February is for the Birds
Family Fun with our Feathered Friends
By Sara Barry
Why is February is for the birds? It’s both National Bird Feeding Month and the Great Backyard Bird Count. What a great time to get to know the birds in your backyard! If you don’t know a sparrow from a swallow, don’t worry. Part of the fun is learning—and you and your kids can do it together.
GET STARTED BIRDING: WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE
You don’t need much to start bird watching. In fact, one starting point is simply spotting birds. Take notice next time you are outdoors and try to name the ones you know. Ready for the next step? A field guide (see “Books for Budding Birders” on page 13) will help you identify and learn about the birds. Binoculars will help your kiddos see detail, so choose ones small enough for them to handle easily. You can use a small notebook to track the birds you find. Encourage your kids to draw pictures or take notes about them. The best time for bird sighting is usually early morning or late afternoon. You can get started right in your backyard or neighborhood. Then branch out to wilder places like ponds, marshes, meadows and any of the great wildlife preserves in our area. Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, Effie Yeaw Nature Center and Placer Nature Center (to name a few) have some great scheduled events for beginner to novice birdwatchers.
LOOK AND LISTEN TO IDENTIFY BIRDS: WHO IS IT?
What kind of bird is it? Start paying attention to the details that will help you figure it out: • The primary color of the bird • Distinctive markings or wing color • Color of the feet and beak • The general shape • Unique features such as long legs, a long neck, or a large bill or beak • Shape of the wings (pointed or rounded?) and the tail (forked or not?) • Size of the bird compared to objects in your house Use your ears too. Experienced birders can identify birds by sounds as well as sight. You can listen to the calls of various birds at www.AllAboutBirds.org.
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February 2015
Bush Tit, photograph by Jim Collins as seen at www.SacNatureCenter.net
Using what you notice about the birds around you, start trying to identify birds you’ve spotted and look them up in your book. Want to get tech-savvy kids engaged in the game? Instead of traditional guides, try apps like Audobon Birds or Merlin from The Cornell Lab.
FEED THE BIRDS
If you want to see a lot of birds, try feeding them. Providing food within view of a window brings birds into view and is helpful to them during the cold winter months. You can buy a bird feeder, build your own from scratch, use a kit, or create a simple one from materials you likely have on hand. The National Museum of Animals and Society suggests this simple birdfeeder: spread peanut butter on toast or a bagel and sprinkle the whole thing with dried fruit or seeds, then hang it outside. Peanut butter mixed with cornmeal can also be spread on a large pinecone. And while we often think of birdseed as food, many birds (including robins and bluebirds) like fruit. The National Audubon Society recommends soaking dried fruit such as raisins or currants to place in a table feeder. They also recommend hanging orange halves near your feeders. Remember to place food in such a way that birds are safe from predators. You don’t want the food you set out to make our feathered friends an easy snack for the neighborhood cat.