfinches and Meadowlarks

From the Archives and from the Learning About Birds ebook

Use the links above to find out more information for the birds included in this Outdoor Hour Challenge. You’ll find links to listen to each of these bird’s beautiful songs and I highly recommend that you listen to each one carefully for future reference. Also, there’s a link to a free bird coloring book that many families have found helpful in their bird nature study as a follow up to viewing each bird.

In our area, we have several kinds of finches to observe as the season warms up, so we’ll be learning about finches in preparation of their arrival at our feeders.

Do you have American goldfinches, Lesser goldfinches or both in your feeders?

This yellow bird challenge is from the Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study. It’s found in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships for you to download and use with your family. If you would like to gain access to this ebook, you can purchase a membership now and have instant access.

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership.

Category: Birds

Autumn Bird and Woodpecker Nature Study

August Planning Page and Printables

Download your copy here: August 2018 Nature Planning Page

In addition, I’ve created three new printables for you to use this month as well.

Outdoor Mom – May 2018

Outdoor Mom
May 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Owl Nature Study

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Gray Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Black and White Birds 2018

Bonus Notebook Pages!

Outdoor Mom – April 2018

How are you enjoying your spring?

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Black Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Brown Birds 2018

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Goldfinches and Meadowlarks

The Outdoor Hour Challenge tied for second place in the Elementary Science category in the Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards!

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!

Download your copy here: August 2018 Nature Planning Page

In addition, I’ve created three new printables for you to use this month as well.

Outdoor Mom May 2018

Bonus Notebook Pages!

How are you enjoying your spring?

The Outdoor Hour Challenge tied for second place in the Elementary Science category in the Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards!

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!

Outdoor Mom
May 2018