Backyard Birding

An often overlooked tool of backyard birding is a simple notebook kept near where you view your feeders most. This gives family members an opportunity to record what is happening at the feeders. Kept much like a diary, it is an engaging way to learn about the birds which frequent your yard. When you sit down to watch your birds, take a moment to write down the date, the time and the weather conditions. Whatever you see…or don’t see…is worthy of describing further. We tend to be most diligent about recording new species, or those we do not see very often. But I try also to write about little things we observe, such as the way the fledged sparrows beg for food from the adults, or how the blue jay cracks his sunflower seeds on a branch near the window. We include sketches, and interesting information we found in the bird guide. This encourages you and your children to observe closely what you see at your feeders.

Suddenly, you don’t just see a mob of little birds pecking away. You begin recognizing individuals, note the unique ways each species feeds and begin to see a glimpse of the social structure of your visiting birds. Over time, you will likely also begin to know when to look for migratory birds to arrive at your feeders, when to expect to see their courtship behaviors and when the first fledglings are likely to appear in your yard.

This also gives you an opportunity to describe the birds and other wildlife that passes through your yard. My four year old son likes to watch the bluebirds hunt at the back of the property. They perch on a branch of one of the saplings, dive into the grass in the field and return to the same branch to eat their prize. He can watch them for half an hour, uninterrupted. We also have red tailed hawks who soar over the farmland off to the southwest of us. We watch them circle, dive and soar above the landscape. Sometimes they seem to swoop for the pure joy of flight. They have come in close, observing our feeders. Luckily, red tailed hawks are not usually interested in songbirds. More than likely, they are looking for one of those pesky squirrels.

My children enjoy participating as well, whether it is my younger son dictating what he sees or my oldest daughter writing and sketching what she sees. It is a wonderful way to keep track of your efforts to attract birds and what you have learned about them while observing them and reading about them.

birdwatching, birding, backyard birding, notebooking