Urban Bird Studies Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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Urban Bird Studies

PARENT, LEADER, AND EDUCATOR RESOURCES

ON THIS PAGE

Resources are listed individually on this page.
Many of the resources have been developed into an "Activity guide" which you can modify into your own curriculum--see link on the left. You can print the guide by clicking "Print materials."

Activities for learning about birds and Urban Bird Studies projects
Parent's and Leader's guides
More Lab of Ornithology citizen-science projects
Other citizen-science projects about birds
Beyond Birds
 
LINKS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Suggested Resources

All About Birds--Everything you ever wanted to know about birds, and more!

Including:

Online Bird Guide
Birding 1, 2, 3
Guide to Binoculars and Spotting Scopes
Attracting Birds to Your Yard
Bird Conservation


Matches for Urban Bird Studies projects to:

National Science Education Standards--Science Content
National Science Education Standards--Teaching
National Technology Educational Standards

ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING ABOUT BIRDS and Urban Bird Studies projects

"Binocular" Races
OBJECTIVE: To learn how to identify birds, practice a transect (as in Birds in the City), and/or use binoculars. (Binoculars are not required!)
 
Variations on Flash Cards
OBJECTIVE: To learn how to use field guides (books or online). To begin to learn about one or more species of birds.
 
Web Site Treasure Hunt
OBJECTIVE: To become familiar with and comfortable navigating through Urban Bird Studies web site.
 
Use the Urban Bird Studies Bird Guide.

Try to figure out which of the birds in the guide live in your city.
Have each person in your group read a cool fact about a bird or group of birds. You can photocopy them, cut them out and have participants choose them from a hat. Or, have them write cool facts in their journals. Use an Internet search engine to find more cool facts. Send us your favorite cool fact that we haven't already included on our web site.

 

Develop a list of birds in your region.

You can find printed lists of birds in your area at nearby Audubon chapters, nature centers, or bird clubs. You also may find lists of local birds at a store where you can buy bird seed and feeders. If you still have difficulty, ask for help at your local library. Choose some city birds to look up in a field guide (bird book) to practice using the guide. Have your group members make lists of their favorite birds (that can be seen in your region) in their journals. To find an Audubon group near you click here.

 

Walk around your neighborhood to look for different bird habitats.

Anyplace where you see a bird is a habitat. In your journal, write the locations where you see birds and note what they are doing, such as eating, hanging out, or chasing each other. You also may want to write a description of where the birds might find food, water, or shelter in this habitat. Take photos or draw the locations where you see birds. Be sure to also note what the birds are doing in those locations. Send us your photos and drawings for possible publication in PigeonScope or on the web site.

 
Investigate how birds are portrayed in art, literature, and history.

Find stories about birds or other city animals at your local library or on the Internet. Investigate how birds appear in art and history, for example, in ancient cave paintings, on stamps, or in military history. Also look at uses of bird song and movement in music and dance. Visit your local art or history museum and find examples of where birds are mentioned. Write these examples in your journal. Write a story, poem, song, or dance about birds and send it to us for possible publication in PigeonScope or on the web site.


GUIDES FOR PIGEONWATCH (easily adapted for the other projects)

Leader's Guide to PigeonWatch
How to recruit participants, conduct workshops, add activities, and use local contacts. To view or save you need Adobe Reader (free).
 
Family Guide to PigeonWatch
Activities and how to get started. To view or save you need Adobe Reader (free).

MORE CITIZEN-SCIENCE PROJECTS FROM THE LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY

The Birdhouse Network (studies of birds that nest in birdhouses, spring and summer)
Birds in Forested Landscapes (studying birds that nest in forests, spring and summer)
eBird (any bird, anywhere, anytime)
Project FeederWatch (studying winter feeder birds, November to April)
Classroom FeederWatch (a middle-school curriculum based on Project FeederWatch)
The Great Backyard Bird Count (counts of birds during four days in mid-February)


OTHER CITIZEN-SCIENCE PROJECTS ABOUT BIRDS

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service studies shorebird migration through the Shorebird Sister Schools Program . "Linking educators, students, biologists, and shorebird enthusiasts along flyways."

For a list of other volunteer bird opportunities, across the country, go to the American Birding Association's Opportunities for Birders.


BEYOND BIRDS A small selection of links and other citizen-science projects that don't involve birds but may interest you.

Garden Mosaics
Garden Mosaics addresses issues related to science education, positive role models for youth, green space in cities, and sustainable agriculture. It is a program that combines intergenerational community action, and learning about different cultures. Youth learn from elder gardeners, who share their planting practices and cultural backgrounds, and from our science resources posted online. Information on the web site includes inquiry activities and database projects.

We recommend that you check out Neighborhood Exploration. You will learn how to read an aerial photograph of your neighborhood and find local features on the photograph. Use this opportunity to find places where you might also see birds!

More information about Garden Mosaics

Suggested activity: If you have a community garden or other local green space, you may want to participate in another Garden Mosaics project called Weed Watch.

 

Citizen-science projects involving animals other than birds
Listed are just a few of the many citizen-science projects that involve people across the continent.

FrogWatch USA (National Wildlife Federation)
North American Amphibian Monitoring Project (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center)
Bat House Research Project (Bat Conservation International)
Journey North (studies of migration and seasonal change)

 
Action Projects

Many cities have action projects in which you can become involved--check with your local news organizations to see what's happening in your city.
Some national organizations have action projects that may interest you. Here are a few examples

The Humane Society's Urban Wildlife Sanctuary Program
The Jane Goodall Institute's Roots and Shoots Program
The River Network

 

 

 

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