Northern Flicker, William Pond Recreation Area © Gesna Clarke
Planting seeds in kids to recognize, respect and appreciate nature begins at an early age and in your own backyard. Kids are naturally curious; so what better place than the backyard to start a conversation about birds and ways to create and maintain a healthy and safe environment for local birds who consider your yard their home or birds who drop by during seasonal migration.
Prepare a birding tool kit that includes binoculars, pencils, note and sketch pads, and birding field or activity guide to help your kids get started.
Below are a few recommended field and activity guides for kids of different ages.
Backyard Birding for Kids by Fran Lee
Audubon Birding Adventures for Kids: activities and Ideas for Watching, Feeding and Housing our Feathered Friends by Elissa Wolfson
The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of North America ( Peterson Field Guides) by Roger Tory Peterson
Bird Log, a kids’ journal to record their birding experience by De Anna Brandt
Help your kids learn to respect birds and their habitat. One example is by modeling how to quietly observe a bird’s behavior from a distance, so the bird is not frightened and flies away.
Work with your kids and explore ways to support birds who live in or stopover at your backyard.
Build a birdhouse or bird feeder
Identify a corner in the yard to start a kids’ native plant garden. The garden will attract more birds to the yard
Build a DIY water source in one or two locations in your backyard.
What other things can you and your kids do to create a bird friendly community in your own backyard? Put on your thinking cap and start planting those seeds to introduce your kids to the wonderful world of birding!