One of my favorite lines is in Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak “And the walls became the world all around”. I feel that way about reading and birding. Identifying birds builds curiosity, patience, knowledge and relaxation. Learning about nature, and spending time in it has been shown to reduce stress and even enhance academic performance.
Here are some birding tips for kids and grown-ups:
- Birds are easier to hear than to spot. Close your eyes. What do you hear?
- Follow the sounds to see some feathered friends. Knowing and noticing the calls of local birds make them easier to find.
- Spend some time being still. You will begin to notice the movements of birds around you. It is amazing what nature will reveal when we are quiet.
Practice spotting birds and you will start to observe them all around you. The more you practice the more you see!
Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a wealth of bird information for free on their website, https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/ and through their free app, Merlin. Listen to bird songs, find a list of birds that live in your area. Find out the types of birds you hear by recording them on the app.
Borrow a Family Bird Discovery kit containing binoculars and guides to help you find birds around Marin County. Or click on this link to see identification cards of local birds to find this spring: Bird Identification.
Bird Books at the library
Contributed by Laura Kennett
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