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.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
P2F Week #2 - 355 Birding Seeds Planted
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?!
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
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".
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".
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A New Pledge to Fledge
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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!
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!
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!
A new "Pledge to Fledge" campaign is coming VERY SOON!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
P2F - Updates
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
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
Sunday, January 6, 2008
P2F - Old and Young Alike
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 = )
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 = )
Saturday, January 5, 2008
P2F - Popping the Cork
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.
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.
Friday, January 4, 2008
P2F - Busy Birdy Morning = )
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 = )
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 = )
Thursday, January 3, 2008
P2F - Don't Get My Hackles Up!
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.
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
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 = )
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 = )
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
P2F - Bird Games
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!
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
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.
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
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 = )
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 = )
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