Fledging Birders Adventures

P2F Week #3 - 7 seeds = (

2009-10-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! This was an incredibly busy week at school and home. Unforuntately, I did not do a good job of recording P2F interaction. I do believe it was much more than 5 but I can not recall any other specifics.

Sept. 21 - 7 seeds:
1. It was a real pleasure to Phil this morning for the first time this year. He is very nice gentleman that has worked as a substitute in our building for more than 10 years. The first words out of his mouth were, "Hey Dave, I was thinking of you this weekend."

He went on to share his experience at the Raptor Trust in Millington, NJ with his grandchildren. We talked about the various species for several minutes. He vowed to take them back there.

2. Over the weekend, Lori e-mailed our magazine sale fundraiser. She was looking to subscribe to a bird magazine but was not sure which one would be most appealing to her. I replied with a summary of each of the 3 major periodicals - BirdWatcher's Digest, WildBird, and Birder's World. I also promised to bring examples of each with me to school on Monday.

I dropped of a handful of magazines to her classroom this morning. To my delight, she brought the magazines with her to lunch. A good portion of our lunch conversation focused on these bird magazines = )

After an almost embarrassing week, my Pledge to Fledge count inched up from 443 to a grand total of 450 seeds planted so far this year.

P2F Week #2 - 355 Birding Seeds Planted

2009-10-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Sept 14 - 171 seeds: Today was a busy Pledge to Fledge Day = )
1. Students were passing a stuffed (plush NOT taxidermy!) animal around the room as they took turns answering various questions. When we first started the activity in each class, I asked what type of animal they were passing to each other. Without fail, most of the students provided a choral response of "PENGUIN!" To their shock, they were all wrong.
I graciously explained that the bird in question was actually an Atlantic Puffin. To my delight, this proclamation was not made by me in two of my classes as a few students pridefully shared the bird's true identity with their peers. I briefly compared and contrasted puffins and penguins for all 140 kids.

2. After a particularly interested exchange about current events, I blurted to one of the classes "you guys are almost as cool as vultures!" As you can imagine, they looked at me as though I was crazy.
I took a few moments to explain the valuable role that vultures play in our environment and their disgusting practices of thermo-regulation. This was met with chuckles, oh-wow's, and looks of horror from the 28 different faces in the room.

3. Sports practice affords many chances for bird observations. Tonight's soccer practice provided terrific looks at 3 Common Nighthawks flying northbound(?) over the fields. Needless to say, I politely punctuated our small talk with 3 other parents top point out these cool birds going right over their heads. Our next 5 minutes were spent chatting about nighthawks and birds in general.

Sept 15 - 1 seed: I spent about 10 minutes discussing hummingbirds and their feeder disputes with a fellow teacher at my school. Lori is not a birder (yet!) but she does have quite a love of hummingbirds. She has hummer posters around her classroom = )

Sept 16 - 140 seeds: One of the questions on today's assignment dealt with the Yucatan Peninsula. I could NOT pass up this P2F opportunity as we reviewed the material.
Upon first mention of our southern neighbor's geographic feature, I shared the Yucatan's role in spring migration. The specifics of the discussion was a bit different from class to class but including concepts of neotropical species, nocturnal migration, and fall-outs on the Gulf Coast of the southeastern US.
I was very pleased to have flocks of students asking me questions about this after class!
Sept 17 - 27 seeds: My class is adorned with many bird images and artifacts. This includes some stuffed waterfowl, decoys, posters, and a shelf devoted to bird books. Near the end of a class today, I had a student ask me if the "big duck" was real. I explained that the bird was real but wasn't a duck.
I opened the ID up to the class. Many knew that it was a goose of some sort. Once the ID of Canada Goose was revealed, the expected question of "don't they just live in Canada?" was mulled over by the class in the moments prior to class dismissal.
Sept 18 - 29 seeds:After a full week of school, this one class was realizing that they were surrounded by a bird decor in my room. They started pointed out the calendar, binoculars, carvings, and posters. They were told to keep an eye out as new items are often replaced by different bird-relics throughout the year.

After week #2, my Pledge to Fledge stands at 443 birding seeds dropped. I'm curious how long it will be before they start to germinate?!

P2F Week #1 - 88 Birding Seeds Planted

2009-10-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Each weekly Pledge to Fledge reflection will include highlights and the running total. These first few installments are a backlog from throughout September. Unfortunately, I did not jot down all bird-related interaction = (

Sept. 8th - 10 seeds: Our first day back to school was filled with faculty meetings. WHat a fun and exciting day. Not surprisingly, I had several teachers coming up to me about recent bird sightings and asking for either identification help or some other info on their newly discovered feathered friends. As they shared their stories, I gladly extended the conversations beyond simple ID and into distribution, related species, and conservatrion issues. These exchanges included:
- Rich's Red-tailed Hawk sightings with his daughter -
- the Turkey Vulture in Tim's neighborhood
- Jen's daughter growing love of Blue-footed Boobies which led to us talking about our more local Northern Gannets.

Sept. 11th - 78 seeds: My first full day with students was bittersweet. Most of our discussion focused on the events of this day in 2001. There were some profound and insightful perspective shared by the young minds in my room.
Following a decidedly solemn class discussion, I was asked a similar question in 3 of my classes today - "Do you like birds?"
Apparently my bird-nerd reputation precedes me as these incoming students already knew of my avian appreciation. I fielded the questions my introducing them to the terms "birding" and "birder".

A New Pledge to Fledge

2009-09-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

I would like to encourage fellow birders to make a "Pledge to Fledge"!

What is a "Pledge to Fledge"? This is basically a personal resolution to actively, frequently, and patiently share with others the beauty and wonder of birds thereby inspiring their own appreciation of birds.

I challenge you to make such a commitment to reach out to non-birders and start opening their eyes to the birds around them. Scoping shorebirds at the beach? Approach a beach-walker and tell them to check it out. Walking through a park on a Saturday morning? Share the Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, or whatever with any one that passes by. Offer them a glimpse through your binoculars! These little acts start to chip away at the wall of ignorance that separates most people from not just birds but the natural world in general.

This year, my own personal pledge is to plant at least 10,000 "birding seeds" by the end of school on June 20, 2010. Each seed shall consist of a discreet and explicit bird-centric interaction with a current non-birder. Furthermore, I will do my best to post at least weekly updates of my pledge along with highlights featuring cute, funny, or poignant anecdotes.

Why a "Pledge to Fledge"? By sowing such birding seeds, we are chipping away at the barriers that exists between most people and the world of birds. We may not create the next uber-birder but we WILL building a general awareness of birds which is a critical first step in promoting a societal bird conservation ethic!

On behalf of our birds, please consider making your own Pledge to Fledge = )

In the context of my pledge, a discreet interaction shall be each separate discussion with an individual. Some examples would include:

- pointing out a passing flock of birds to a friend will count as 1 seed,

- celebrating a new life bird with a class of 25 students counts as 25 seeds as each student will have learned something new about birds,

- chatting with 5 coworkers at lunch about the hummingbird that Lori had on her feeder would count as 1 seed,

- HOWEVER if the above conversation results in each coworker chirping in with their own backyards sightings, this would be 5 seeds,

- bringing a friend along on a birding excursion would count as 1 seed yet bringing his wife and two kids along would be a total of 4 seeds!

In the context of my pledge, an explicit conversation shall be both proactive and direct in nature. Some examples of an explicit seed would be:

- wearing a t-shirt from a terrific birding destination AND discussing the rich bird diversity of that area with someone,

- having a bird calendar on my chalkboard and inviting/entertaining questions about the particular species with a coworker,

- inviting a complete stranger/passerby to sneak a peek at plovers and peeps on the beach through my scope.

For my personal pledge, the following would not constitute a "bird seed" being planted:

- wearing a t-shirt from your fave birding hot spot without any further explanation or interaction,

- decorating my class with bird artifacts but NOT explaining any of them to the students.

While I look forward to sharing my progress with you, I'm also eager to hear about your own birding interactions!

Schoolyard Birding Challenge

2009-09-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

The Schoolyard Birding Challenge is a monthly birding "contest" for all public, private, and homeschools in North America. The basic premise is that teachers or parent chaperones take the students on walks around their school to find, observe, identify, and record the various bird species. At the end of the month, each group will submit an electronic sightings submission form.

The school with the mosty net species for the month will receive severla birding-related prizes. There is also a random drawing of all participatin schools for additional prizes.

Learn more about our Schoolyard Birding Challenge at www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html

Working the Web

2009-09-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

My most daunting Fledging Birders related project has probably been two complete overhauls of our website in the past year. While there are many pages to check out, there will be much more content added over the next few months including more bird-infused lesson plans for teacher and more information about the benefits of birding for children.

The latest incarnation can be found at www.fledgingbirders.org.

If you would like to help get more kids out birding, PLEASE send the following link to any and all teachers you know: www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html

Bird Education Conference in Jekyll Island, Georgia

2009-09-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a crazy busy year or so for Fledging Birders. My highlight reel would, without a doubt, include many scenes from the "Bird Conservation Through Education: A National Gathering" hosted by the Council for Environmental Education and BEN on Jekyll Island, Georgia back in February.

In the duldrums of the recession, more than 110 bird educators from 30 states and several countries descended upon this jewel of the Georgia coast to exchange effective strategies and new ideas in bird education.

Read more about this highly successful event in the BEN Bulletin at www.birdeducation.org/BENbulletin12_000.htm

Writing Winged Wonders

2009-09-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

For what it's worth, I write another birding blog for my local newspaper - the CourierPost. This blog is totally bird focused however it's NOT aimed a birders!

The Winged Wonders blog is aimed at (dramatic pause) introducing new people to the diversity, accessibility, and sheer beauty of our local bird life. These posts may not always be so entertaining to experienced birders but they are opening some people's eyes to the birds around them. This is an important component of the Fledging Birders movement, as well as the Bird Education Network, which aims to promote a public bird conservation ethic.

Feel free to visit the Winged Wonders blog at: blogs.couirerpostonline.com/wingedwonders

(Little League) World Series of Birding

2009-09-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

For the 4th year in a row, I was the coach of a WSB Division B Youth Team from my school. We had a lot of fun with Spring Training, strolling the wooded edge for about an hour before school every fair weather day.

I call our effort a Little League World Series of Birding because of our limited field of play AND "morning only" approach. For a slew of reasons, our Big Day is focused solely on our relatively small town of Voorhees, NJ. While this is not a tiny village, Voorhees does not have much in the way of habitat diversity. With our limitations in mind, I projected our first year would yield 50 species.

Well . . .

The first year we hit a pretty nice 60 species.

In 2007, we wanted to set a personal best record - 72 species including many unexpected birds.

I tried to keep my hopes in check for 2008 with just a single 3 year veteran. To our surprise, we found 82 species = )

This year, we went for broke and decided to go for a century run - 100 species. We added a few stops and a couple of hours. While we did not achieve our lofty goal, we did set a new school record with 86 birds.

More importantly, our WSB efforts are not just a game of numbers. My morning birding kids bring their families, and sometimes friends, for a social birding experience. It transcends the Big Day. We talk about bird distribution, habitat needs, conservations concerns, and the stunning beauty of the birds themselves.

Even though many of them have moved on to high school, I still hear from the kids (and their parents!)about birds. They tease me about my "Mississippi Kite run". In my defense, it was the first county record of Mississippi Kite to the best of my knowledge!

BEN - Bird Education Network

2009-09-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

One of the exciting endeavors that have chipped away at my "free time" for the past 18 months or so is the Bird Education Network - aka BEN. Hundreds of talented and devoted bird educators are, at some level, involved with this growing network.

If you are a birder that cares about the future of birds and birding, there are several things you can do to learn more about BEN.

1) check out the BEN website: www.birdeducation.org

2) join the BEN listserve. This e-mail service will help you network with bird educators from throughout the Western Hemisphere. Visit the link below to get on the list:
www.birdeducation.org/get-involved.htm

3) peruse and contribute to a developing National Bird Education Strategy at:
www.birdeducation.org/strategy.htm

4) discover some other bird education resources:
www.birdeducation.org/resources.htm

Feel free to ask any questions about the Bird Education Network!

New Pledge Coming Soon!

2009-09-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Our Fledging Birders movement has been crazy for the past year with a lot of interesting developments and exciting activities. Unfortunately, this has distracted me from the blogosphere.

A new "Pledge to Fledge" campaign is coming VERY SOON!

P2F - Updates

2008-03-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Apologies for no updates to the Pledge to Fledge Blog but things I've been busy working towards getting more kids into birding = )

In the past two months, I have been doing lots to fledge new birders - just have not had the opporuntity to log on and write about them. These include:

- speaking at the International Partners In Flight Conference in McAllen, Texas
(preparing for the conference as well)
- birding with students before school
- celebrating life bnirds with students
- talking about birds every day with students
- bringing my own little ones out
about

P2F - Old and Young Alike

2008-01-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

Day 72 - Sat Jan 5: installment 3 of 4 on my P2F dept relief
I took a quick mid-afternoon jaunt to a park along the Delaware River to scan for wintering waterfowl. Visions of Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, and Mergansers dove in my head.

Scoping the river for a few minutes yielded all 3 expected gulls, Mallards, Canada Geese, and a few handfuls of Bufflehead. Then a gravely voice punctuated my search effort.

"Excuse me. Would you be able to tell me what kind of hawk I saw in my yard today?"

I welcomed the opportunity to talk birds with a stranger. With both of us eager to get down to business, gratuitous pleasantries were quickly exchanged. His description started "brown streaks here [rubbing his hands vertically along his sky blue coat] - brown on the back - with some white spots"

I cross-examined the witness regarding the overall scene in his backyard. With all the evidence collected, I pulled a field guide out of my pocket and turned to the accipiter page.

My inquisition continued, "did it look like one of these?"

"Almost exactly!"

"Were you able to get an idea of its size?"

"Oh yeah. It was sitting right on my fence. It was only about this big," as his wrinkled hands framed an NFL proportioned football.

"Are you including the tail in that?!"

"Uh-huh"

"Sounds like Sharp-shinned Hawk was looking for one of your feeder birds."

The conversation moved on to his growing interest in birds. We talked about some of the birds he should be on the lookout for near his house. When I mentioned Bald Eagles, his face lit up!

This genial gentleman is getting ready to hike into his seventies with his recently bought first field guide and binoculars!

Just as his bright coat disappeared into the distance, an immature Bald Eagle flew right over me.

Fledging Birders Tip: NEVER let an eagle go by without drawing someone's attention to it.

I noticed a guy coming down the path with two little kids.

"In case you're interested, there is a Bald Eagle flying right above me right now."

His 4 year old daughter came barreling down the little pier. "Where?! Where?!"

She was able to get on it naked eye but her first ever foray with binoculars was far from successful. By the time Dad and Little Brother joined us, the eagle was a just a dark dash over Philadelphia International Airport.

Captive audience at hand, I turned the conversation to wintering waterfowl. The scope wass dropped to toddler level. A male Bufflehead was framed in the circular field of view. After 3 attempts, the Big Sister finally caught a glimpse of the black-and-white duck floating in place.

Her interest, however, was more with the optics! I let her investigate my binoculars. Asking her to put the strap around her neck.

Dad launched into a series of questions about eagles. They were all soft-pitched lob balls. Each one hit with no effort. Yet each answer led to another question.

Reminding the active little girl to keep the strap around her neck.

Dad launched into questions about my birding activities at the park. He seemed intrigued that I was out there just to enjoy looking at the birds.

Praying that she'll keep the strap around her neck!!

Dad investigated some Mallards, Buffleheads, and gulls with the scope. We continued chatting about the birds. Little Brother was grateful for a turn with the bins.

What a relief to get them away from her!

Big Sister starts eyeing up the scope AND tripod.

Oh no! The tripod doesn't even have a strap!

"Your son looks pretty tired. Has it been a long day?"

"Yeah, we've been out for a while. He's ready for a nap. Thanks for everything!"

You're welcome.

Four potential new birders today = )

P2F - Popping the Cork

2008-01-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

Day 71 - Tues Jan 1: Here is another installment on my P2F debt from late November. Let's flash back to New Year's Day.

The kids christened their new bikes with a ride to the local park. Once there, they did a few laps aropund the walking track before descending upon the playground equipment. I chaperoned the excursion - with bins strapped around my neck of course!

I was guietly delighting in several year birds - House Sparrows, Canada Goose, Rock Doves. Keep in mind - it was January 1st!

Another family ventured down to the park for some quality time. Moments after their arrival, the familliar flap-flap-glide is registered over the adjacent neighborhood.

"Here comes a Sharp-shinned Hawk!" I pretended to announce this for the benefit of my own little cherubs. My true objective was to pique the curiosity of either dad, daughet, or grandma of the newly arrived party.

Sure enough the father turned my way and inquired, "where's the hawk?!"

I was able to get him on the small accipiter that was actively patrolling the area. We talked for a few minutes about our local raptors. As expected, he was quite surprised to hear that hawks, falcons and eagles can be found flying over our neighborhood throughout the year.

As they were leaving, he thanked me for geting his year off to an interesting start.

P2F - Busy Birdy Morning = )

2008-01-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

Day 70 - Fri Jan 4: Well, first period has JUST ended but I already have 3 quick Pledge to Fledge interactions to share!!

1)My tie choice this morning was one that has not left the roost of my closet in months. A few kids commented that I had a "new" tie on today. Upon closer inspection, they noticed there were hundreds of owls perched on the satin threads.

I see owl chats popping up throughout the day ; )

2) One of my homeroom students gleefully asked if she could get something from her locker. She returned a few minutes later with a bird magazine from her grandmother's house. During her visit last night, she saw the magazine and begged her grandmother for permission to bring it in to school. She and I along with some of her friends flipped through the pages and talked about some of the birds during homeroom.

3) My first period class was working on a project. This particular group has many focused and determined students. A few of these hard workers were totally finished their project and had nothing else to do.

I offered them to borrow a book from my shelves to read but they didn't bite. I was really hoping to have them pick one of the many birdy titles = (

Then, I pulled a rabbit from my hat - or my accurately the top of my perpetually messy desk. I asked if they liked playing Memory. Their eyes lit up.

Victory is mine!

I presented them with a Bird Memory game. They snatched it out of my hand quicker than a pigeon on bread crumbs. Not a peep was heard from either of them for the rest of the period = )

P2F - Don't Get My Hackles Up!

2008-01-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Day 69 - Thurs Jan 3: As you can probably imagine, there are times in class where I need to be a bit more . . .

Hmmm - what's the right word? Tough? Strict? Stern? Evil?!

A student chose to disrupt the class today. I tried addresing the behavior without drawing much attention to it. Unfortunately, the hint was not heeded = (

Rude comments continued so I clarified my point with a more direct comment and a considerably firmer tone. The message was received loud and clear.

With the class returned to relative behavioral bliss, I capitalized on an opportunity to drop some birdy figurative.

"At this point in the year, I thought you guys would know better than to [read with a Shatneresque pause and slight inflection shift] GET MY HACKLES UP."

Confusion contorted faces beckoned an explanation. Just as I hoped!

"Some birds, like Cooper's Hawks, have feathers on the back of their head that raise up a little bit when they are stressed. These are called their hackles."

Silent nods of recognition chorused, "I should've known it was about birds!"

The accompanying giggles were clearly audible too.

P2F - Spreading the Wealth

2008-01-03T06:17:00.000-08:00

Day 68 - Wed Jan 2: The Killdeer from Day 63 spent some time this morning foraging on the soccer fields once again. They are SO generous to my students!

OK - they're not being generous. They are out there searching desperately for a bit of nourishment and energy to keep them warm in the near freezing temperatures. It' sjust good fortune that they are in close proximity to our class windows. As a matter of fact, I'm sure these birds have no idea we've been watching them.

Regardless, the apparent fruitful foraging grounds of our soccer field have supplied two more of my classes with decent views of our largest Charadrius plovers.

It's always fun getting kids on new birds. They get so excited to see a wild animal in "their" spots = )

P2F - Bird Games

2008-01-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

Day 67 - Mon Dec 24: You're probably thinking He's not in school on Christmas Eve!

You're right but I do owe you a few P2F entries for that last week in November. Here's the first installment on my debt:

My son and daughter were very excited to get a new "Birdopoly" game over the weekend. We played it 3 times on Sunday and Monday alone. Then our Christmas Eve gathering started.

After dinner was mostly out of the way. My daughter begged and pleaded with her older cousins to play her new game. I was so proud to watch her not only explain the fairly complex (for a 5 year old) rules but tell them about the different birds featured in the game.

She told them which ones we have seen before.

She told them some "funny" things they do.

She told them which ones are Mommy and Daddy really like.

She told them lots of things.

Even more important than her telling them, they were listening and interested in all of it!

P2F - Singing The Blues

2008-01-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

Day 66 - Fri Dec 21: I received several birdy gifts this morning. There was one however that stood out and sparked some great conversation.

It was a motion activated singing Eastern Bluebird! The plastic 1:2 scale novelty is pretty accurately painted and the song is a right on the mark.

As if the bird itself wasn't P2F sufficient on its own, other kids who saw it ecognized it as the same species from the series of pictures on the board (see day 44& 42). The were extremely amused when the bird started singing!

This was such a sweet gift that the student took great pride in presenting to me. It was an honor to accept it as well.

P2F - Father Time

2008-01-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Day 65 - Thurs Dec 20: Getting older is inevitable but I'm starting to feel like Father Time.

I received another very thoughtful gift today - a bird calendar!

This particular calendar highlights a different National Wildlife Refuge each month. Our "hometown" favorite Edwin B. Forsythe NWR is Mr. August in the collection = )

And boy - does Mr. August have nice pecs!

A beautiful Pectoral Sandpiper is featured since the blurb focuses on the shorebird migraton that draws so many Jersey Birders to Brig in late summer despite the onslaught of greenheads.

What made this gift even more special was its givers. Twins that started birding with me last year brought it in for me even though I don't have them as students anymore. Each of the girls (and their mother) wrote a very nice sentiment in the card.

Sometimes, there is absolutely no denying just how much birds can positively impact the lives of kids = )

P2F - Bird Calendar Redux

2008-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Day 64 - Wed Dec 19: A student brought in a gift for me today. The shape was rather familiar ;)

The official unveiling delivered a sense of Deja Vu.

It as the same exact calendar that I received in Monday's pollyana!!

Now, I had one for home and one for the class. That makes things easier.

The same conversation as Monday was underway. This time it was with a class of 26 students that wanted to see the birds of each month = )

P2F - Dead Deer on the Soccer Field?!

2007-12-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

Day 63 - Tues Dec 18: As the last class of the day was diving into a homework assignment, my peripheral vision (& ADD tendencies) caught a moving pale spot on the soccer field. The tell-tale stop-and-go gait made the ID pretty easy but . . .

It's been a long day. I'm gonna take a second to really watch this guy.

Snatching a pair of bins from the shelf, I savor the sight of several plover foraging on the grass. I decided to risk total mayhem breaking in my room.

There's only a few minutes left in the day anyway!

"We have Killdeer on the soccerfield."

The window seat students were trying their best to find these birds about 50 yards away. The puppydog eyes of the other 20-some-odd kids suggested that they missed my subtle invitation.

"If you want to come and look, feel free guys!"

The ensuing rush of students to the port side of the class could have capsized the most stable of marine vessels. I simply backed away and allowed the kids to work out the problem of finding the birds as a group.

"I can't find it. Oh wait - there it is! Right on the field!"

"Where?! I don't see anything!"

"Look through the gate. It's in the middle of the gate right . . .[bird takes a few more steps] . . . NOW!"

"THERE HE IS! I SEE IT!!"

I start pasing around a few pairs of bins for anyone interested in getting a closer look.

The kids start calling out different observations. FInally, the connection is made.

"Isn't that one of the birds from the game last week?!"

Suddenly, a voice chimes in from the back of the room. "We were looking for a bird?! Mr. Mag, you said there was a killed deer on the soccerfield!"

"The bird is called a Killdeer. We have them behind school frequently and . . ."

P2F - Pollyana Wants a Cracker

2007-12-31T12:46:00.000-08:00

Day 62 - Mon Dec 17: The Pledge to Fledge blog generally highlights bird-related interactions with my students (or other kids). Yet, today I feel compelled to share what happened at a holiday pollyana party with some fellow teachers.

Immediately upon receiving the familiar shaped gift, I ust hoped the calendar would be something of my interest.

RIP! Tear! Crumple!

A Songbirds calendar! Complete with bird song CD!!

Yep - I would enjoy this.

Within seconds the proclamations reverberate around the room, "the perfect gift for the Bird Man of VMS!"

With the door flung open, I savor this opportunity. The calendar is swiftly released from its cellophane sheathing. Colorful favorites such as American Goldfinches, Ingido Buntings, and Northern Cardinals adorn each month. The expected "Oohs" and Aahs" did not sound the least bit obligatory as the calendar was passed around the room.

Everyone was quite surprised to hear that most of these attractive birds could be found on our own school grounds!

P2F - All Birds, All Day!

2007-12-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

Day 61 - Fri Dec 14: Given the democratic landslide vote of yesterday, I rushed to work this morning to throw together a quick PowerPoint bird identification game for my classes. Each of the 20 slides featured a different species. Some of them had several photos of of the same bird from various angles or exhibiting trademark behaviors.

The students were broken up into groups. After a quick field guide tutorial, the game commenced. Students were told to jot down their individual observations of the bird then work together to find it in the field guide.

I have never seen them WORK quite so eagerly!

The whole day was quite invigorating for me. They were discriminating body structure, picking up such interesting details, scouring the field guides, and (almost always) finding the right species.

All the while, words of excitement of birds were floating across the room. These kids were discovering the amazing beauty of our North American avidiversity right before my eyes. What an experience!!

As the end of class beckoned, many of the students begged to continue playing the game (even through lunch!!!)

This virtual birding excursion with more than 130 students was extremely rewarding today = )

P2F - The Birding Majority

2007-12-19T07:06:00.001-08:00

Day 60 - Thurs Dec 13: Studying (and teaching) about the Holocaust takes a toll on young (and not so young) hearts and minds. Today was a brief test on the background information for this most difficult unit. With one day left in the week, we decided to turn the mood of the class around tomorrow by doing something light-hearted.

I proposed two options for the students to vote on:
a) a class period of "chatting" about any/all topics that the students would like to bring up.

- OR -

b) playing a bird identification game.

At day's end, the popular vote among all of my classes was beyond the sabotage of hanging chads or resurrected voters!

P2F - Roadside Hawks

2007-12-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

Day 59 - Wed Dec 12: The gym teacher was powerwalking down the hallway. I attempted in vain to clear enough room in the corridor. It turns out he was seeking me out!

"Hey Dave, I have to tell you this!"

"Is everything alright Phil?"

"Yeah but this is all YOU!"

He had me very curious.

"I was driving down Route 70 and I saw this huge hawk swoop down," he launches into arm flapping charades as students are slowly filtering into the previous barren hallways.

"He landed right on top of a rabbit! The bird was huge and he just sat there - on the rabbit! It was almost as if he was proud of his catch - like a cat would do!"

Again, charades played out as Phil poses like a pompous movie start at a photo shoot.

The kids walked by twisting their heads toward him with subtle chuckles.

"When I saw it, I thought 'Dave would love this' "

"Hawks are so impressive to watch. They can be so powerful and graceful. Thanks for getting my day off to such a nice start."

Phil walked away looking almost as proud as his roadside hawk.

P2F - Birding at the Book Fair

2007-12-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

Day 58 - Tues Dec 11: I volunteered to help the school librarian with the book fair today. My job was simple: show up, take some money, make some change.

Not hard at all.

Not birdy at all.

Well . . .

There was a student's mother assisting during the same period. We exchanged brief pleasantries before the big rush came in. Once the last purchase was completed, she and I sat at our post like Harris Hawks awaiting some unexpected prey. Fortunately, our survival was not dependent on unsuspecting passersby since the library was pretty quiet for the remainder of the period.

This dramatic lull was quickly punctuated.

"By the way Mr. Mag, that was a great article in the paper a few weeks ago!"

"Gee thanks. The lady from the Courier did a really nice job with it."

"You were in the Courier too?! I only saw the one in the Inquirer."

The next few minutes focused on the Fledging Birders philosophy of creatively bringing the benefits and fun of birding to our youth. She was such a receptive audience and asked some great questions.

It wasn't long before our conversation turned to one of her own very interesting endeavors - "geocaching".

I always welcome the opportunity to talk "birding with kids" or just plain birding with any potential new birders. It's also great to learn about other new hobbies!

P2F - Curiosity Caught the Kids

2007-12-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

Day 57 - Mon Dec 10: Minus the craziness of the Food Drive, today's homeroom was much more relaxed than last week. Once the morning administrative tasks were tackled, I popped open the field guide that resides on the corner of my desk.

Almost immediately I heard, "Which is your favorite bird in that book?"

How could I possibly answer this?!

"There are so many really cool birds. Like this one . . ." [pointing out American Kestrels to a growing gaggle of kids]

This one statement led to more questions which in turn led to even more questions and so on and so on.

The innate curiosiy is perhaps our strongest ally in the fledging of new birders. They yearn to learn more about the world around them. Their minds are blank canvases waiting for a masterpiece. These masterpieces can come in many mediums - soccer, playing violin, performing in plays, etc.

Why not birding?!

Even if birding does not become their prime focus, it can really enrich their lives in SOO many ways.

This morning's Kestrel uriosity craze enticed me to be a bit more birdy this week ; )

P2F - Travel Tips from Teachers

2007-12-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Day 56 -Fri Dec 7: This morning was absolutely nuts. The final day of the Food Drive brought in more items that all the previous days combined. We were sorting and boxing cans. We were collecting homeroom counts and entering the data on to the computer.

Unfortunately, I was unable to give one of the homeroom kids my fullest attention when she very politely said, "Mr. Mag, my grandparents have a questions for you."

"See me during class, Lauren. I'd be happy to talk to you about it a little later."

Class time approached and so did she. "Can I ask you now?"

"Ask me what?!"

"My grandparents are going to China and they are wondering what kind of binoculars to buy before they go. They wanted me to ask you your opinion."

Woo-Hoo! This can be fun!

She and I talked optics (power, weight, companies, prices, etc.) for a few minutes before I noticed that glazed over look. OK - maybe I talked and she simply got lost in my car dealer radio commercial disclaimer delivery.

"You know what. Have your grandparetns or parents e-mail me. I will talk to them directly and see specifically what they're going to use them for."

I look forward to talking binoculars with grown-ups in the coming weeks!

P2F - Death Birds

2007-12-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

Day 55 - Thurs Dec 5: It was my third period of the day discussing the Holocaust and other genocides with 11 year-olds. My mind needed a break from introducing these relative innocents to one of the darkest realities of human nature.

Talking about death with kids all morning is not very pleassant.

That's when it happened. A bird dropped into clear view of my windows. The class' work was done so I eagerly pointed out this diversion to the death and despair of Darfur.

The question was thrown out to everyone, "what do you notice about this bird?"

"It's huge."

"I can't believe it's so close to us."

"He keeps going around and around. Is he gonna get dizzy?!"

"It's all black."

"No it's not! Look - it has gray under its wings."

"Why is it wobbling so much?"

The two minute drill was nearly expired.

We talked for a few minutes about this very cooperative Turkey Vulture circling over the soccer field. I had answered most of the questions when one more popped up.

"Does it even have a head?!"

The final inquiry led to explanation of vultures' featherless heads and their niche as scavengers.

BEEP!

"Time for LUNCH!"

I guess it was unavoidable that today's class closed on the topic of death.

P2F - Duck Duck Grooms

2007-12-11T16:49:00.001-08:00

Day 54 - Tues Dec 4: The Food Drive continues . . .
And so does the bird talk!

My "Pledge to Fledge" highlight today was in the form of a gift from a 7th grade student. She came in and announced, "Mr. Mag, I got a surprise for you!"

Turning toward the voice, I ended up eyeball to eyeball with a wooden waterfowl.

"I have no idea what this actually is but since it's a duck, I figured you would like it!"

How could I not appreciate such a thoughtful gesture?!

When the can-can craziness cooled down, I examined the fist-sized novelty in a vain attempt ID it's species. It's colorful face and flanks with black velvety plumage running from the belly through the vent meant suggested only one possibility. . .

A-ha! It's an Aix sponsa lintus, commonly known as a lint brush x Wood Duck hybrid.

Dabbling on my desk all week, this new bird accessory has elicited a few questions from my students.

P2F - It's a Lo-o-o-ng Drive!

2007-12-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

Day 53 - Mon Dec 3: Our annual Student Council Food Drive was launched with a barrage of middle schoolers carting canned goods down to our library. What a great opportunity to get down to some birding business!

As co-advisor for our Student Council, my job is to help set-up for each day's collections and organize items as they come in. While this can be a logistical headache, it also gives me a chance to chat briefly with of my some former students.

One or two kids brought up the recent Courier Post article. What really surprised me though was several students asking if I've seen any new Life Birds recently!

It was nice to know that these former students still remember such birdy terms ; )

This was definitely a good morning to be a teacher. There was a flock of kids working their tails off for charity AND talking birds at the same time.

Yep - teaching can be rewarding!!

P2F - Dipping on Fledging

2007-12-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

Tues Nov 27 - Fri Nov 30: This has been a goofy week. I was out sick a few days. We had a half day and parent conferences. Then on Friday we had to play "catch up" from earlier in the week. The Pledge to Fledge was rather weak this week.

I did, however, chat about birds and birding with my doctor, a few coworkers, and parents of students throughout the week. Yet, in good conscience, I think I owe you a few Pledges in the coming weeks.

P2F - Birding in the Paper

2007-12-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

Day 52 - Mon Nov 26: The Courier Post article was published yesterday.

Several students and teachers brought in their copies of the newspaper to share with others.

The students who appeared in the article were so excited and/or proud of seeing their faces in the paper. They eagerly shared the story with theitr friends and classmates.

In addition to many congrats, I also endured a few expected friendly words of jest about some of the reporter's quotes.

It's not unusual to bird through the paper. It is a bit strange to bird through the paper and see yourself though.

P2F - No Turkeys Tomorrow = (

2007-12-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

Day 51 - Wed Nov 21: For the past several years, I have left my house early Thanksgiving morning for a turkey hunt.

We didn't need the bird for dinner. Some family member had a bird defrosted in their kitchen. Just thought it owuld be cool to find turkeys on Turkey Day. I have never succeeded in finding the big birds on their big day.

Even though we "failed", my daughter and I had a great time driving through Salem County looking for them last year. We had eagles, Snow Geese, and huge blackbirds flock. As we doubled back down a country road, we found a freshly dead Red-winged Blackbird that was not there 45 minutes earlier. I was surprised by my daughter's eagerness to evaluate the the beautiful plumage at close range. What a memorable experience for both of us! (She wanted to bring it home to show Mommy and her brother. Don't think my wife would have liked that too much!)

I found out yesterday that this year's trip would be pre-empted.

Our school's choir was performing at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. I explained with great pride to each of my classes that their peers wold be on TV.

Of course, I also explained that my annual Turkey Day Turkey Search would be put aside to watch scan the small screen for my singing students. Naturally, the kids asked me many questions about wild turkeys and where they can be foudn in our area.

Come Thursday morning, guess what happened . . .

I had a turkey sighting! Ahd he was HUGE - not big, not large, simply HUGE!

OK - you got me. It was the Tom Turkey float in the parade. I guess that doesn't count = (

P2F - Shooting Kids Birding

2007-12-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

Day 50 - Tues Nov 20: Administrators have been notified. Notes have been coming in all morning. Double checked to make sure all students have approved media release forms.

Immediately folloqing dismissal, eager young birders congregate in my classroom. Mostly, 6th graders ready for the first time. I was able to get some of my older kids there as well = ) The more experienced brood was tutoring the future fledglings in the way of the binoculars.

With a few last minute additions, I actually ended up one pair of bins short. Guess who didn't use any!

The photographer shows up as we play a little bird ID game with mounted specimens abnd field guyides. Two groups of kids working together to cooperatively identify two different species: Green-winged Teal and Brant.

Listening to them stumble through the process was quite enjoyable. Each kid chiming in with a different field mark. It took both groups a little while to find the first onein the field guide. But once they had the waterfowl section at their fingertips, the other was ID'ed much quicker.

We then went outside to look for a few birds. Juncos, robins, vultures, starlings, and grackles had the kids' eyes and minds going in several directions at once.

The photographer was shooting away.

As we returned back to the class, the kids left for home.

Before departing, the photographer thanked me for teaching him a few things about birds. He particularly liked the Dark-eyed Juncoes!

The resulting article can be found on CourierPost Online.

P2F - Awkward Request

2007-12-09T06:55:00.000-08:00

Day 49 - Mon Nov 19: My last period class was quietly working on an activity so I quickly checked my e-mail.

The reporter had a request from her editor. She wanted to have another photographer come out to the school TOMORROW. This time, the focus was to be KIDS.

Granted, this made total sense given the subject of the upcoming article. There were several problems with this request.

First, I have yet to have this year students in the field. I usually wait to get the new batch out into the field until we know each other better. This allows for a much more pleasurable and productive birding experience for all involved, especially the birds.

Second, it would be no small task to get in touch with my 7th and 8th grade birders on such short notice.

Decisions, Decisions.

I announced that I would be going out to look for some birds afterschool tomorrow and asked who would be interested in joining me. More than half the class raised their hands. When I explained the newspaper/photographer situation, several more hands joined the legions.

I'm so comfortable with practically staging the shoot but the kids are up for it.

I will let you know how it goes ; )

As an aside, the name of this group is the Wings!

P2F - Weekend in Preview

2007-12-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

Day 48 - Fri Nov 16: A few of my classes worked extremely well on today. As a result, there was some unanticipated time left at the end of the period.

I threw out a general question to the class, "any big plans for this weekend?"

The normal middle school itinerary entries were flying around the room - games, birthday parties, Bar Mitzvahs, sleeping late, movies.

Then it happened. They turned the interrogation back on me with an ulterior motive, "What about you Mr. Mag?"

"I;m not sure what we're doing yet."

Several adolescent voices chimed in with a less-than-rehearsed chorus, "Are you going to find any Life Birds this weekend?!"

My heart was warmed. Did I think they really cared about my enjoyment of finding new birds? Of course not, they were only wishing to celebrate a new discovery next week. Then why was I so delighted you might ask.

First of all, they were all using birding vernacular - Life Birds! Several of them were even able to recall that the Calliope Hummingbird was my first life bird this year.

Secondly, their teacher's excitement of a new bird is oozing into their consciousness via our class' Life Bird celebrations. These small but well-received tokens of accomplishment are effective. Definitely worth the expense of buying snacks for 140 kids once in a while.

Walls of birding ignorance are being cihpped away in their minds and hearts. They are becoming familiar with the world of birdwatching = )

Isn't this the first step in becoming a birder?!

P2F - Mocking Some Kids

2007-12-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Day 47 - Thurs Nov 15: It's rather normal to hear students say things like, "Mr. Mag, Billy said I was . . . " or "She just told me to . . . "

But this morning was different.

The 6th grader rushes to my room to some harassment that occurred as he was waiting for the bus. He said a bird was "yelling over and over" from the top of small tree.

"Ok. What did it sound like?"

"It sounded was loud and rude."

Let's narrow it down from my 3 prime suspects. "What did it look like?"

"It was like a grayish color. When it flew away, the wings were really white."

I turned and grabbed a field guide from the desk. I extended the book toward my young inquisitor while simultaneously flipping to the Mimids. The guide landed in front of his face just as the Northern Mockingbird page was reached. (If only the choreography had been planned!)

"That was it!"

"It's called a Northern Mockingbird. They can be really cool birds. They learn how to sing the songs of other birds."

"Was he mocking me this morning?!?!"

"Probably not."

P2F - Shooting Birders

2007-12-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

Day 46 - Wed Nov 14: Yesterday, I met with a local reporter to talk about the benefits of birding with kids. We spent more than an hour chatting about one of my favorite topics. As the conversation closed, she said, "can I send a photographer out to get some pics of you in the field tomorrow afternoon? It will only take about 15 minutes."

Aargh! "Sure, that would be fine."

Fast forward to this afternoon . . .

The photojournalist arrives promptly after school. Our salutations complete, we head behind the school to look for some birds. It's rather overcast and few birds were out and about. Regardless, I scanned the treetops, bushes, and skies for all manners of birds while she shuttered away.

Not being one to just sit there and get shot, I started chatting birds and birding with kids with her. We talked about different species in flight and how to tell them apart. We talked about various birds she has noticed lately. We talked about how kids are enthralled by wildlife.

And we talked about how rare birds can show up so far from home.

And we talked about the seasonal rhythms of birds.

She left about 90 minutes later with several decent pics of a barely salvagable subject and a nice chunk of new avian knowledge.

P2F - Mixed Flocks

2007-12-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Day 45 - Tues Nov 13: Today was Mix-It-Up Day. Our school participates in this national campaign to build awareness and acceptance of others.

As tolerance.org explains, The Mix It Up concept is "a project supporting student efforts to identify, question and cross social boundaries within their schools and communities."

As the kids entered the cafeteria, they were sent to random tables. Instead their normal crew, they would be breaking bread with a new set of peers today. The students were both shaken and stirred by this simple logistical maneuver.

My routine was also disrupted. I usually make the rounds and go through my repertoire of individualized interactions for each group of kids. Talking sports at some tables, music at others, books with other still, and birds with all of them at times.

Today, the music kids, sports kids, and all the rest were as mixed as flocks of migrating shorebirds or wintering blackbirds. While this made my daily performance unique, it definitely allowed for birding discussions as I explained the mixed flock analogy to each table = )

P2F - Hanging Birds

2007-11-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Day 44 - Mon Nov 12: My first task this morning was clean off my desk. I have a habit of dropping papers on my desk until it looks like one of Dilbert's nightmares. He would have been screaming this morning!

The series of Eastern Bluebirds photos (see day 42) was among the desk debris. Obviously, I proudly hung the pics on my front board.

A new round of inquisition was inspired as many students saw, for the first time, the sequence of a parent bluebird feeding its fledgling young a mealworm.

P2F - Birds as Medication

2007-11-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

Day 43 - Tues Nov 6: Despite not having any students today, there were bird droppings throughout my in-service this morning.

The most interesting came during a discussion with colleagues about daily trials abd tribulations of grown up life. One teacher was sharing some less than wonderful happenings of the past year. Then, turning to me, she said, "You know what has been my strength through all this? Birds. We love watching all those little birds at the shore during our summer vacation. This fall, we have had so many new birds visit our feeders. It's so exciting to watch something different come in."

I offered my understanding, "birds can be a fun escape without a doubt."

Her reply was both entertaining and enlightening, "Watching them at our feeder makes things better. I'm telling you those little birds are better than Valium!"

P2F - A "Beauty-Oh" Morning

2007-11-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

Day 42 - Mon Nov 5: Sitting at my desk this morning, I heard the familiar Killdeer call. As I walked toward the open window, I noticed a large silhouette through the blinds. That's no Killdeer!

The raptor flew very low over the soccer field and the busy road before perching atop a telephone pole. I grabbed a set of bins from the shelf. Yes, I always have bins available in my classroom! On a Monday morning, there was NO WAY this immature Red-tailed Hawk was not going to be ogled for a few minutes.

As you have probably already figured out, the students were hearing about my magnificent morning all day!

P2F - The Blue and The Grey's

2007-11-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

Day 41 - Fri Nov 2: During homeroom this morning, I was surprised by 2 former students rushing into my room. Each of them had their own birdy bulletin for me.

The Blue: I could instantly see that the one girl was carrying 3 ink-jet printed photos. As a frequent morning birder, I knew she had something of interest to show. She eagerly explained that her mom's friend had taken pictures of Eastern Bluebirds in her backyard a while ago. The series showed a 1) a male bluebird grabbing a mealworm from a feeder, 2) the bird stretching its head toward a fledgling, and 3) the mealy tidbit being placed well within the waiting mouth. Of course, it was a very pleasant surprise to have her bring them down but that was not the end of it.

I left the photos in the front of my class all day. In each of my classes, students were commenting on the pics or asking questions.

The Grey's: The other girl was a student I have not seen much at all since last June. She charged into my room and asked, "Mr. Mag, did you watch Grey's Anatomy last night?!"

"Nah, my wife is more of a Survivor/CSI fan. Besides, I was busy all night."

"I was thinking of you when I saw it!"

"OK - now you're scaring me! Why?!"

"They were talking about some bird. Something like an [very puzzled expression on her face] Ivy-building Woodpecker?"

"The Ivory-billed Woodpecker?!?!?!" My exclamation was followed by an extremely brief tutorial of the presumed extinction, recent rediscovery, and ensuing controversy.

She walked out with a proud smile, "I knew you would want to know about it!"

Nothing like prime time soap opera birding for middle schoolers = )

P2F - Teaching through Talons

2007-11-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

Day 40 - Thurs Nov 1: Both the starting gun and finsih line for my school day was in the form of raptors.

While chatting with a colleague about our plans for the day, I noticed an incongruous bounce in the pine tree outside her window. I rushed over to the window just as a fairly large bird regained its balance enough to perch upright. I immediately noted the brown-streaked buffy breast of an accipiter.

Margie asks, "what do you see now?"

With some guidance, I was able to get her on the young female Sharp-shinned Hawk just before it flew away from us. I took a few minutes to explain the plumage differences between immature and adults. With an artist background, she was intrigued by the gray and orange combination.

As I was leaving in the late afternoon, a student was also leaving the soccer game. We exchanged pleasantries in passing. Then, a silhouette buouded over his head. The pointed wings, slender body, and longish tail screamed AMERICAN KESTREL!

Seeing the surprise on this kid's face, I realized it was actually me that screamed kestrel. I was able to get his eyes on the bird just before it dropped out of sight behind a row trees. He asked something ot the effect of, "what is a kestrel?"

he had just seen the smallest falcon in North America. His heartfelt reply spoke volumes, "Cool!"

Impressing a 6th grade boy with a momentary glimpse at a kestrel is no small feat ; )

P2F - Trick-or-Treat Birding

2007-11-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

Day 39 - Wed Oct 31: My pledge to Fledge efforts today were not in school. It was during the traditional Halloween begging for candy festivities.

In my best birder's get up, I was strolling my neighborhood with a blonde versions of Mulan and Diego. We were crossing paths with all sorts of monsters, ninjas, and the popular ultra-trampy vampires.

When did this costume become so popular among young teens anyway?! We are hoping this trend changes before our daughter tries asking for fishnets for her 13th Halloween = (

Sorry for that daddy dread moment. Now, let's return to our regualrly scheduled posting . . .

Anyway, I stayed in character throughout our candy gathering route. I was pointing out birds to every group of kids we encountered. Unfortunately, the starlings and sparrows did not impress terribly many kids. A very vocal mockingbird did capture some positive attention. The real nice oohs and aahs were initiated by a low saoring Red-tailed Hawk. I was able to get a few different groups on this very cooperative bird!

P2F - Loony Day

2007-11-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Day 38 - Tues Oct 30 When I left the house this morning, I was confident that there would be little if any thing to share here. There was a series of scheduled meetings that promised to be less than pleasurable which would command much of my attention. Before leaving the house, I donned my favorite tie to help keep my spirits up.

Low and behold, the fledging foundation was falling into place all day!

I've been wearing this blue loon tie for several years. Sometimes, it spurs some interest among the kids. (As a matter of fact, I posted once last year about the hullabaloo the tie stirred up last year.)

All day long, students, other teachers, secretaries, and subsitutes were all commenting on my "beautiful tie"! Perhaps my colleagues knew what was going on behind the scenes and were trying to cheer me up. Regardless, I took every opporuntity to clear up that it was a Common Loon and NOT A DUCK!

It turned out to be a very birdy day after all = )

btw - the meetings went much better than expected by anyone!

P2F - Party Pooper - NOT quite

2007-11-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

Day 37 - Mon Oct 29: This was an easy Pledge to Fledge day!

The kids knew I was going to be birding all weekend. Hoping for another Life Bird Party, many of them eagerly asked the sami question as they entered my class: "DId you find any new birds this weekend?!"

They were disappointed to hear that a party was not on the schedule for today. However, I was able to easily pick up their spirits by excitedly sharing the many other sightings from the weekend including Bald Eagles, Belted Kingfisher, Dickcissel, and all 3 falcons!

It's nice to know they are already thinking about birds a bit more. I still have 8 months left to get them ready to fledge!

P2F - Dancing Hawks

2007-10-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

Day 36 - Fri Oct 26Today was our first dance. Woo-hoo!

For a variety purposes, our school's policy is to hold an after-school dance for the 6th graders and a separate evening event for the 7th and 8th graders.

The 6th grade dances are sight to behold. Boys lining the perimeter. Girls trying to replicate the latest steps. Not usually all that exciting for those of us there to supervise the event.

When the after-school dance is done, the parents are waiting en masse in front of the school for their little cherubs. The scene is not far from the paparazzi on the Sunset Strip. But then a true superstar made a surprise appearance. . .

A Sharp-shinned Hawk practically buzzed a group of students. The bird flew over the parking lot and headed toward a line of trees across the street. Changing into my hawkwatching alter-ego, I announced the bird to the dozens of students and parents still within earshot. Many of them were able to get on it before it stooped behind the trees.

Kids became curious. Parents became kids and curious! A flurry of interesting questions were hurled at me = )

The best thing about this mini-event was that these were students (and parents) other than my own. This Pledge to Fledge reached a new audience. Again - WooHoo!

P2F - Teachers Spend Weekend Together?!

2007-10-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

Day 35 - Thurs Oct 25: While in the teacher's lounge during lunch, one of my colleagues told us she was spending the weekend in Cape May. I COULD NOT resist this opportunity!

My involuntary Fledging Birders reflex kicked into high gear. Akin to a Merlin, a quick and direct string of comments flew out of my mouth in one long breath sans the pauses and inflection of punctuation, "keep your eyes out for hawks flying over stop by the convention center for some really cool exhibits We'll be down too we should all get together"

She giggled her typical giggle then replied, "Huh?!"

We discussed her teacher workshop, hawk migration, the birding festival, and my own family getaway in Cape May with all the the other teachers in the room.

Eyes were definitely opened a bit more. Some to my child-like enthusiasm. Some to an interesting teacher training program. But all to birds!

P2F - Call Me an Acorn Woodpecker

2007-10-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

My sincerest apologies for lack of recent posts. It's been a very busy few weeks between school and Fledging Birders activity. But, much like an Acorn Woodpecker, I have been collecting a nice little cache of my own. Here go some brief Pledge to Fledge happenings of the past few weeks.

Day 34 - Wed Oct 24: A co-worker stopped by my classroom today with a smirk on his face. He asked, "do you write for the Courier-Post?"

"I've done a few articles for them."

"I know. I was checking out their web site and saw you there. I just read your entire blog!"

At this point, he proceeded to hurl some good old inapproriate innuendos at me. Luckily, there were no students in the class!

As the day went on, I saw this guy and another teacher in the hallway several times. Each time, they had a new sincere comment about one of the birds mentioned in my Winged Wonders blog.

I have no problem taking a bit of friendly teasing if it results in other people talking about birds!

Day 33 - Tues Oct 23: I made a brief cameo appearance in another teacher's class today to ask a quick question. As I walked through the door, some friendly greetings from the students were heard but a few questions really cut through the auditory haze.

"What birds have you seen lately?"

"Any life birds this year?"

"When can I go birding with you again?"

Music to my ears! Needless to say, I chatted with the kids for a few minutes as they finished their work.

Day 32 - Mon Oct 22:Pop Quiz! Oh, the joys of teaching!

For extra credit on one group's quiz, they had to tell me why we celebrated several weeks ago. Virtually all of them remembered that I saw a "life bird" or new hummingbird. A few of them were even able to specify the Calliope Hummingbird.
Day 31 - Fri Oct 19: I routinely give students goofy nicknames. It's quite common for there to be an avian origin to these names. It really piques their curiosity.

One student's actual name always conjures up images of flocks of Brant bobbing in the back bays of the Jersey Shore. Therefore, her friendly moniker involves those dimintuive geese. Today, I surprise the daylights out of the class by breaking out her namesake - a real mounted Brant!

They were shocked, amazed, and enthralled by the sight. Several days later, I am still fielding questions about that bird!!

Day 30 - Thurs Oct 18:Today's class focused on the Paleolithic Era caves of southern Africa. While discussing Border Cave, I hopped up onto a desk to model advantages of living on a cliff. A quick witted kid joked, "he's gonna try and fly!"

We turned the conversation into the advantages birds have when soaring high, they were hitting key things like seeing prey further away and avoiding predators. The students then easily discussed the benefits of living on a cliff.

Day 29 - Wed Oct 17: I was exceedingly busy today getting ready for our first Student Council meeting today. My students could tell I was overloaded with my mental To Do list. As I was printing out the final agenda for the meeting, the calls of passing Killdeer echoed through my room. In that instant, I was transported to another mental place. One with grasspipers galore - Killdeer, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and Upland Sandpipers.

Arrving at the meeting a fw minutes later, one of the students said, "Mr. Mag, did you just see a bird?"

"Not exactly. I just heard a Killdeer fly over the soccer field though. Why?"

The blunt reply made me chuckle, "You were grumpy all day but now you have a huge smile. It must have been a bird!"

Day 28 - Tues Oct 16: Some of my former students stopped by during homeroom this morning. They were entertaining my 6th graders with goofy stories about me from last year. One of the formers blurted out, "it's was always cool when Mr, Mag found a new bird!"

This was met by a current student's immediate response "Yeah! We just celebrated one of his life bird's last week!"

There's a nice ring to young kids using birding jargon ;)

P2F - Words of Appreciation

2007-10-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

Day 27 - Mon Oct 15: When I checked my messages this morning, I was surprised to hear the voice of a parent from last year's class.

I gave a young lady a flyer about the raptor presentation last week. This mother was calling to apologize for not being able to make it to the show. She expressed how much "the whole family" would have enjoyed it but also explained the hectic schedule of extra-curricular activities and work schedules.

Then came the real heart-warming part of the message . . .

She explained just how much her daughters (yes, plural) miss hearing and talking about birds in my class. Her message closed with a thank you for geting the girls so interested in to birds and nature!

P2F - Hayride Hawks

2007-10-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Day 26 - Fri Oct 12: I found myself on a pumpkin picking trip with my daughter's kindergarten class this morning. Birding with 20 five-year-olds can be more than a bit daunting but I took a few openings.

On the hayride to the pumpkin patch, I actively scanned (sans bins!) for familiar silhouettes. The first species to soar into view was our most common buteo. I eagerly pointed out the Red-tailed Hawk to the students and other parent chaperones. Even the most "energetic" little one stopped to gawk at the sizable raptor soaring over the fields. Over the next few minutes, the parents were asking questions about hawks and birds in general.

Later in the day, a nice group of swallows were dipping and banking over the fields. Again, I seized the moment and shared it with everyone around. Several of the kids got a real kick out of watching these mini-jets doing their thing!

Are the kindergarten student now birders? Of course not! However, they really enjoyed watching the birds. A cinder has drifted into their consciousness. With a bit more effort, it could spark their interest!

I plan to be sending in a bird book basket for the class in the next few weeks = )

P2F - Spreading Their Own Wings

2007-10-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

Day 25 - Thurs Oct 11: One of my most dedicated young birders rushed into my classroom this morning. The 7th grader was out of breath from her lengthy speed walking dash. After taking a brief moment to compose herself, she shared with me (and my homeroom students) her thrilling walk to school.

"Mr. Mag! Mr. Mag! We saw a really cool bird flying over the parking lot. At first, I didn't know exactly what it was. But then I got a better look - it was a KESTREL!!! Can we add it to or school list?!"

She took great pride in adding the new species to our schoolyard year list. As if this wasn't rewarding enough, my 6th grade homeroom students starting asking me questions about the sighting and she was was ansering them - CORRECTLY!

P2F - Fire Drill Red

2007-10-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Day 24 - Wed Oct 10: Last spring, I shared a post about both vulture species circling overhead during a fire drill. Today, we had some more safety practice birding.

Once safely out of the building and away from the make-believe flames, my instantly drift skyward. Imagine that - a birder looking up on a fall afternoon.

Immediately, the wobbly dihedral is observed circling across the street. In my softest fire drill voice, I share the bird with a few nearby classes (totaling about 60 kids).

To our delight, another bird materialized out of the haze. Before I could say a word, a student said, "there's another one . . . but it looks smaller."

As other classes were returning to the building, we lingered for a bit to work through the identification. Knowing that time was limited, I asked a few quick probing questions of these avian neophytes before giving away the bird's identity:
Red-tailed Hawk.

Despite the time constraints of a pending class change, there was NO WAY that bird was going to go unseen by my students. That would have broken a cardinal rule of mine:

NEVER PASS UP A TEACHABLE HAWKWATCHING MOMENT!

P2F - Preying for New Birders

2007-10-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Day 23 - Tues Oct 9:A well known raptor expert is rolling into town Thursday night and with him comes his magnificent birds of prey menagerie.

The flyer was enshrined on my bulletin board this morning. I also announced the event in each of my classes throughout the day.

I thought about offering it as an extra credit opportunity but not quite sure that would be ethical.

Well . . .

From a purely bird educator vantage point, virtually any incentive to get kids in proximity to birds could be ethical. However, in the somewhat authoritative role of teacher, offering extra credit for students to attend an event outside of school is not so ethical.

One reason is not all the kids would NOT have the same opportunity to get there. Many have extra-curricular commitments. Others do not have transportation available. Some simply have no interest.

The main reason for not offering extra credit for this special presentation, however, is that would be pushing my passion on them. Pushing people into things has a negative effect on their perception of the activity.

Show them the door. Give them the key. Even open the door for them. Providing access to something is wonderful. But once you push them through the door, it can really backfire! Be it temporary or everlasting, you surely risk souring their taste for birds.

I will remind them about the "show" in my best salesman mode on Thursday though.

Besides, yesterday's Calliope Hummingbird celebration can be revisited for extra credit on Friday's test. It was discussed in class so that's fair game!!

P2F - Calliope Celebration

2007-10-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - Mon Oct 8: Time to bite the bullet!

I have been celebrating life birds with my students for years. It's usually in the form of a small treat. In the event of a mega-rarity or milestone number, it oculd even be a ful fledged party. My Calliope Hummingbird in Cape May County on Saturday definitely heralded in a shopping trip to get some celebratory supplies.

With legislation now limiting junk food at school, my selection process became much more difficult than previous years. I'm not complaining at all. It's just that healthier options are tough to find in large enough quantities to distribute to 140 middle school students.

Anyway, the first few minutes of each class on Monday were devoted to the Calliope Hummingbird. I launched prezels across the room to every smiling student. As it was our first celebration of the year, I explained the concept of a "life bird". Then, showed them a few slides of male Calliopes and related information.

Needless to say, most of them were impressed by the sheer beauty of the bird. They were further intrigued by its status as the smallest North American bird. The stats were translated into school supplies. It's as long as a piece of chalk. It weighs about as much as three large paper clips. After seeing the range maps of this tiny Western visitor, the kids were nothing less than amazed by its incredible journey!

Each of the classes hurled great questions at me. Some were expected inquires such as "Is it going to fly back home?" and "how did you know it would be there?". Others took me slightly off gaurd. One surprise was, "why and how do its feathers get so shiny?"

I could not have been more pleased with the result on my investment of healthy goodies. I usually try to light a spark of interest every day. Today, we almost had to evacuate the building and callin the local fire department!
"

P2F - Calliope Curiosity

2007-10-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

Day 21 - Fri Oct 5: The curiosity noted above is mine! A few days ago, a male Calliope Hummingbird was discovered in a Cape May County yard. Naturally, I shared my burning desire to see this bird with my students.

Near the end of one of my classes, we discussed our plans for the weekend. Students had family parties, soccer games, and the usual pre-adolescent fair on tap. I piqued their curiosity by saying "wish me luck this weekend!"

I explained that I would be looking for our smallest North American bird and shared with them how far from "home" this tiny little bird has traveled. The reactions were mized. Most were confused. Others was amazed. A few could care less = (

Well, the bird was added to my life list on Saturday! Monday is my first life bird celebration with this year's students!!

P2F - Hear the Tea Kettle?!

2007-10-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

Day 20 - Thurs Oct 4: An previous P2F post shared the quacking, clucking, and tweeting lunch table. Today there were new developments . . .

Lunch was going very smoothly today so I was able to mingle with each table a little bit. When I reached my onomatopoetic young ladies, I gave them an unofficial assignment. They could make bird noises when I walked by BUT the noises have to be authentic bird songs. They loked at me as if I sprouted another head or a set of wings. I gave them a simple example.

We talked about Carolina Wren which are readily found in the township and right at school. I described the cute little operatic star with a long string of adjectives to help them draw a mental picture. Then, one of them asked, "what sound does it make?"

After hearing the "tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle" mnemonic, they were convinced that my mind was gone along with most of their lunch period.

I hope they join us for a morning walk sometime soon so they can hear it for themselves.

P2F - Magnifying the Situation

2007-10-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

Day 19 - Wed Oct 3: During one of my classes, I recognized a familiar optics company logo on a student's t-shirt. The student did not know the "significance" of the company. I asked the other students if they were familiar with the name. After getting nothing close to the answer, I explained that it was a very famous optics company that makes terrific (and expensive) birding binoculars.

After class, a few students asked me about it. I shared with them some optics talk and showed a few different pairs that I always keep in my room.

There were a bunch of other birdy things today as well. This one just struck me as a bit different!

P2F - Teacher's Resource

2007-10-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Day 18 - Tues Oct 2: NJEA Review was distributed to tens of thousands NJ teachers today. The attention grabbing cover featured an imposing Bald Eagle headshot. The cover story was about the benefits of brding for students strategies to integrate birding throughout the curriculum.

I hope you find "This Class is for the Birds" to be helpful!

Coworkers from my school were coming up to me al day (and the rest of the week) to chat about the article and talk birds. Teachers from other schools within the district were e-mailing their words of congratulations on the article.

I think this would count towards my Pledge to Fledge commitment for the day.

P2F - What a morning!

2007-10-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Day 17- Mon. Oct. 1: A new month means time to flip my bird calendar!

I had many students volunteer for this coveted job. The "chosen one" took great pride in turning to October. She was told to pick a favorite bird for the new month.

"I like the bright yellow one with the little black hat."

I confirmed her choice, "ahh - the American Goldfinch is a nice bird!"

Another student chimed in, "isn't that our state bird?"

The next few minutes dealt with our state birds and other species from the calendar that can be found it NJ - all but 3 of them!

P2F - Whistle While You Work

2007-09-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Day 16- Fri, Sept, 28: I like to keep my students on their toes. When they are working in groups, I use various methods of bringing order back to the class. Sometimes, it's turning off the lights or clapping a rhythm for them to complete. Occasionally, it's merely body language. Today it was the debut of a certain sound effect.

A few years ago, the teacher in the neighboring classroom returned from Puerto Rico with a bird whistle souvenir for me. When you blow in the birds tail, a high pitched squeal emanates from the hole in its back.

The true magic happens when you fill the hole with water. With liquid filling its innards, the bird's ear-wrenching becomes a warbling song.

Needless to say, the students stop dead in their tracks thinking they've been zapped into a tropical rainforest.

The funniest part was the other teacher also bought one for herself. She debuted hers the other day and amazed her students as well. She proudly announced to her students that she and I are the only teachers to have this in our school if not all of NJ!

There goes that P2F ripple effect again!

P2F - The Ripple Effect

2007-09-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Day 15 - Thurs, Sept 27: Not a very birdy day in my class today BUT...
A science teacher shared the recent issue of children's magazine with me. The magazine focuses on owls and features a Great Horned on the cover. He said he was definitely going to share the magazine with his class and tell them that I was the bird man. He also asked if I could bring in some more wild pellets for him this year.

This was very good news in terms of Fledging Birders. It's one thing to talk about birds with my own students. But having other teachers share MY passion with their students demonstrates into the larger ripple effect that this year's Pledge to Fledge blogging is all about!

The excitement of birding is absolutely contagious. Why hold back something so wonderful?!

P2F - Artsy Birds

2007-09-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Day 14- Wed, Sept 26: The camp trip was a success yesterday. The kids walked trails, participated in many environmental-based activities, and got dirty!

Our classes today were focused on post-camp activities. After reviewing the camp events, we proceeded to make "stained glass" animals to decorate the windows. There were several templates for various insects, frogs, turtles, and other animals. Of course, I also broke 4 different bird field guides.

Many of the students flipped through the book to get ideas for their own creations. Sure enough there were some owls and hawks hanging on my window at the end of the day.

There was even one overgrown kid who carefully created an American Kestrel with the black construction paper and colored tissue paper. While he is FAR from artistic, his kestrel's streamlined profile, pointed wings blue wings, cinnamon back, and head patttern make the ID easy when you gaze out my window. Now, if I could only get the colored glue off of my shirt!

P2F - New Eyes at Camp

2007-09-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Day 13- Tues Sept. 25: This "Pledge to Fledge" really doesn't even relate to birds - directly. However, it does help kids build birding skills!

Today was our annula trip to Camp Ockanickon. Of course I was pointing out various birds to the kids. (Turkey Vultures, Eastern Towhees, Carolina Wrens calling out, and both species of nuthatch received the biggest oohs and aahs.) The big P2F incident was of mammalian blood.

An observant student discovered what he thought was a monkey sleeping in the tree. It was actually one very comfortable raccoon dozing the afternoon away. Needless to say, the other students were begging to see it.

Like a birding trip, I had to line the students up to share the sole pair of binoculars. Each student was given explicit directions on how to locate the masked snoozer. Many also needed a brief tutorial in how to use the binoculars themselves. It was the first time most of them had ever looked through a pair of quality optics.

Watching the smiles grow across their faces indicated that they succssfully navigated through the canopy and rotated the focus wheel just right to bring the raccoon into perfect view.

They now have a thirst for examining the world through magnified lenses. Definitely birders to be!

P2F - Weekend Update

2007-09-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Day 12 - Mon, Sept. 24: Monday morning homeroom is always interesting becuase the kids and I share our weekend highlights. At my turn today, I shared a story my 5 year old daughter playing nurse to an injured bird. It goes a little something like this . . .

We were just finishing breakfast at Ballyhoo's in Cape May when we heard a loud "plink" at the window. My daughter's expression was pure puzzlement.

My explanation that a bird probably hit the window piqued her curiosity and concern. She asked if we could go make sure it was ok. Once outside, we found a Magnolia Warbler teeteringly in a daze on the edge of a raised flowerbed. Gulls were circling overhead. We also spotted a cat in the area an hour earlier. My daughter begged to help the bird.

Given the lack of cover, we took the bird back to our hotel balcony and sat with it as it regained its wits. My daughter was delighted to share the experience with her little brother and mom. They were so proud when the bird safely took back to the sky!

Many of my students were quite interested in the story. Others were half asleep. But then again, it was Monday morning!

Pledging for Fledging

2007-09-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

For this school year, I pledge to write about 180 different Fledging Birders moments at school. You may be asking , "why 180?"

This would be a single incident for each of the 180 school days!

I'm off to a late start so this first post is in digest form. I intend to write everyday but that may prove impractical with such a busy year bearing down on me.

Here goes the first 3 weeks in a flash:
Day 1 - Wed, Sept. 5: I ran into one of last year's WSB team members her right after dismissal. After a quick run down of her summer life birds, she inquires about the morning bird walk schedule. ALready rearing to go!!

Day 2 - Thurs, Sept. 6: During lunch today, one of my new students asks, "Mr. Magpiong, aren't you that bird guy?"
With his suspicions confirmed, he made his interest in birding known. (note: after 2 weeks, I'm still waiting for a permission slip though!)

Day 3 - Fri, Sept. 7: Surprise! Another former WSB team mate showed up in my classroom at 7:30am. Time to bird. Not many species around but a large number of robins in the fields. We also had our first killdeere of the year fly over. A brief foray into the field but the day was off to a nice start.

Day 4 - Mon, Sept. 10: "Don't DUCK your responsibility!" discussion. Students are told missed work will be left under the Canvasback decoy on the shelf. They are responsible for picking up the work when they return from an absence.

Day 5 - Tues, Sept. 11: Student shows up for birding bright and early. We add a few species to our school year list - American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, and Blue Jay.

Day 6 - Wed, Sept. 12: A former student stops by my class after school. A quick field guide perusal leads to a flurry of, "Have you ever seen this one?" and "what about this guy? he's cool!"

Day 7 - Mon, Sept. 17: Birding before school again. The highlight is a "year bird" for the VMS list - a Northern Flicker.

Day 8 - Tues, Sept. 18: In the hallway, a students yells, "I have a gift for you Mr. Magpiong!"
When she shows up to class, I am surprised by an origami swan that stands about a foot high.

Day 9 - Wed, Sept. 19: The students are already well aware of my birding "obsession". During lunch, a group of kids try to impress me with bird sounds. Their limited play list includes only the onomatopoetic quack, cluck, and tweet. I envision this game developing nicely! I will probably challenge them to learn a few REAL songs each week.

Day 10 - Thurs, Sept. 20: Some students finish their tests early and start to doodle on the back of the paper. They work hard to recreate the Canvasback and birds from the Audubon calendar.

Day 11 - Fri, Sept. 21: We had a fire drill around mid-morning. I was hoping for a few vultures or hawks overhead but no luck. The afternoon fire drills work best for those sightings. However, I was able to get a few kids on a passing flock of grackles.

Check back for "Pledge to Fledge" stories!

Dave

New Burly Birders

2007-09-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have recently shared my birding interest with some unlikely candidates.

ACT 1:
A family getaway in Cape May was disrupted by an emergency visit to the local mechanic. When I dropped the vehicle off, the head mechanic offered to give me a lift. I refused by explaining, "Thanks but I'd rather walk. You see I'm a bird watcher and, with any luck, I may find some nice birds along the way."

The wrestler turned mechanic's jaw dropped open. "YOU'RE a BIRD WATCHER!"

Not sure if I was annoyed or simply taken off guard by his amazement, I shot back, "Yeah. Why are you so shocked?"

"When I think of bird watchers, I imagine little, frail ladies in their 70's dressed in goofy clothes and writing poetry. You look like a Yankees fan!"

This was an opening I could not resist. "Are you playing with me?! You live in Cape May, one of the world's most famous bird watching destinations, but you've never met a birder?!"

He chuckled, "Not that I know of."

I tried to appeal to his manliness by talking about the impending kick-off of hawk migration season. He was totally surprised to hear that so many "cool bnirds" were around his hometown.

As I walked back to meet the family, I vowed to wow him with more manly bird scenarios like Peregrines stooping on birds at full throttle when I picked up the car later in the day. Unfortunately, he was gone when pick-up time arrived.

Hopefully, his eyes were opened a bit more to the wonders of his own neighborhood.

ACT 2:
A trip to the pool club afforded me the opporutnity to fledge another birder.

As my children were splashing about the kiddie pool, a lone Common Nighthawk flew overhead. I excitedly pointed out the birds to my own little cherubs. Within moments, a deep voice uttered, "what kind of hawk did you say you saw?"

The spokesman appeared to be a old school linebacker/biker hybrid covered in tattoos.

The resulting 20 minutes conversation was full of questions relating fly-bys during his commute to work, his neighbor's feeders, and other bird information. Every so often, the discussion was punctuated by my poiting out of birds flying over (more nighthawks, Red-taikled Hawks, Great Egret, American Goldfinches).

The conversation closed with him saying that he was going to buy a bird book to learn more about the interesting birds in our area.

Vacation Scavenger Hunt

2007-08-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

One of my coworkers has recently divulged to me that his 7 year old son has a budding interest in birds. As you would expect, I outlined all the benefits birding can have for his son academically, physically, and socially. Mike quickly understood that his best course of action would be to encourage his son's birding endeavors. We are trying to arrange a few excursion before summer's end but . . .

They will be on vacation in coastal North Carolina for several weeks. I offered Mike some binoculars and a field guide for the trip. While he did not want to risk damaging the bins, he eagerly took me up on borrowing a field guide.

My wife and I put together a short scavenger hunt of "cool" birds they may encounter on the trip. We included several easy to find birds such as brown pelicans and ospreys. We added Royal and Sandwich Terns for a bit more of a challenge. For sheer beauty, we listed Painted Buntings but explained the difficulty of finding them. Next to each species, we included the page on which it could be found in the field guide. We delivered the package to the family mailbox the evening before their 4 am departure.

I called the next afternoon to confirm receipt of the field guide. The embarrassed voice on the other end explained that he forgot to grab the guide from the mailbox. Within a minute of hanging up, my cell phone rang. It was Mike again.

Apparently, there was a vaild reason for his forgetfulness. His son saw me put the field guide in the box the night before and excitedly took it out seconds later. He stayed up late studying the guide and secured it in his own bag for the trip!

I can't wait to hear how the scavenger hunt turns out!!

I'll keep you posted.

Music to My Ears

2007-07-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

I make it a habit to invite my children on every bird outing. It's always an invitation, never a decree. If birding is forced on kids, this great hobby becomes about as tempting as liver or spinach.

If they come, we will have a terrific time. If they choose to stay home, no guilt trip is given. Besides, I will be able to find, and actually watch, more birds.

In recent weeks, two requests truly warmed my heart.

A Roseate Spoonbill was found in Forsythe NWR on July 12th. When I told my daughter about this extremely rare NJ bird, she asked to go see it. (She has loved looking at spoonbills in my field guides since I returned from a trip to the Keys in March.)
Naturally, I had already decided on trekking down to Brigantine for this one.

I packed up her and her brother. Unfortunately, my wife had other plans for the evening. The kids had a blast looking at shorebirds, herons, terns, and butterflies. When she saw HER bird, she positively giddy. She was so excited that . . .

The next morning, she begged to go back so we could show mommy the spoonbill. Again, it didn't take much to convince me.

That was the first request. The next one didn't have a marguee name like Roseate Spoonbill attached to it.

I was heading out to search for migrating shorebirds. The routine invitation was made but neither of the little ones jumped on board. Shortly after my departure, my wife called to explain that our son was upset that daddy left without him. Guilt started to set in but I was past the point of no return. By the time I returned home, he was in full blown nap time - drool and all.

My wife and daughter left to visit some friends. I used the quiet time to get some work done. An hour later, my sleepy eyed, bed-headed toddler toddles over to me with his best puppy-dog face as he groans "Buhds - dada - look faw buhds - peese."

The first thing on his mind after a nap was going out with Daddy to look for birds!!!

After a short Q-n-A, I understood that he wanted to walk trails and look for big birds by the water. Our early evening outing was very nice even though we didn't find any of the herons or egrets we had his heart set on. He laughed at the swallows, loved the Fowler's Toads, and was fascinated by the dragonflies.

Birdwatching Daddydom is great!

"Gwown-up Iggle"

2007-07-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Using the avian potential of holidays is a very effective way of getting kids interested in birds. An excited young man demontrated the power of this method on July 5th.

Every summer, I work with younger students with developmental disabilities. Due to their special needs, these students need to work throughout the summer or else they will lose the skills attained during the year.

For the first time, our summer program started BEFORE 4th of July. FOr the first few days I incorporated patriotic themes into our lessons. We focused on two important symbols of our country: the flag and, of course, Bald Eagles!

One of the activities was coloring in Bald Eagle pictures that the students sould use to decorate their houses for the holiday. Initially, two of my little cherubs used only brown to color the eagle. I explained that "baby" eagles can be all brown but "grown-up" eagles have white heads and white tails. After coloring their second bird, they were pleased to have both "grown-up" and "baby" eagles.

Our next day of school was July 5th. As soon as the kids bound off the bus, I heard a 6 year-old voice exclaim, "I saw a gwown-up iggle yestuhday!!!"

He provided a very detailed explanation of his family's close encounter with the Bald Eagle at the Philadelphia Zoo. When I asked, "how did you know it was a grown up eagle?" His answer was not impeded by even the slightest hesitation, "it had a white head and tail not bwown like a baby iggle".

This was a very impressive show of communication skills for this particular student.

It was also a good show of birdership for such a young child!

Thank you to E.J. Peiker for use of his eagle photos. You can se emore of his amazing photography at www.ejphoto.com.

School Birding Pride

2007-07-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Another school year was completed on June 19th!

Every year I give my students a brief survey that involves them critiquing my yteaching style and reflecting on their own performances over the course of the year.

Many of this year's responses dealt with birds and birding. Some examples are . . .

Most Memorable Moment:
- "having a party for Mr, Mag seeing so many birds in Key West"- when asked about this, the student repeated some of the birds we talked about from that trip including Loggerhead Kingbird, Roseate Spoonbills, and Magnificent Frigatebird.

- "seeing the owl puke with bones in it!" - Rummaging through owl pellets was a big hit with many of the students!

Most Enjoyable Activity:
- "looking for birds in the morning" - this from a student who throughout the year claimed to not be a morning person but was happy to come almost an hour rearly to school for birding!

Your Proudest Moment of the Year:
- "being part of the WSB" - our World Series of Birding team led to a sisterhood of the hardcore young female birders.

- "seeing a Mississippi Kite in Voorhees on the World Series of Birding" - no explanation necessary!

It was a good year for birding with my students. Kids were coming in with birding questions almost every day. Our morning bird walks have been become exponentially more popular. The Zhumell optics from binoculars.com have allowed to accomodate more birders on each outing.

Several of the kids have asked to go on trips over the summer as well!

I look forward to expanding our birding club next year.

Fire Drill Vultures

2007-06-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

For me, it was a great teachable moment. For one of the kids however, it was a frightening few seconds.

The alarm signals our 2nd mandated fire drill of the month. The students and I exit the building promptly and quietly. Once outside, my heads immediately drifts back with my eyes on the skies.

Nothing is found with the first scan. The second sweep yields a 2 Turkey Vultures coming into view from behind a tree line. I casually point out the birds to my students.

Just as the all clear is given to re-enter the building, two more birds enter the small kettle. This time they were black vultures. Time for a quick lesson on vulture ID!

With the lawn slowly clearing, I again get my students on the bird and ask if they notice anything different about the four birds. Most kids say something to the effect of, "nah - they're all black".

But a few students chime in with things like:
- "some have white spots at the end [of their wings]"
- "two of them wobble a lot"
- "some are shorter than others"

I quickly confirm these differences and list the ID points of each species.

Another young girl from another class asks, "what are you guys looking at?"

A new vulture expert calmly proclaims, "there are vultures circling right above us."

With that revelation, she starts screaming "it's not a drill! We're going to die! THe vultures are getting ready to eat us!!"

We were able to put that fire out easily. She walked away being a little more aware of our local birds and a lot more aware that movies and cartoons are not always true.

Chuck's Willing Widow

2007-05-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

The family stopped at several Chuck-wills-widow spots last night n the way home from Cape May. Though Whip-poor-wills were quite vocal, not a single Chucks was heard.
Although my efforts have not been so exhaustive, this has been a nemesis bird that has eluded me. I checked e-mail before heading off to sleep only to find that a Chuck-will's-widow was heard much closer to home.

Knowing our Memorial Day would be busy, I doubted I would have the opportunity to try for this more local Chuck. Until . . .

I was talking to my niece and her friends at my brother's barbeque. They brought up a "ghost hunting" excursion we went on last summer. They were asking when we could have a similar adventure. This was my opening!

I launched into storytelling mode about the mysterious death of "Charles Hawkin" more than 100 years ago. I explained that after his premature passing the local villagers took great care in providing for his unfortunate widow. They showered her with gifts, paid for anything she needed, and catered to her every whim. Upon the widow's death, a friend found her diary in which the widow confessed to killing her own husband.

The kids were hanging on my every word.

I continued to explain that the "ghost" can be heard along Hawkin Road as he tries to identify his murderess to passers-by with the phrase "Chuck's willing widow". At this point, they were nearly begging me to go hear the "ghost".

I picked them up promptly at 8pm. We drove to Hawkin Road and slowly cruised back and forth. With the first sound of Whips in the distance, I pulled over and killed the engine.

We were on the dark, deserted road's shoulder for about 3 minutes when a Chuck-will's-widow started calling. The four teenagers were nervously giddy to hear the distant "voice". After a few minutes of silence, the bird called from a much closer position. The first reprise was met with a gasp. Then one of them said, "it almost sounds like a bird".

The show was over but the lesson just started. They were asking many questions. We discussed many facts about the bird. Collectively, they seemed most intrigued by the Chuck's migration from Central/South America.

They all said they were going to show their parents and friends the bird online. I have the feeling I may be bringing another load of unwitting friends to find Mr. Hawkin's muttering "ghost"!

Fledging Birders in World Series

2007-05-23T02:25:00.000-07:00

For the 2nd consecutive year, I have enjoyed "coaching" several of my current and former students on a Division B Youth Team in New Jersey Audubon's World Series of Birding (WSB).

Both of our WSB efforts have been limited to Voorhees Township for a number of reasons. This extremely limited geographic area gives the students a good feel for the true diversity of the bird world. They are surprised to discover how many birds can be seen within their hometown. They are also intrigued to investigate other regions and habitats to see all the species they are missing.

Our Big Days are more like a Big Mornings that involve hitting several local parks. Last year, we found 60 species between 7 am and noon. This was a satisfying achievement given the limited habitat types available to search.

The goal this year was to improve on the 2006 team's total.

We started our morning bird walks in early March. I was very pleased to have a 300% increase in the number of student signed up for my morning bird walks. A few die-hard students have shown up almost an hour early for school several times a week. One very enthusiastic student has come almost every morning - no matter how chilly or soggy! (She became this year's team captian.)

While it was encouraging, the heightened student interest also posed a major problem. I did not have enough quality optics to lend out for the WSB! Having kids bird with poor (or no) binoculars does little more than frustrate them.

Thanks to the efforts of National Biodiversity Parks president, we had 11 brand new pairs of Zhumell 8x42's available for the students AND their parents to use during the WSB. Understanding the urgency of the situation, binoculars.com rushed the new bins to me just in time for the WSB.

We kicked off our WSB with a continental breakfast at the first stop. Throughout the morning, the kids' excitement could barely be contained. They were amazed by the colors of Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, and Indigo Bunting. They were amused by the Spotted Sandpiper's bobbing and the flights of swallows.

Our Big Day was terrific! For them, the highlights included Purple Martin, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the easy to find warblers along with Red-bellied Turtles, a Green Frog, and a curious looking flower.

The hands-down bird of the day was a Mississippi Kite saoring low over the fields at Stafford Trails. According to a New Jersey Birds regional editors, this was the first Camden County record for the species!

My personal highlights were seeing how excited the kids were to bird new areas away from the school AND watching the parents get just as into the birds as their children!

By the way, we found 72 species. This was a 20% increase from last year!

Birding "Blogalogue"

2007-05-23T02:21:00.000-07:00

I have recently started writing a birding blog for the Courier Post, a South Jersey newspaper. The Winged Wonders blog is a manifestation of the Fledging Birders’ philosophy. My goal is to help the readers start to recognize the wide variety of birds in their own communities.

A coworker visited the blog last night for the purpose of some friendly electronic heckling. As expected, he posted some goofy comments to poke fun at, what he so kindly refers to as, my “birding affliction”.

As we shared a nice laugh over his comments this morning, his conversation pretty quickly turned to several topics of my blog postings. For a few minutes, we were having a nice blog inspired dialogue about birds around his house and our school. He has even been talking about Dark-eyed Juncos to other people all day! (Update: His Dark-eyed Junco talk has continued for several months, along with other species as well!)

I will take his good-natured ribbing in exchange for more people talking about birds anyday!

originally posted on February 13, 2007.

GHO'ing for the GHOld

2007-05-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Presidents’ Day was off to a great start early this morning. I asked my daughter if she wanted to go look at a Great Horned Owl nest. To my delight, she eagerly pounced on the opportunity, “Yeah! Let’s do it!!”

Before long, this impromptu trip grew exponentially into a full family birding excursion. Everyone jumped into the van and we started our adventure. The first highlight was a flock of 12 Wild Turkeys just off the sie of the road. The kids giggled at the gobblers as we drove by them.

When we finally Abbotts Meadow WMA, the nest immediately popped into view. Of course, the owl itself was not so easily seen. My wife peered through her bins and audibly sighed as she found the bird. Jean has a particular fondness for owls but has not had a good look at one in a few years.

Once the scope was set up at a comfortable distance, the kids took their turns checking out the bird. Our daughter has had some experience with the scope and found the hunkered down owl with relative ease. Her smile gave away the precise instant she laid eyes on bird.

My son was a different situation. He is only 2 years old and has a real hard time looking through the scope. After several adjustments to the tripod, it was time for him to see a life bird.

We tried several times with different angles but success kept eluding us. After some more tweaking, I bring him up to the scope with a hand over his left eye. I look for the light coming through eyepiece and patiently work to get it right into his pupil.

He suddenly blurts out, “OW! Dada Ow!” He finally saw his first Great Horned Owl. What a proud day for all of us!

(originally posted Feb. 2007)

Lifer to Party

2007-05-03T11:42:00.001-07:00

This has been an exciting birding week in New Jersey. Western Tanagers, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Long-billed Murrelet are just some of the highlights.

With so much around, I was fortunate to get a nice life bird on Sunday. As always, I brought in treats for my students to share the excitement of my new bird. Many of the kids remembered the term “life bird” from my celebratory snacks and Eared Grebe story a few months ago.

During Monday’s post lifer debriefing, I promised the kids there would be a full blown party when my life list reaches a certain level. The buzz started growing when they heard that I only needed 10 more birds AND would be traveling to Florida over Spring Break.

Now, teachers are being recruited to help build my life list. Kids have told some of their other teachers, “if you find a strange bird in your yard, please call Mr. Mag!” It’s nice to know the they’re geting into it a little bit.

As the kids were packing at the end of class today, I nonchalantly played some video taken of this weekend’s lifer. I immediately heard exclamations like “it’s his life bird!”, “Aww, he’s so cute!”, and my personal favorite “Wow - the Black-throated Gray Warbler really is awesome!!”

I have many new prospects for this year’s World Series of Birding team!!

(originally posted Jan. 2007)

The Big Game

2007-05-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

There are times when you have the perfect opportunity to spark a birding interest in kids by connecting something they enjoy to our feathered friends. Yesterday’s bald eagle trip with some students was one such occasion.

Given the likelihood that both eagles and falcons would be found, I turned it into a prediction day for Sunday’s big game between Philadelphia and Atlanta. The initial idea was that the game’s winner would be determined by our sightings.

The game was off to a quick start with 2 large dark raptors being spotted immediately upon scope set-up at Sunset Bridge. Oliver yells, “Eagles 14 to nothing!”

Then, an American Kestrel flies over the road. All the kids and their parents get on the bird for a few fleeting seconds. Oohs and aahs are punctuated by “oh no, touchdown Falcons - 14 - 7!”

A few minutes later, Mr. Brown spots another eagle flying over the marsh which then flushes a fourth from behind a pine tree. One lands in the marsh, the other perches atop a tree. Touchdowns 3 & 4 for the birds!

During one final sweep of the scope, I find a 5th eagle feeding on a distant marshy bank. With my eye still in the scope, my question of ”Did either eagle fly from the tree tops?” was met with a resounding “Nope, they’re still there.”

35 - 7 Philadelphia - but wait . . . The officials will review play!

As I train the scope on the tree top eagle, its true identity is revealed - a Red-tailed Hawk! Apparently, the 4th eagle abandoned its perch and was mistaken for a new bird. Touchdown denied.

The game continued with one briefly glimpsed bird in a far tree at 60 miles an hour that strongly resembled an eagle. THe kids called it a field goal! The last touchdown of the game for the Eagles was at Supawna Meadows.

Final score: 38 - 7 - Philadelphia Eagles win their division! **

The kids were totally captivated by the birding exhibition game. It was a catalyst for them to get more actively involved in the searching and identifying of the birds.

Connecting birding to the activities that our kids already enjoy is effective because it acts as a bridge for their enthusiasm and helps them relate to the new concepts related to birding.

** While I am much more of a Philly fan, I must admit that I was concerned at the very poor showing of the falcons- only one kestrel in 3 hours of Salem County birding!

(originally posted Dec. 2006)

Purveyor of Pellets

2007-05-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Savannah Sparrows at Supawna Meadows. Tundra Swans on Mannington Marsh. Bald Eagles from Sunset Bridge. Non-stop flocks of Snow Geese passing overhead.

Saturday’s cruise through Salem County did hold some nice, though not surprising, sights.

I was perhaps more pleased to find some authentic educational aids.

We stumbled across an old abandoned pole barn during our journey. Being in one of its geographic strongholds, I eagerly entered the large, doorless barn in hopes of finding a Barn Owl.

My not-quite-a-birder-yet partner was taken aback by the rustic beauty of this simple yet near perfect architectural design. My focus was true to the mission - find owls!

Though whitewash was everywhere, living, breathing, roosting owls were not to be found.

Our barnstorming adventure did, however, yield an invaluable tool to bird education - several large owl pellets.

My return home was accompanied by the announcement, “Daddy has a surprise!” After a brief guessing game, our four year old daughter was begging to open the “owl throw up”.

We have already searched through two of them. My classes will get explore a few pellets. The last of them will be used for a previously scheduled “Owl Moon” read along activity at my school next week for our students’ younger siblings.

An old barn, several digested rodents, and a satisifed owl help educate dozens of children.

Dressing for the Birds

2007-05-03T11:37:00.002-07:00

Birding shirts and ties are a staple in my work wardrobe. This avian based attire usually provokes a few passing comments from a students throughout the day.

For some reason, my loon tie generated many questions and extended conversations today. Even though I have worn this eye-catching blue and green accessory many times this year, it has never captivated so many people. The timing could not have been any better!

Just this weekend, my son and I shared the pleasure of watching 2 Common Loons floating down the Delaware River at close range . With each of their dives, his toddler toned giggle warmed me up on our chilly stroll around the Red Bank Battlefield in Gloucester County, NJ.

Many kids were saying things like “that tie is cool” or “those ducks are pretty.” Thanks to my recent sighting, I was armed with the perfect comeback, “I saw 2 of these loons this weekend - only a few minutes from here.” Their amazement that such interesting birds being ofund so close to home resulted in extended conversations about loons (and ducks). I always enjoy talking birds with my students but it’s even more special when they initiate and prolong the discussion!

On this particular day, not only my own students were talking birds but kids from other classes and grades were inquiring about the loons. By the end of the day, my favorite tie also helped pique a new birding interest for more than 20 students in the hallways and the cafeteria.

Today’s unexpected surge of bird inquiries illustrates the reason I always make sure to buy bird, and other nature related, clothing. It can be the perfect conversation starter that leads to a newly inspired birding curiosity.

Now, I need to contact the parents of all these new kids that want to come see the wintering waterfowl.

(originally posted Nov. 2006)

Missing Merlins = (

2007-05-03T11:37:00.001-07:00

I am often reminded of non-birders’ deprived lives. For some strange reason, this point has been illustrated at the wings of merlins several times in the past few months.

The first was perched on top of a telephone pole next a very busy thorofare. Hundreds of rush hours vehicles passed right by this beaufitul bird totally oblivious to the majestic little falcon.

The next was 3 weeks ago in my hometown. My daughter and I were heading to Mom-mom’s house for dinner. As we passed the local ballfield, a compact silhouette caught my eye in left field. We pulled over and caught a merlin in the bins. Since it was prepping its robin breast feast, I knew there was time to get out the scope. I debated whether or not to share the gruesome sight. My daughter’s excitement must have rivaled the bird’ own satisfaction. While we watched in awe, several cars drove by and a few dog walkers passed without even turning their heads from their routine.

The other day, I was driving to the gym and almost swerved off the road. This time it was 2 merlins showing off both their brazen nature and complete command of flight. These birds were harasasing a few local crows perched on a wire. They looked like air force stunt pilots out for a joy ride. Once again, this spectacular sight was missed by everyone that drove by, a few pedestrians, and a bike rider.

I really do feel bad for the avian deprived!

(originally posted Nov. 2006)

Extra Credit Migrants

2007-05-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

Whether it’s highlights from a recent outing, some pishing to get their attention, or an end of class discussion on “why birding?”, birds are brought up in my class quite frequently.

During a recent review, the kids were glad to hear there would be extra credit on their upcoming test. I explained that the extra credit could include ANYTHING and advised them to pay attention to the news and all class discussions.

Like a boxer, I saw an opening and threw a quick jab. “You may even want to remember that 298 Peregrine Falcons migrated through Cape May on October 5, 2002.” Of course, such a detailed factoid drew many questions from my young audience. They were tickled by the story of how I opted to clean the garage instead of heading to the hawkwatch that day resulted in my missing the record setting migration. Lots of questions were answered. Lots of eyes were opened.

A few days later, the peregrine fact was included as extra credit for a few classes. For one group, the question was ” A record setting 298 _______________ were observed migrating through Cape May, New Jersey.” Several students did indeed receive bonus points for the question!

Those that attempted the question did entertain me with their responses. Some were in the ballpark - hawks, birds, eagles. Some alluded to previous conversations - butterflies, Monarch Butterflies, geese.

The most amusing guesses were - people, Russians, Mexicans, and Italians!

(originally posted Nov. 2006)

Migration Mini-Lesson

2007-05-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last week, our school had its annual 6th grade camp program in Medford, NJ. I was in charge of the 45 minute Pine Barrens activity session for the 6th year in a row. We’re supposed to focus on the plants and history for that time. I always include fire ecology, streams/aquifers, and overall biodiversity as well.

While most of the day was pretty uneventful in the way of bird movement, each group did have some sightings that caught the interest of a few students. The chickadees, vultures, woodpeckers, and nuthatches were the easiest for them to find. In the early afternoon however, one session included a perfect teachable moment that I could not resist.

A group of foraging birds was quickly passing through our area. Each of the two dozen students were able to catch glimpses of various migrants like Red-eyed Vireos, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, and Magnolia Warbler.

Knowing our time with these birds was limited, I started describing the plumage highlights of each species. Amidst the flurry of birds and commentary, a chorus of whispers was heard - “looks like a zebra”, “that yellow is bright”, and the funniest of all “red eyes! is it the Jersey Devil?!”

Once the birds were gone, the faces of my captive audience begged for more. Being without Dr. Doolittle’s gift, I turned the discussion to the their migration. The kids were amazed to hear that these tiny birds were flapping all the way to tropical locales in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands. Though far from my “best” birding lesson, this was an authentic experience for those fortunate students who actively witnessed migration for the first time that day.

Teachable moments like this are among the most powerful weapons in an educator’s repertoire. The immediate relevance to the students’ lives opens a window of intrinsic motivation and natural curiosity that can allow a gust of new knowledge to reach the core of the students’ understanding.

Teachable moments can not be planned. You must be ready to run with one of these priceless treasures when you get the chance!

(originally posted Oct. 2006)

"No Big Deal" vol. 2

2007-05-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

As a father, my birding opportunities are limited. During nap time on weekends, I occasionally run out for a quick fix. One frigid Saturday, I told my wife I was heading out for a few minutes of winter waterfowling.

En route to my birding quickie at the convergence of Big Timber Creek into the Delaware River, my path crossed that of an old friend. He followed me to my routine vantage point. We chatted for a few minutes as I showed him the usual subjects including canvasbacks, common mergansers, and bufflehead.

As our conversation focused on my “goofy obsession” with birding, I turned it back on him by asking if he had ever seen a owl in the wild. From there, he was easily persuaded to undertake his first ever owl prowl. The next 20 minutes involved a short drive then a brief hike through a local nature preserve. It took him a little while to find the owl roosting in the evergreen nearby. His expression was priceless. He repeatedly gasped “he’s so cool.”

My mission for the day was clear - close the deal, turn him into a birder! I called my wife seeking a birding excursion extension. She readily granted permission before I even explained the whole situation. I turned to my still awed friend and asked, “ever see an eagle before?”

We promptly headed further south to the Manington Marsh in Salem County, a very reliable wintering eagle location in New Jersey. Instant success. We were greeted by more than a half dozen Bald Eagles of various ages along with Red-tailed Hawks and many Turkey Vultures. It was already a great day but then . . .

As we drove past several agricultural fields, we observed several Snow Goose carcasses littering the landscape. It struck me as a bit odd but we continued down the road. In a flash, a large raptor buzzed in front of the car like Tom Cruise’s famous tower fly by in Top Gun. I didn’t spill my coffee but did hit the brakes hard and pulled a quick U-turn.

The silhouette screamed falcon but the bird was much too large for the area’s relatively common American Kestrel. In fact, this bird appeared quite large by any falcon standards. It landed in the middle of a field and joined a Turkey Vulture feast on one of the goose carcasses barely a hundred feet away!

With the help of my scope, I became more intimate with the raptor than I ever dreamed possible. This bird was just not right. A uniformly brown back. Thick brown streaking. A faint moustache. A pale eyebrow. A really chunky bird. A crescendo of excitement started to run through my body. This bird was just too right!

As he lifted off, the lazy wingbeats cinched the identification - GYRFALCON.

Being primarily a Jersey birder, I had resigned my hopes of seeing this largest of falcons any time before retirement. The sequence of unexpected events that led to our being in the right place at the right time for this incredible sighting is the near epitome of serendipity.

I turned to my newly recruited part-time birding partner and gloated, “I can’t believe was just saw a gyrfalcon! Wasn’t he amazing?!?!”

His sincere retort went something like, “The brown bird was no big deal but weren’t all those vulture tearing apart the geese REALY cool!” The ride home gave ample time to explain the significance of our brush with our visitor from the arctic.

We have birded together on many occasions since that day. Whenever we’re around other birders, this perpetual neophyte turns to an unsuspecting innocent victim and spits out - “Have you ever seen a gyrfalcon in New Jersey? I have!”

Sometime somewhere someone is going to comeback at his rhetorical question with either a “YES” or a fist to the face. My guess is that he will be more surprised by the yes than the fist!

(originally posted Oct. 2006)

The Ahhh of the Storm

2007-05-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Buying a local paper on September 3rd provided a hearty and satisfying chuckle. The seemingly inappropriate giddiness attracted a few strange looks from the cashier and other patrons at our neighborhood WaWa.

The banner headline glared “ERNESTO’S AFTERMATH.” I will concede the remnants of this hurricane still packed a slight punch at our temperate latitude. The turbulent tropical visitor dumped 5 inches of rain, broke a few limbs with his gusts, and knocked out power for some people. Yet, the disproportionately dramatic headline was far from accurate. This editorial dispute was rooted in both my optimism and selfishness.

Immediately upon glancing at the two bold words, I flashbacked to the previous morning. There I was standing under the awning of the Sunset Beach Grill in Cape May scoping for storm blown tropical and pelagic birds exiting the Delaware Bay. When we first arrived, Ernesto was desperately trying to hold his ground. By midmorning, his attempts proved futile and the sun slowly emerged.

How was the avian addicted audience rewarded for braving the elements that morning? Phalaropes and jaegers and terns - oh my! The day’s sightings included 2 dozen Pomarine Jaegers, 9 parasitic, more than 200 Red-necked Phalaropes, a nice array of terns, an early morning Common Nighthawk flying over the beach, and a hunting merlin at close range.

These birds were nice but not the cause of my convenience store glee. The aforementioned chuckle was so satisfying because of my flashback’s highlights - 3 new life birds.

It’s not often than you can stand on the beach in New Jersey and watch Long-tailed Jaegers, Sooty Terns, and Bridled Terns fly by! While I had several good (if not GREAT) looks at these species, the totals for the day were even more impressive: 3 Long-tailed Jaegers and 11 for each of the tropical terns.

Instead of an “aftermath”, this wonderful storm event brought with it a terrific day in the field and a truly unique birding opportunity. If the paper’s editor had been a birder, I believe the headline may have read more appropriately, “Ernesto’s Bounty.”

While the store clerk could not comprehend my explanation for the chuckle, several lucky beach wanderers that happened upon our tribe of tropical storm birders the day before were amazed to learn about the connection between hurricanes and birds. We definitely piqued their interest in birding.

(originally posted Oct. 2006)

Back to Blogging!

2007-05-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to post anything new. I definitely need to fix that in the days and weeks ahead. August and September have been busy, both professionally and personally. In addition to getting ready for a new school year and “daddydom”, I have been working on upcoming education programs for National Biodiversity Parks, a New jersey based conservation organization. Learn more about about NBP at their web site:

www.nationalbiodiversityparks.org

Although my birding opportunities were limited, those few recent experiences have been truly memorable!

There have been some very exciting birding events and productive birding recruitment opportunities that I am eager to share including:

the Western Reef Heron trip to Maine
Hurricane Ernesto birding in Cape May
environmental science camp with my students
and many other upcoming posts!

(originally posted Sept. 2006)

Scissortail Celebration

2007-05-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

Years ago, my wife and I were cruising the backroads en route to Cape May. We blew by a light colored bird with a really long tail sitting on a wire. Already running late for our beach rendezvous with friends, we neglected to go back for a better look.

Having only been recently introduced to birding. I knew very little about the incredible diversity of species. I started studying field guides a few months later. When I turned to the Scissortail Flycatcher page, I experienced a gut wrenching deja vu. Is this the bird we saw back in May? *

The possible missed tick has haunted me through the years. In fact, this spectacular member of the Tyrannidae family has never been captured in the barrels of my binoculars. Until yesterday!

My early morning e-mail perusal sparked an impromptu trip to the Bombay Hook area of Delaware. The Scissortail Flycatcher was found immediately sitting eye-level on a dead tree less than 20 feet from the car, a beautiful bird despite the bill deformity.

As always, Daddy’s lifer was cause for celebration. My daughter chose a special dinner destination and asked to invite her cousin for the party. Dinner conversation included the bird of honor along with other species of the day including American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, and Blue Grosbeak.

Throughout dinner, the girls gazed at the birds in the field guide. “They’re really pretty!”

* By the way, I just checked the NJ Audubon archives. Scissortail Flycatcher was recorded in Cape May County that weekend! Oh well, today’s bird put the check on my list.

(originally posted August 17, 2006)

"No Big Deal" vol. 1

2007-05-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

My brother crashed our family’s Cape May vacation several years ago. Although having a curiosity of the natural world, he definitely is not a birder or naturalist of any sort. Hoping that a morning at fall migration’s East Coast epicenter could be the experience to recruit him, I told him to be ready for a predawn wake up.

The next morning, the trails at Higbee’s Beach holds an attractive assortment of warblers. Yellows, black-and-whites, American Redstarts, and black-throated blues are among the easiest for the rookie to find in his borrowed binoculars. However, it is the Sharp-shinned Hawks coursing over and diving through the trees that excite him more with each passing attempt at breakfast.

Entering the second field, a nice pocket of birds foraging in overdrive grabs our attention, as well as that of several birders nearby. The avidiversity roll call echoed through the group - “black-throated green. Baltimore Oriole. Blue-grey Gnatcatcher. redstart. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, through the trees.”

After several minutes of the play-by-play, my bins land on something different, something new, something really new. Light belly, 2 wing bars, bluish-green on top. . .

“CERULEAN WARBLER!” escapes in a passionate whisper. Life Bird! Having never visited its breeding sites in NJ, it has taken me a few years to finally get a look at this adorable little bird.

I guide my brother’s eyes to the right limb. He starts talking about the bluish bird with striped wings right on the end of the branch.

En route back to the parking lot, I gush with excitement about the Cerulean Warbler. He hits me with an awkward stare, “no big deal. The little blue thing is so common that I saw it my first time out. But those hawks were great!”

I try in vain to explain the prize of a Cerluean Warbler. Resigning to his apathy I agree, “those sharpies were cool.” We share our hawk hunting highlights for the rest of the ride home.

Thanks to Scott Elowitz for his Cerulean Warbler photo.

A Toddler's Perspective

2007-05-03T11:14:00.001-07:00

As birders, we take pride in spotting birds when civilians see only trees, water, or sky. We can drive down the highway and rack up 20 species in ten miles. Sitting on the soccer field, the mixed kettle of hawks and vultures captivates our attention despite the home team’s last minute rally. Even our most valiant efforts to point out these sights to the non-believers can fall short.

I can empathize with the avian deprived.

Holding his hand down a wooded path, I am frequently jarred to a stop by my 1 year old son. “Buh - dada - buh” he grunts excitedly. Try as I may, I neither see any movement nor hear any sound. I scan the area for several minutes, paying extra atention in the direction of that tiny pointer finger, but still nothing.

Within our next few leaf crunching steps, out flushes a female cardinal from under a particularly thick rhododendron. He heralds the departure, “Buh - dada - buh!” This mini-drama has had many matinees with different species playing the lead role.

It’s amazing when those little eyes find birds hidden in the foliage before daddy. I always chalk it up to his advantageous angle instead of my aging senses. The truth probably lies somewhere in between the two. OK - I’ll concede that it’s leaning heavily towards the former.

(originally posted August 2006)

Pishing in your Diaper

2007-05-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Word of advice: Remember to mind what you say around little ones unless you’re OK hearing it from them!

Our young daughter, like most pre-schoolers, has a knack of regurgitating previously heard comments at the least appropriate times. I’m sure many of us have looked for a hole to slouch into when their toddlers utter an expletive or unsavory comment in front of their in-laws, when they’re visiting our work, at church, or other such settings. It happens to the best of us!

Fortunately, it also happens it positive ways!

On a migratory morning, I was walking through some local trails with my daughter on my shoulders. As we entered the woods, I started hearing chips above us. Naturally, I stopped in my tracks and started listening more carefully. Not wanting to disturb my daughter’s comfortable perch, I attempted to bring the birds a bit closer. My “Psshh, Psshhh, Pssshh!” barely carried through the emergent vegetation yet it pulled in several species of warbler. We happily continued on our way home.

Two months later, we return to those trails for the first time together since our warbler experience. With my daughter on my shoulders again, I enter the wooded section of the park. Within seconds, I hear birds overhead very quietly warning their nesting neighbors to take cover. The sound is vaguely familiar but not quite recognizable to species.

Unable to locate this very close bird, I gently put her down and scan through the fully leafed canopy. Suddenly, I hear the bird again. It’s on the ground now?!

There is my 1 year old daughter looking up at me, pishing her heart out.

(originally posted July 31, 2006)

Indigo Inspiration

2007-05-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I took my daughter for an easy birding tour around a rural area close to home. A small congregation of shorebirds in a slightly flooded field tickled her. She enjoyed talking about the “big” and “small” yellowlegs! Her scope skills are have come along way.

After seeing her first Indigo Bunting, she was inspired to draw some birds of the day. Her depiction of the INBU on pink Hello Kitty notebook paper is adorable! Good thing we had crayons in the car for her impromptu field drawing.

Once we got home, she eagerly shared our trip list with mommy and her little brother. Eagles, killdeer, wood ducks, little blue herons, and the INBU appeared to be among her favorites. Naturally, the horses, cows, and foxes were exciting too!

(originally posted July 29, 2006)

Welcome to the Fledging Birders Blog!

2007-04-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

In the future, this will be the new home of the Fledging Birders Blog. Fledging birders is the process of effectively and creatively getting people more interested in birds, birding, and by extension the natural world.

This blog's focus will be stories about sharing the joy (and benefits) of birding with others.

I invite you to share your comments about any personal stories you may have regarding the your own experiences with fledging birders.