Urban Birding Tips for Teachers: Lessons Learned From My Misadventures Kiandra Haaf ​
[email protected] 1. Get to know the species and their preferred areas around you before you take the students out! a. A great comprehensive field guide is Sibley’s Western North America edition. b. If the giant field guide is overwhelming, try the Merlin Bird ID app or the Birdseye app for ID tips for the most likely species in your area. c. Locate the best birding areas on campus, including power lines, fences, trees, and athletic fields. 2. Get funding for binoculars through grants or the PTA. Birding is frustrating and inaccurate without them. a. A great affordable pair is the Celestron 8x40 from Carolina Biological Supply. Around $34 each. b. One pair per 2­3 students is necessary for optimum engagement. 3. Encourage smartphone use during outings a. Students should download Merlin Bird ID if possible . b. Take bird pictures with their phones, then upload to a shared Drive folder. 4. Advise students the day before birding to bring a brimmed­hat and wear sunscreen. 5. Let your administration and staff know what you’ll be doing ahead of time. a. Avoids students getting hats/phones/cameras taken away outside by well­meaning adults. b. Invite staff to join your outings on their conference periods. c. Send periodic updates to interested parties of nest, new species, etc. to increase staff support. 6. Go as a whole group a. For a few months, students will need your direction and guidance while learning the species. b. You can more easily control the student noise level at critical times. They should mostly be silent. 7. Set up one single class account on eBird.org. a. After each period of birding, the class confers and merges data to create a “master list” of sightings for the period. b. Select one student to enter the checklist data on eBird.org for that period. c. As a middle school teacher, I have 6 checklists created each birding day (one per period, but all under the same account). d. Having a single account prevents reporting of duplicate sightings, and allows for more data to be analyzed when looking for patterns in sightings. 8. Do not try to teach species identification right away. a. The first couple times birding as a class, just have them tally how many individual birds they see. This is significantly harder than students imagine. b. After the initial times birding, frontload a specific species you know students will likely see before heading outside. Using allaboutbirds.org, show images and listen to the sounds, challenging kids to look for that species. c. Introduce no more than 2 species per excursion. d. I started with familiar types (ex: American Crow, Rock Pigeon), then moved into less familiar but still common (ex: Northern Mockingbird, House Finch), continuing with new migrant arrivals (ex: Yellow­Rumped Warbler, Ring­Billed Gull). 9. Keep a class set of clipboards with the picture guides ready. Each excursion begins with students grabbing clipboards and their bird logs. 10. Explicitly teach proper use and handling of binoculars. Most kids have no clue. 11. Give a birding grade to encourage accountability. a. I make each excursion worth 5 points, in the project category. b. Each time a student is not doing what they’re supposed to, I take away one point. c. Absent students make up the points by birding for 15 minutes on their own, and turning in a summary sheet to me. Welcome to Urban Birding 101!
If you want to access today’s materials electronically, e­mail me your name. I will “share” the Google Drive folder with the documents (bird guide, bird log, list of resources). My name​
: Kiandra Haaf My contact info​
: [email protected] Websites we will access today:
allaboutbirds.org (bird species described in detail, with pictures, sounds, range, etc.) ebird.org (submit data, explore data and birding hotspots) starrranch.org (live bird webcams, local summer camp information) cnps.org (lists of native plants by zip code to attract specific pollinators) If you have an electronic device, download the free ​
MERLIN BIRD ID​
app. It is the best bird app ever! It requires a fairly large amount of memory on the device. Birding Guidelines:
1. Don’t wear white or bright colors! (*except if you’re trying to attract hummingbirds; they like that) 2. Shhhhhhhhhhhhh 3. Walk slowly 4. Listen! How many different bird songs do you hear? 5. Use binoculars, a spotting scope, or a camera with a good zoom lens. 6. Look up! There aren't many birds by your feet. 7. When you see a bird, watch it until it flies away. Memorize details. THEN try to use the guide for identification. 8. When collecting data, don't count the same bird twice! 9. Have another witness confirm your identification when possible. What to focus on:
1. Beak shape and length 2. Tail shape and length 3. Song/call sounds 4. Relative size 5. Where is it? (Ground, tree, bush, fence, wire, air, water) 6. Color patterns Mrs. Haaf’s Bird Guide for South Junior High in Anaheim, CA Unless otherwise noted, photos from allaboutbirds.com
Bird Name Photo Bird Name ​
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura (wobbly flight, extremely large) 25­32” Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii Photo Red­Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis (Largest area hawk; white belly with reddish tail in flight) 18­25” Ring­billed Gull Larus delawarensis (yellow or white legs, black ring around end of beak) 18­20” VERY similar to sharp­shinned. (reddish/white checked chest; lower­pitched “monkey” sound, striped tail, gray head and back, rounded tail feathers) 14­20” ___Common____ Sharp­Shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus (reddish/white checked chest; high­pitched “monkey” sound, striped tail, gray head and back, squared tail feathers) *smallest hawk, VERY similar to Cooper’s 10­14”
Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya Often on basketball court/volleyball nets. REDDISH lower chest. Long tail. 6 ½­7” Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus (very glossy black male, dull brown female; wide variety of sounds; usually alone; smaller than crow) 8­10” Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos (very long tail; extremely varied songs; ivory chest and underside of tail; white wing bars) 9­11” Cassin’s Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans (Sits in the top branches of tall trees. YELLOW lower chest) 8­9” European starling Sturnus vulgaris (often looks just black, then multi­colored in sunlight; may have white spots in winter; often in flocks; YELLOW BEAK as adult) 7 ½ ­8 ½” Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum (travel in flocks, feed on berries) 6 ½ ­8” Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans (very high­pitched, fairly quiet peep) 6­7” White­Crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia (very bold black and white stripes on head. Found in bushes behind science quad) Our “yellowest” bird. Males have reddish chest streaking. 4 ¾­5“ 6­7 ½” House Sparrow Passer domesticus House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus (male on the left, female on the right; loud double chirp; no stripes on ches​
t; common nesting under roofs) (male more red, female brown; lots of striping on chest; pretty melody in their song) 5­6 ½” Yellow­Rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata (very common; single chirp about 1 chirp per second; flight pattern is a repeated “u” shape) 5­6” 5­6” Nationalgeographic.com Anna’s Hummingbird Calypte anna Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Flies low over grass on PE fields catching insects. Notice forked tail. When overhead, resembles a bat. 6­7 1/2” Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus Tiny! Always in flocks. Quiet repeated peeping from within branches; very hard to see. (head looks black on males, but orange/pink in sunlight; green/gray feathers. Females mostly gray­green) sierraclub.org 3 ½ ­4” female male Allen’s Hummingbird Selasporus sasin Rufous, green and white; male has pink throat 3­3 ½” 2 ¾­ 3” American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos 17­21” \ press.princeton.edu Water birds in the PE fields Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca 25­29” Canada Goose Branta canadensis 22­45” Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos 18­27” RARE BUT OBSERVED AT LEAST ONCE American Kestrel Falco sparverius (The smallest falcon we have) 9­12” Rock Pigeon Columba livia 11 ½­14 ½” Note black collar visible on back of neck. Our largest local dove. 11­12” Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California Towhee Melozone crissalis (very long tail, all brown body with orange behind legs) 8­10” Often heard but not seen; song is a series of accelerating chirps. In low bushes. Very long tail held upright. 5 ½ ­ 6” Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria Tiny, only slightly larger than a hummingbird. Stop at South during migration, visiting trees in small groups. ​
3 ½­4” © John C. Avise Eurasian Collared­Dove Streptopelia decaocto Double­Crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus 27 ½­35 ½” Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana Often seen on the ground catching insects, or sitting on low tree branches. 6 ½­7 ½” birdzilla.com male and female Name
Period
Date
Temperature
Weather
Allen's Hummingbird
American Crow
Anna's Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black Phoebe
Brewer's Blackbird
Bushtit
Canada Goose
Cassin's Kingbird
Cedar Waxwing
Cooper's Hawk
Double-crested Cormorant
Egyptian Goose
Eurasian-collared dove
European Starling
gull species
hawk species
House Finch
House Sparrow
hummingbird species
Lesser Goldfinch
Mallard Duck
Mourning Dove
Northern Mockingbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed gull
Rock Pigeon
Say's Phoebe
Sharp-shinned hawk
Swallow species
Turkey Vulture
Warbling Vireo
Western Bluebird
White-crowned Sparrow
Wrentit
Yellow warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Unknown
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Major components of my year-long ornithology investigation: ​
Students will be able to…
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
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Accurately tally total number of birds by species once a week.
Maintain individual data collection sheets for each month.
Use ebird.org to submit weekly checklists of species frequency and abundance.
Graph the data from the ebird.org checklists to show patterns.
Interpret a graph on causes of bird deaths, and devise simple ways to reduce the risks.
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
● Identify avian species using resources such as location-specific field guides and digital apps.
● Use the California Native Plant Society website cnps.org to investigate which native, drought-tolerant,
bird-attracting plants to purchase for the school garden.
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
● Use both print and digital versions of a continuously-updated Google Sheets bird guide specific to our campus
to identify birds.
● Explore ebird.org birding maps and hotspots.
● Take bird pictures using digital cameras and student phones to support sightings.
● Upload bird pictures to a shared Google Drive folder.
● Participate in regular listening checks using allaboutbirds.org to increase identification ability by song alone
for the most common species.
● Download and utilize the free Merlin Bird ID app.
● Observe the life cycle of Allen’s Hummingbirds and house sparrows in real time after locating campus nests.
● Write reflections on their personal experiences and development of scientific skills as part of the South Jr.
High School bird project.
● Share insights into the taxonomy and behavior of birds with family and friends.
● Use binoculars and spotting scopes to facilitate detailed observations necessary for species identification.
Developing and Using Models
● Create scientific drawings of and notes on campus avian species using print and digital sources.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
● Submit evidence to support native plant choices using Google Forms.
Asking Questions and Defining Problems
● Document cycles in nature: migration, plumage changes, daily activity curves, flora preferences, etc.
● Investigate sexual dimorphism and sexual selection as evolutionary processes in many avian species.
● Compare and contrast human and avian body systems (digestive, reproductive, skeletal).
Engineering
● Design and construct a birdhouse for the native garden in Industrial Technology Class.
Human Impacts
● Develop appreciation, awareness and sense of stewardship of birds and the natural world.
● Recognize and respect territorial, breeding and protective avian behavior of Allen’s Hummingbirds, Egyptian
Geese, House Finches and other species.
● Explore the wide-reaching effects of pesticide use, climate change and habitat loss on birds.
Name
Period
Date
Temperature
Weather
American Crow
Black Phoebe
Canada Goose
Cassin's Kingbird
Cooper's/Sharp-shinned Hawk
Egyptian Goose
European Starling
gull species
hawk species
House Finch
House Sparrow
hummingbird species
Mallard Duck
Mourning Dove
Northern Mockingbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Say's Phoebe
Swallow species
Turkey Vulture
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Other/Unknown
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