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Spring 2019 Bird List

I’ve been posting on my Instagram account (outdoorhourchallenge) the monthly list of birds we observe from our window and in our backyard. But, it appears I haven’t really talked about our bird visitors for some time here on the blog.  So in conjunction with or instead of the Baltimore oriole nature study from last week, I’ll be sharing some of our bird stories and the list too!

may chalkboard bird list

As you can see from the list, we had a huge variety of birds visit during the month of May.

Birds that Visit the Feeders

  • Northern flicker
  • House finches – They are seen in the feeder but also on the lawn as they eat the puffs of dandelion seeds that get left behind by the mower.
  • California scrub jays
  • Red-winged blackbirds
  • Pygmy nuthatches
  • Mountain chickadees – We have two nesting boxes with chickadee nests. I saw a mama bird fly out of the box, land on the sidewalk, pick up some ants, and then fly back up to the nest. What a good mama!
  • Yellow-headed blackbirds – I’ve learned the sort of mechanical sound of these colorful birds that will sit high up in our pine trees. They visit the feeder occasionally.  Here’s a link to what they sound like: All About Birds.
  • Evening grosbeaks
  • Western bluebirds – We have a nesting box full of bluebirds in our yard!
  • Black-headed grosbeaks
  • Hairy woodpeckers
  • Steller’s jays
  • Western tanager – This is a new bird to our list! It’s such a beautiful and colorful bird that appeared one morning. Then, by afternoon, we had 5 males and 2 females at our feeders. I haven’t seen them in a few weeks so I guess they have moved on.
  • Rufous hummingbirds – They seem to have come and gone. I anticipate that they’ll return again soon.

flicker bird backyard may 2019 (1)

 Birds that Eat under the Feeders

  • Mourning doves
  • Brewer’s blackbirds
  • American robins – We have a nest up on our bbq shed. The mama very dutifully sits on the nest day after day. I looked it up and incubation is 12-14 days so she must be getting close to hatching the babies.
  • White-crowned sparrows
  • Dark-eyed juncos
  • California quail

Birds that Fly By

  • Tree swallows – There is a swallow nest in one of our nesting boxes. I love watching the swallows fly and dive and swoop in my yard as they eat mosquitoes! I wish they would eat them all!
  • Osprey
  • Snipe
  • Canada goose
  • Mallard ducks – There’s a duck family with about a dozen babies on the pond behind our house. There is nothing sweeter than a little duckling.
  • Common raven
  • Turkey vultures
  • Great blue herons – We observed three herons flying behind our house a few nights ago. That’s a record number of heron being seen all at one time.
  • Cooper’s hawk – He is a fierce predator and we’ve seen him chasing birds from our feeder several times. He is fast and flies so agilely.

 Is your family looking for a resource to use to learn more about your backyard birds? You should take a look at my Learning About Birds ebook that is available to both Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Learning About Birds 3D cover

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. (See the Amazon.com store for the bird related resources.)
  • 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.

Learning About Birds ebook Bird List @handbookofnaturestudy

Use the discount code BIRDLOVER5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Summer Caddisfly Nature Study

What is a caddisfly? Use this challenge to learn about a creature you may have in your local area and you just never noticed it before!

The caddisfly larvae (caddisworms) will be found in creeks, ponds, and streams.

caddisfly case

Image of a caddisfly case attribution to S. Rae

caddisfly

Image of Caddisfly attribution to Katja Schulz

Adult caddisflies are moth-like creatures that will be attracted to light in the evenings.

Watch this video to create some interest: Deep Look-The Amazing Underwater Tape of the Caddisfly. Note: this video has references to evolution.

The Outdoor Hour Challenge for caddisflies is a great opportunity to take a creek walk. Make sure to watch the video linked above to get an idea of what to look for while you’re exploring your creek. You’ll also want to make sure to keep your eyes out for water striders too, since they may be much easier for your children to spot on the surface of the water.

Use the archive link below to get prepared for your Outdoor Hour time and then enjoy a day at the creek!

Outdoor Hour Challenge Caddis Fly @handbookofnaturestudy

Link to the Archive Challenge: Caddisfly and Water Strider

Brook and Stream Mini Grid Study

Members here on the Handbook of Nature Study may wish to print out the Brook and Stream Nature Study notebook page in the printables library. This activity would be a great complement to your caddisfly/creek day.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer Nature Study Continues ebook

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.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

Use the discount code SUMMER5 for $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership and you will have access to the Summer Nature Study Continues ebook and the Brook and Stream Nature Study notebook page along with 20 other ebooks and many, many more printables!

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Summer Nature Study Ideas – Use the Archives!

Summer nature study can be as easy and casual as you need it to be! There are no rules to completing the Outdoor Hour Challenges and if you want to pick and choose a few of the nature study topics from the archives, feel free to jump around to areas of interest in your family.

Year Long Nature Study Summer Reminders

Make sure to mark your summer calendar with one or two of the year long study summer season ideas below!

Start by clicking the link to the archived entry

Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer Nature Study Ideas Index @handbookofnaturestudy

There are many more summer nature study ideas listed under the summer tab on the Handbook of Nature Study website.

summer nature study ebooks button

You may wish to complete one of the Summer Ebook series available in the Ultimate Naturalist Library.

Summer Nature Study Ebooks Available

Summer Nature Study

More Summer Nature Study

Summer Nature Study Continues

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

Use the discount code SUMMER5 for $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

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Year Long Study – Spring Cattail

Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Cattail Observations @handbookofnaturestudy

Start Here:Spring Cattail Nature Study

We are eagerly anticipating the spring season here in Central Oregon. In the meantime, we will plan our spring cattail nature study and keep our eyes out for the opportunity to study them soon!

If you have a near-by park that has a pond or little stream, look for cattails along the bank. Here are a few suggestions from the original challenge linked above:

  • Make sure to encourage your child to sketch the cattail leaves.
  • Try to include a little of the habitat that your cattails are growing in during this season.
  • Include in your sketch any insects, birds, or animals that you observed near your cattails during your outdoor time.

 

Spring Cattail Observation notebook pageIf you’re a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, there’s a notebook page you can use to record your spring cattail nature study observations listed in the printables section of your membership.

 

Links to prior season’s Outdoor Hour Challenges:

Autumn Cattail Nature Study – Free Printable

Winter Cattail Nature Study-Free Printable

Spring Ebooks Graphic button

There are many more spring related nature study ideas in the four ebooks shown above. You can find them in the Ultimate Naturalist membership library.

 

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

Use discount code OHC10 for $5 off any membership!

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Our Winter Cattail Observations

We can’t get too close to our winter cattails because they’re in a pond surrounded by icy waters. But, we saw them from a distance as we took a nice winter walk along the river and then down around the bend.

winter cattails

In the summer the pond is lined with pretty, sheltering willows and the cattails are growing from the edge out to the middle “island”. Often we can spy mallards and Canada goose in the water but there’s no sign of those birds right now. Instead, the pond is a frozen spot with some tracks zig zagging from side to side. We’ve seen coyotes, otters, signs of a beaver, and even a mountain lion in this area so it’s hard to say who is walking around on the frozen surface.

winter cattails pond

It’s never too late to start your own year-long cattail study, even if you didn’t start it back in autumn. Pick up here and join us! Click the graphic below to go to the original winter study challenge here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Click here for the Autumn Cattail Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Cattail Observations @handbookofnaturestudy

Although the winter season is coming to a close, you may be able to squeeze in a few of the ideas from the winter ebook. Check out the list of winter nature study ideas by clicking above.

Winter Nature Study ebooks graphic and promo

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New February Printables for Members

Now available in the Ultimate and Journey level memberships:

Tree Study Nature Study Notebooking Set

Salt Nature Study Printable Set

Tree Set Notebook Pages - February Printable

(See the end of this post for more information on how you can become a member.)

Tree Study Notebooking Page Set – You are going to love this set of tree nature study notebooking pages. Here are the trees included: black walnut, buckeye, catalpa, cedar, eucalyptus, Joshua tree, lodgepole pine, madrone, magnolia, palm, palo verde, ponderosa pine, redwood, smoke tree, and Western larch. 15 trees, 30 notebooking pages!

Salt Nature Study Printables – This is a set that has been shared over on my daughter’s website, Hearts and Trees. This printable set will be a great way to learn more about salt for a nature study unit.

Note: If you have any subjects you would like me to create nature notebook pages for, please let me know in a comment here on the blog or in an email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Printables for Members Button

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

 

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

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Winter Bark Patterns Hike

Even though it’s been cold, wet, snowy, and icy, we ventured out to the local state park to walk along the river.  We didn’t get very far because with my new hips, I didn’t want to take a chance of slipping on the ice. But, it felt good to be out in the fresh air looking at trees once again. I miss my long river walks!

IMG_3933

Winter is the perfect time to focus on tree bark and see the beauty of each tree’s particular bark. It reminded me of a number of years ago when we studied trees in our family and my son and I decided that not all tree bark is brown. In fact, my son noted that most tree bark is more gray than brown. In the case of our ponderosa pines, the bark is more reddish than brown.

IMG_3904

As we were observing the bark of this ponderosa pine, we also noted the colorful and interesting lichen growing there. The bright green lichen is my favorite!

Just a reminder: Be open to nature topics in addition to the week’s subject when you’re taking your outdoor time. We started off looking at tree bark but didn’t pass by the opportunity to enjoy the lichen.

 

So did your family do a bark pattern study? It’s a simple nature study activity that you can do even in the winter time.

IMG_3903

If you’re completing the Outdoor Hour Challenge for Winter Trees, you can add a bark pattern study along with that one. See the Winter Tree challenge here: Looking at Trees in Winter.

 

Bark Patterns Notebook Page

If you’re a member here on the Handbook of Nature Study, the notebook page shown above is available to use in your nature journal.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudyThe benefits of having a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study make it a great value for your homeschooling, nature-loving family. There are 21 ebooks available for downloading, over 120 printable notebook pages and activities, and 76 newsletters. New printables are added every month and there are 4 new ebooks set to publish in the next year.

If you would like to have nature study ideas and printables available for immediate downloading, please consider an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate membership.

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Outdoor Hour Challenge – Winter Cattail Study

 

We started a yearlong study of cattails back in September and now’s the time to start thinking about making some winter observations of this interesting plant. We have a patch growing out along a pond near our home and we will be trekking over to take a look as soon as we have a sunny, warm day. We’ve had quite a bit of snow and the pond should be frozen so that should make it interesting.

Here’s a link to the Autumn Cattail Study if you’d like to take a look at that: Autumn Cattail Study using the Handbook of Nature Study.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Cattail Observations @handbookofnaturestudy

Winter Cattail Nature Study Handbook of Nature Study pages 500-503

(See suggestion #7 for winter work.)

In addition to the ideas in the Handbook of Nature Study, you can make the following observations.

  1. Observe the stems and any leaves that are left.
  2. Are any of the cattail seed pods left intact? What does the “cattail” part of the plant look like now?
  3. What are the conditions where the cattails are growing? Is there water, ice, or snow?
  4. What color and shape are the leaves?
  5. Can you pull some of the fuzz from the cattail and observe it more closely?
  6. How do you think the seeds spread, by wind or water?
  7. How crowded are the cattails growing together?

Cattail+Seasonal+Nature+Study+notebook+page.jpg

Link to the notebook page: Seasonal Cattail Notebook Page

 

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

Winter Cattail Nature Study Handbook of Nature Study pages 500-503

 

Winter Nature Study ebook @handbookofnaturestudy

Please note this challenge is found in the Winter Series ebook found in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Log into your membership and scroll down to the ebook download link. Included in the ebook, there is a custom notebook page for this challenge.

Ultimate Naturalist Library September 2017 @handbookofnaturestudy

 

 

 

 

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Seasonal Nature Study – Autumn Reminders

Seasonal Nature Study – Autumn Reminders

Seasonal+Topics+Reminder+-+Autumn+@handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.jpg

For families that are not following along with the Outdoor Hour Challenges, you may wish to still complete some autumn season observations. These activities take a few minutes, usually include a lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock, and create an opportunity to learn a little bit about your habitat in a simple and relaxed way.

Here is a list of ideas to get you started with a year-long study in a variety of topics.

 

Maybe you just want a quick autumn nature study idea this week to use with your children. Why not try the Signs of Autumn nature study activity?

Signs of Autumn Notebook Page

You can download the notebooking page and read the suggested activity here in this entry from my archives: Signs of Autumn.

 

Most of my readers that responded to my question about their favorite season for nature study, responded that autumn was the best time for them to be outdoors. I would love to help you with your nature study plans with the long list of Outdoor Hour Challenges found in any of my autumn ebooks. You can read more about those topics by clicking over and reading this entry: Autumn Nature Study Ebooks

Autumn Nature Study Ebooks graphic

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Outdoor Mom – September Journal

Outdoor Mom

September 2018

 Like much of the West Coast, we’ve been plagued with wildfire smoke off and on for the last month. It rolls in thickly, making it impossible to truly enjoy being outdoors for very long. But, the minute it clears out, we are trying to squeeze in the last of the late summer activities.

bike riding sunriver august 2018

Creating memories of a summer spent outside with family and friends is high on our priority.

crater lake phantom ship august

Sometimes we plan an outing and sometimes we get invited on a spur of the moment trip. This was the case with a day trip to Crater Lake National Park. Our son unexpectedly had the day off and he phoned us up and asked if we wanted to accompany him to see Crater Lake on a day that the skies were blue and clear. It took us about ½ a second to respond, “Yes!”

eating outside august 2018

We try to eat outside on our patio as much as possible.  The last Outdoor Hour Challenge in August was to have a late summer picnic. We’ve had several in the past few weeks but I haven’t taken a photo. The image above is our typical summer meal with a little grilled chicken, salad, and some beans. I’ve actually perfected my baked beans recipe this summer as the perfect accompaniment to any grilled dish.

fall river nature journal and river august 2018

We have a place we discovered this summer that’s very close to our house that offers a variety of nature experiences. It’s along the Fall River where we can hike, picnic, and just sit and enjoy an afternoon in the sunshine among the wildflowers. There’s also a nearby fish hatchery with amazing rainbow trout of all sizes to observe. These will be summer memories that will warm my heart during the long winter.

bbq shed august 2018

We are nearly finished building our bbq shed with the help of our sons. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a summer evening playing cornhole or just watching the dark descend on the mountains in the distance.

new aspen tree august 2018

Our main focus this summer was to landscape our backyard, or at least get the hardscape down and build a few berms. My husband has worked his little heart out creating a beautiful space for us to enjoy that far exceeded our summer goals. He surprised me at how much he has accomplished and even got an aspen planted in the far corner of the property. I’m going to love watching it change colors with the season.

There is so much more to share but I will end there in the hope that you will be inspired to get outside with your family during the next month.  I invite you to follow me on Instagram to see more of our outdoor experiences here in Central Oregon.

Instagram OutdoorHourChallenge small

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…