Observing your own backyard
Two years ago, a robin nested in the pine tree outside our back porch. I would sit with my daughter in the back yard and listen to the babies cheep and watch as the mother bird came to feed them. She rarely flew directly to the nest. From the bushes in the back, she would fly up into the ash tree, hop through it and then to the pine tree. If we didn’t watch closely, we would lose track of her before she arrived at the nest.
To satisfy our curiosity, I helped my daughter climb onto the roof of the porch. From there, we were the same level as the nest, but far enough away to observe without disturbing. The nest appeared empty until mom came near. Then we could see three tiny heads pop up, mouth gaping and cheeping wildly.
It is an amazing experience to watch new life and share the natural world with children. These moments of quiet observation build an appreciation for the natural world around us.
If you are curious to learn more, Journey North offers a great deal of information about the American Robin, including lesson plans which can easily be adapted to your child.
Rebecca of Little Homeschool on the Prairie also shares her family’s experiences with nestlings in their back yard this year.
backyard birding, birding, robins, nests, nestlings
June 10th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
What a sweet story. We’re working on attracting more birds to our backyard. My kids love watching them and so does our cat (indoor only, perched happily at our back window).
June 11th, 2007 at 1:01 am
I was looking for a video on YouTube awhile ago and stumbled across one of a cat intently watching a video of a bird. I couldn’t help but think of your cat!
Good luck attracting your birds. I hope you find the information here helpful and feel free to ask any questions. I’m happy to track down answers if I don’t already know them!
June 12th, 2007 at 8:24 am
[...] week, my post about our robins is participating in the Carnival of Homeschooling. If you have some time, check out some of the [...]
June 17th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
[...] presents Observing your own backyard posted at Backyard [...]
June 18th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
[...] presents Observing your own backyard posted at Backyard Birding. I love these types of moments with the [...]
June 19th, 2007 at 10:10 am
[...] presents Observing your own backyard posted at Backyard Birding. I love these types of moments with the [...]
December 10th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Thanks boys6dc468962b84dda911f69ee883e7155f
January 31st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Yhanks you604b88030374565a6da52200b198cf5b