HEY, NATURE LOVERS!

THE ORNITHOLOGIST CHALLENGE

Ornithologists are scientists who study birds. Our coalition’s backyard scientists are seeking to achieve the status of Amateur Ornithologists via our bird adventures where we strive to enjoy some exciting bird-related challenges. These train our eyes and minds to better appreciate and protect the amazing birds who make our world so magnificent. The Ornithologist Challenge consists of ideas for bird-watching activities, science projects, family projects, art projects, learning activities, environmental action, and photography. These activities are meant to stimulate enthusiasm and curiosity. Also, we are offering an ongoing Bird Camp for the grandkids where we complete projects together. Keith and I have spent a delightful and deliberate portion of our life loving birds, listening to their songs, marveling at their beauty, giggling at their antics, and wishing we could fly. We delight in seeing this same joy nestled in the hearts of our family. Here are excerpts from the website so you can peek at the content. So grab your binoculars and find the truest meaning of twitter and tweets!

CRAZY AS A LOON BIRD FUN

BIRDWATCHING

The birds you are most likely to befriend are the ones in your own backyard, so let’s start there. If you live in Wisconsin like we do, here’s a helpful list of the 33 birds who may visit anyone of us in our yard or at our feeder. Notice the list is divided into summer birds and winter birds so you can make feathered friends year round.

BEGINNER LIST - BACKYARD BIRDS

When you decide to venture past your yard and explore a bigger area, here are two lists you might want to use to check-off the birds that live and fly around us. Start young and you just might check off all of them in your lifetime. Wouldn’t that be amazing!

BIRD BAIT

TRICKS TO GET MORE BIRDS IN YOUR YARD

BIRD BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG BIRDER

We selected six great books to help the younger grandkids on their ornithological journey. There’s a photo of the cover and an excerpt from the Amazon website telling about the contents. Here’s the first three.

At the end of each book description is a link to the Amazon site if they’d like to order the book online. (We also might give a few as prizes). Keith and I found “Birds of Wisconsin” most useful when we started birdwatching. Here’s the second batch.

Let us know if you have some favorite bird books to add to this list.

BIRD BRAINED SCIENCE PROJECTS

In the series of meetings we call Bird Camp, one of our activities are hands-on Science Projects which include ornithology work, art projects, advocacy projects, learning projects, and field trips. We never make promises (Paw’s rule), but if we did, we’d promise they will learn a lot and have fun too!

LET’S GO BIRDING!

FREE AS A BIRD ART PROJECTS

In prehistoric days, when that first person grabbed some charred wood and started to draw that first picture on a cave wall, we bet that person drew a bird. Although there were many fearsome creatures around, we believe the impulse to create great art comes from a deep place of reverence and gratitude rather than fear. If that’s true, we think those cavemen just had to be inspired by birds, right?

Keith and I agreed on a dozen art projects which can help experience the joy of bird-related artistic expression. We only wish we could teach them to fly too, but you have to be at least seventy years old to do that.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

The National Geographic Society says, “Citizen science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs.” These are some of the programs that help advocate for protection of birds and their habitat as well. We’ll see which ones capture the kids’ interest.

I am betting Audubon Adopt-a-Bird will be the favorite.

FOR THE BIRDS FAMILY PROJECTS

All of the people in the Artesian family have enjoyed the opportunity to live with birds. Some of these stories are captured here, and, over time, I hope to write about all of them and add them to this section.

The Duck Project entails the raising of two little Mallard ducklings. The Frankie & Johnnie Project is the tale of someone’s pet bird that was abandoned by its owner during a brutal Wisconsin winter — until my granddaughter rescued it. The Pigeon Project tells the story from decades ago when Keith was a boy and raised pigeons.

AS THE CROW FLIES FIELD TRIPS

As miraculous as the internet, television and smart phones are, they can’t compare to the miracle of real life — and no place is that better than in nature. There’s an awful lot we can learn from friends with feathers. So, turn off those screens, it’s field trip time!

Keith and I attended the Raptor Education Seminar with the grandkids a couple weeks ago and it was a fantastic chance to get up close with some spectacular birds. I think Vilas Zoo Aviary is next up.

WISE AS AN OWL LEARNING PROJECTS

Bird TV is a wonderful gift from the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology (WSO). On my Artesian Nature Coalition site, I included a link, description, and thumbnail for each of the 15 videos so they would be easier to access. Here’s the first four. The series is written and produced by Steve Betchkal in conjunction with WSO.

I have a few more learning activities I want to add to this section, but will stall a little. In truth, the whole idea of this website is a work-in-progress and subject to my customers’ interest. We are talking mainly about the tween kids, as their interests shift as they age. Until the shift, we’ll squeeze as much fun out of the Artesian Nature Coalition as we can.

Well, that’s a peek at the website so it’s time to focus on Bird Camp with more avian fun on Monday. It is a joy and privilege for me to share some of my granny fun with you through these letters. For me, it is a way to savor lovely memories by retelling them. For you, I hope they make you smile and encourage you to make some fun for the kids in your life. In the meantime, I’m sending my love and wishing you beautiful birds singing beautiful songs. — Mary