Birds Archives

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Barb — 4 Comments

June 2017 Bird Observations

Moving to a new habitat has renewed my desire to learn more about birds. I now live right on a river that has a grassy meadow that leads up to my house. I also live on the edge of a pine forest and at a high altitude. In addition, I live in a place where I will see migratory birds that will only visit for brief periods of time or for a whole season.

It’s a whole new birding world here in Central Oregon.

I have been keeping track of the many birds that visit my yard or fly overhead during the past month and a half. It can be such a distraction to spot a new bird and feel the impulse to drop everything to grab my binoculars and field guide. But, this is part of the reason we moved here; to have our love of nature stimulated again with new and exciting nature experiences.

The people who lived in our house before us were birders as well so they had their binoculars and field guide at the window when we came to view the house. They also had a seed feeder and a hummingbird feeder set up in the backyard which made my heart happy. We have since added three more seed feeders (two sunflower and one nyjer seed), a suet feeder, an additional hummingbird feeder and two bird baths to the yard.

This list is in no way a list of EVERY bird we have had visit our yard. A few of the birds I am struggling with identifying and if I happen to capture a good image, I will share the photos in the hope that someone will know what they are and tell me.

May and June 2017 – First Bird List from Oregon!

Black-headed grosbeak
Mourning doves
Canada goose
Brewer’s blackbird
Red-wing blackbird
Tree swallow
Cliff swallow
Mountain chickadee
American robin
Mallard duck
Osprey
House finches
Northern flicker
Steller’s jay
Common raven
Turkey vulture
Great blue heron
Red-breasted sapsucker
Rufous hummingbird
Bull bat (common nighthawk) – heard early morning

You may be interested in reading this entry about keeping a bird “life list”. There are several suggestions for your family to get started with this satisfying project: Keeping a Bird Life List. It has a free printable list!

If you are looking for a fantastic set of bird notebooking pages that includes all of the birds in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford-Comstock, this is THE product to have on hand.

I have used these pages with my children and in my own nature journal over the years. Please note that I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and will receive a small commission if you purchase any of their products. I highly recommend this set for your bird nature study. In fact, they go perfectly with my new Learning About Birds ebook challenges!

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Chickadees

Outdoor Hour Challenge- Chickadees

From the Archives and the More Nature Study Winter Ebook

This is a week that those that have a backyard feeder are going to enjoy. Chickadees are frequent visitors to many feeders here in the United States. These cheerful little birds are fun to watch and will be a wonderful wintertime bird study for even beginner families. Use the information in the link to the archives post to get started learning about chickadees. Follow up with some discussion and perhaps a nature journal entry.

For those of you who are like me and don’t have chickadees in the feeder, you might want to substitute the titmouse instead. This page on the Audubon website will prove very helpful in a visual way to knowing what chickadees and a titmouse looks like: Chickadees and Titmice. You may also want to view this page on AllAboutBirds: Chickadees and Titmice. We are also getting closer to the favorite time of year for many birders- Great Backyard Bird Count time! Mark on your calendar February 17-20, 2017!

Great Backyard Bird Count

If you are interested in purchasing an Ultimate Naturalist Membership at this time, you will gain access to the custom notebooking pages that go along with each of the challenges in the ebook.

Note: You do not need to purchase the ebook to participate but they are handy to have for planning and for the regular and advanced notebook pages included in each one. Click the graphic at above to go over to check out the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Spring Plans!

We will be working through a new series of wildflower challenges starting in April using a new ebook that will publish sometime in March. The new wildflower ebook will also be added to the Ultimate Naturalist Library so if you purchase a membership now, you will have the new ebook as soon as it is available. I will posting details about the new ebook soon.

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Barb — 2 Comments

Outdoor Mom’s Journal – December

Where has the time gone? I was looking back in preparation for writing this entry and realized I never did a November installment of the Outdoor Mom. It certainly wasn’t because I haven’t been outdoors! Our November and so far this December have still been very conducive weather-wise for getting outdoors and exploring.

One thing that may have interfered with writing it all up for the blog is the fact that we have been doing some renovations on our home…kitchen and master bath mostly. But, now we are mostly done with that and I can turn my attention back towards sharing our outdoor exploring. (I already posted about our 3 Questions Nature Walk if you are interested in reading that entry.)

If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably noticed our weekly hikes and my images of things right in my own yard. I rarely stay indoors all day no matter the weather. The one thing about this particular time of year is that any color really pops out at you as you venture out and this collage of berries images illustrates this well. Don’t forget…berries attract birds so watch for birds wherever you find shrubs with colorful berries!

Stellers Jay in the feeder — I snapped this image of the Steller’s jay in my feeder. He was swinging around on it so it was hard to get a clear image but you can see his brilliantly blue feathers in this one.

I also started the Project Feederwatch counting in November. This is my sixth season of counting birds for this citizen science project and each year it brings such joy to my heart as I anticipate the arrival and sojourn of so many beautiful birds. This is a way I can give back to the birding community there at Cornell University. My life is better because they share their knowledge and experience with me via the internet.

Would you like to see my list of birds? Here you go! These are the high counts for each bird and we certainly don’t see these all in one day at our feeders but the count has taken place since 11/18/16 so that would account for the variety of birds on the list.

Pigeon – 5
Mourning dove – 2
Anna’s hummingbird – 2
Northern flicker – 5
Black phoebe- 1
California scrub jay (new name!) – 2
Oak titmouse – 2
Western bluebird -6
Northern mockingbird- 1
European starling -6
Cedar waxwing -25
Dark eyed junco -9
White crowned sparrow -6
Spotted towhee -3
House finch -5
American goldfinch -2
Steller’s jay – 1
White breasted nuthatch – 2
Bewick’s wren – 1

There is a wealth of birding information on the internet but I have not found a more homeschool-friendly site than the ones sponsored by Cornell University. I would love to encourage you all to subscribe to their homeschool blog (click the logo above to pop over there now).

You can also follow them on Facebook .
You can download homeschooling resources here.
Of course, my favorite resource is their AllAboutBirds website which is a great tool for identifying and learning more about birds in your own neighborhood.

I would love for other families to join ours in watching your feeder birds. It is super easy and you just need to devote a few minutes a week to getting to know your feeder birds one bird at a time.
So what have you been up to this month? Join me here by commenting or leaving me a link to your blog entry.

Outdoor Mom’s Journal

Whether your family spends a few minutes a week outside or hours at a time, share what is going on in your world.

How Do You Join?

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 week 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…
A photo I would like to share…

You can use the free monthly newsletter along with the Handbook of Nature Study book for your nature study. Adding a membership gives you access to the Ultimate Naturalist Library’s ebooks and printablse which provides members with even more in-depth studies each month.

Read more about it!

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

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Where Are the Sparrows?

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Sparrow Bird Study – from the archives and from the More Nature Study Autumn ebook

This time of year, the first birds I hear each morning are the sparrows. The have such a pretty light song that can’t help but cheer you up. This week use your local field guide to learn more about sparrows that live in your neighborhood. My suggestion is to pick one and read all about it and then go look for it. Sparrows are often in and under our birdfeeders (sunflower seeds and millet) but you may want to learn what your sparrow sounds like since they often are hidden in the shrubs or brush piles.

House Sparrow Sounds

White-crowned Sparrow Sounds – This is the sparrow that is most often spotted in my yard here in Northern California. You can listen to its pretty song at this link.

Song Sparrow Sounds – We don’t hear these in our yard but one of our favorite Oregon campgrounds always has these song sparrows in the blackberries and other bushes.

Please feel free to choose a different bird for this week’s study if you don’t have a sparrow to observe in person. You may wish to read about creating a Bird Life List and download a free printable list to start with your family: 10 Ideas for a Bird Life List.

Note: You do not need to purchase the ebooks to participate but they are handy to have for planning and for the regular and advanced notebook pages included in each one. Click the graphic at the bottom of this post to go over to check out the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. If you would like to see a sample of More Nature Study Autumn ebook, you can download a sample here: More Nature Study Autumn Sample.

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Posted on June 20, 2016 by Barb — 3 Comments

New Ebook! Learning About Birds using the Outdoor Hour Challenge

I have been diligently working on a new ebook that gathers together many of the bird challenges here on the Handbook of Nature Study website. The challenges have all been revamped, updated, enhanced, and supplemented with images and notebooking pages for your nature journal.

New Ebook Available for Ultimate Naturalist and Journey Level Members!

Here are the specifics:

This 65 page digital ebook has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn more about your local birds using the Handbook of Nature Study as well as the book, Backyard Birds.
There are 6 notebooking pages included in the ebook. Two of these are general bird study pages that can be printed multiple times to meet your family’s needs.
Full color photos of every bird included in the ebook.
Additional information on birdfeeders, bird seed, nature table ideas, life lists, field guide help, and online identification.
There is enough material in this ebook to provide 8 weeks of bird study or more depending on how long you take to complete each challenge. Every challenge has more than one bird-see list of birds included below.
The ebook contains a chart that links every bird discussed in the Handbook of Nature Study (the book) to a challenge here on the website. This chart will help you find the bird challenges found in other OHC ebooks as well as the corresponding notebooking pages (if available).
Sample: Print your ebook sample here: Learning About Birds from the Outdoor Hour Challenge.
Please Note: I am highly recommended the purchase and use of NotebookingPages.com’s Basic Bird Study pages and the North American Birds set of pages to use alongside the new Learning About Birds ebook here on the Handbook of Nature Study website. She has such excellent pages that fit perfectly with the birds featured in my new ebook!

How do you get the new Learning About Birds ebook?

Members of the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey levels have access to the new ebook in their library. You need to click the “Members Area” button at the top of the website, sign into your account, and the ebook is there to download and safe for your family to use when desired.

If you don’t have a membership yet, I am offering a $5 off discount code that will be good towards your Ultimate Naturalist membership.

Discount Code: BIRDLOVER5

Please note that I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and these are affiliate links. I have used these pages and loved them for many years with my own family.

How To Get Started With This New Ebook!

Make sure you have a membership to the Handbook of Nature Study website! Click the Purchase Now button above or the Join Us button on the website. If you don’t already have a membership, use the discount code above for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership. If you are a member, sign in to your library and download the book.
Have the required books in your home library- Handbook of Nature Study and Backyard Birds. Both books are listed in the new Learning About Birds ebook on the resources page or you can click to my Amazon.com store for purchasing them now.
Make sure to collect your FREE Basic Bird Study pages from NotebookingPages.com by following the instructions above!
Purchase your North American Birds Notebooking Pages from NotebookingPages.com.
Enjoy your bird nature study using the convenient plan in this new ebook!

I will be including some of these Outdoor Hour Challenges for birds over the next year. You may wish to subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study blog so you can receive the prompts in your email box each Friday.

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Handbook of Nature Study – May Printables

Take a look at the two new printables available in the Member’s Library for both the Ultimate and Journey level memberships. There is a simple Northern mockingbird notebook page and also a set of notebook and coloring pages for the buttercup and the poppy (4 pages in all). For a complete list of member’s printables, click the button below for a printable list.

Please note that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to members only printables each month in addition to the newsletter printables. You will need to log into your account and then go to the “Other Releases” section. You can download a complete list of printables available to members here: Printables Current List May 2016.

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

A Place for Birds and Butterflies – Book Review

A Place for Butterflies and A Place for Birds are two of the books in the series written by Melissa Stewart (see all books in this series on her website). I first saw these at a gift shop at a national park and was tempted to purchase them because of their gorgeous illustrations (done by Higgins Bond). These award winning books were my February selections for my Nature Book Project for 2016.

Please note that the above amazon.com links are affiliate links. I purchased these books with my own money and have written an honest review.

Along with the beautiful illustrations, I really enjoyed the concept of how to create in our local communities a space and place to nurture the native butterflies and birds that make their homes there. Specific birds and butterflies are discussed along with a location map and interesting facts.

The main message of this series is how we can combat the negative effects some practices and progress can take on the habitat where the birds and butterflies need to live. For instance in A Place for Birds, there are suggestions that people put up decals on their windows so birds don’t fly into them and even provide nesting boxes for birds.

I would love to share both of these books with the young people in my life. From start to finish, I found these books to be a delight and they are now resting on my picture book shelf for any young visitors to my home to enjoy. I can imagine sitting on the sofa with a child alongside me as we page through and enjoy the words and illustrations together.

Additional Information:You can find teacher’s guides for both books on this page of her website: Curriculum Guide for A Place for Birds and A Place for Butterflies.

Note: There is brief reference to the idea of evolution in each book.

Note some of the links below are Amazon.com affiliate links.

January- Discover Nature Close to Home

February-A Place for Birds and A Place for Butterflies

March- A Crow Doesn’t Need A Shadow

April- The Practical Naturalist

May- Break month.

June-Botany in a Day

July- Rockhounding Nevada (postponed)

August- Break month.

September- The 10 Best of Everything National Parks

October- The Nature Handbook

November- Bringing Nature Home (postponed)

December- Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge – Tips and Images

During our autumn visit to New Jersey, we had the chance to spend the afternoon at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Did you know there are over 560 national wildlife refuges? I was surprised to find one in this area of the world and so close to New York City. (26 miles to Manhattan but it’s going to take you a little over an hour to get there depending on traffic).

The literature says there are 244 species of birds that live or pass through this refuge during a typical year. We saw a handful of birds during our visit but we weren’t there very long and we were dodging raindrops when we were hiking on the trails.

We began our time at the refuge by going to the visitor center where we were greeted by enthusiastic and knowledgeable docents volunteers. They showed us the wonderful displays and answered our questions before sending us out to explore. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the day.

Once again we were on the Passaic River just like at Paterson Great Falls. It wasn’t very swampy when we visited but I could imagine the place once the rains and winter weather rolled in. The signs at the park said this is a place with mosquitoes and ticks so be prepared during the wetter seasons to wear pants and bring repellent.

I loved seeing my very first shagbark hickory trees along the trail. We were practically the only visitors on this day and it was amazing to stand out in the forest to watch and listen for any signs of birds and animals.

The forest canopy was a blaze with color during our visit. We spotted bat boxes and birdhouses too along the trail.

Just another lovely image from our hike. Can you believe this is about an hour from New York City?

Around the nature center there was a nice area to picnic with tables and a view of some interesting bird houses. I would plan a visit with my children during the spring or summer and then hit the nature center, have a picnic, and then go exploring on the trail or by taking the auto tour.

This captured my attention too! They had a habitat for birds and butterflies around the nature center. In the summer I can only imagine how busy this area of the park is to our insect friends.

This is a wonderful place to visit for a walk on a trail or a boardwalk, to learn more about the interesting habitat, and to enjoy the opportunity to view such a variety of birds and animals in New Jersey.

Additional tips:

There is a visitor/nature center and gift shop but no place to eat so pack your lunch!
There are restrooms at the visitor center.
No entrance fee!
You can download a map here: Great Swamp Map.
For your pre-trip planning: brochures for birds, animals, mammals, reptiles, wildflowers, and a driving tour.

You can read more of my national park entries by following these links:

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Redwoods National Park (California)
Channel Islands National Park(California)
Death Valley National Park(California)
Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
Joshua Tree National Park (California)
Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
Point Reyes National Seashore (California)
Muir Woods National Monument (California)
Zion National Park (Utah)
Weir Farm National Historic Site (Connecticut)
Pinnacles National Park (California)
Paterson Great Falls National Historic Site (New Jersey)
Morristown National Historical Park (New Jersey)
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (New Jersey)

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Great Backyard Bird Count 2016 Results

Here are my Great Backyard Bird Count results for 2016.

Anna’s Hummingbird – 2

Spotted Towhee – 2

California Towhee – 1

Scrub Jay – 1

House Finch – 1

Titmouse – 1

Mourning Dove – 1

White-crowned Sparrow – 2

Dark eyed Juncos – 2

American Robins – 14

Cedar Waxwings – 30

Northern flicker – 1

12 different birds with a total count of 58 birds! This year I only managed to count birds one of the mornings during the count period. This made a big difference in the results. Although, we had more birds this year than in the last 2 years, it is only because we had such a high count for the cedar waxwings. The morning I counted they just happened to be in my tree eating and roosting.

Hope you had a chance to count birds this year! Leave me a comment if you created an entry for your results and I will pop over and take a look.

Have you seen the new product over at NotebookingPages.com? If you own a Lifetime Membership over on Debra’s website, you can log into your account on NotebookingPages.com and download your set right now. If you aren’t already a member over there, you can purchase the set separately or I would highly recommend a Lifetime Membership so you can access all of the 1000’s of notebooking pages she has to offer. ($4.95 for the set or get started with your membership with $10!)

Please note I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and have used the notebooking pages with my family for years!

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Barb — Leave a comment

Great Backyard Bird Count Reminder

What? The Great Backyard Bird Count
When? February 12-15, 2016
Who? Anyone around the world…for the first time ever!
How? Count birds in your yard and at your feeders. Report the data to the Great Backyard Bird Count

Need so more information?
Great Backyard Bird Count

Video: Great Backyard Bird Count

Get prepared with printable checklists for you area…by zip code or town name.

Our family is going to be counting and I will share our results here on the blog soon!

Here is our bird list results from 2015: Great Backyard Bird Count Results 2015

Category: Birds