Cooperative Living June 2024 - 28

KIDS KORNER
Bird Watching
B
DA YS AHEAD
story and artwork by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
irds are a part of every person's life, even if they
are only twittering and flittering around in
the background.
But once you start paying attention to these amazing
creatures, you might wonder, " Why didn't I notice
them before! "
Birds come in an incredible variety of colors, shapes
and sizes, and are the only animals
that have feathers. They travel by
flying, swimming, hopping, walking and
running. Their communication is by singing,
twittering, screeching, squawking and
honking ... and hooting, of course!
Unlike much of nature's wildlife that stays quietly
hidden and out of sight, most birds are vocal and visible.
Being out and about, they are easy to watch and study ...
until you start moving in for a closer look!
It is almost impossible to sneak up on birds for a
better view because of their excellent vision and
exceptional hearing. Some have eyes located on the
sides of their heads, giving them a wide field of view
for detecting predators. Others, like owls, have eyes on
the front of the head, enabling them to use binocular
vision to judge distances. And, a barn owl flying over
a grassy field can even hear a mouse rustling below.
You can understand why birds always know when
you are coming their way!
How do you think your sight
and sound senses compare to a
bird's? A good way to test your
awareness is to create a Sensory
Map. Take a paper and pencil to
a comfortable place to sit in nature,
such as a yard or park.
Observe your surroundings, but do not focus on
any one object; simply look for signs of motion. Next,
close your eyes and really listen. Then mark yourself
with an " X " in the middle of the paper. Write down
what you are seeing and hearing around you.
If your observations fill up your paper, consider
yourself an " eagle eye! " Your super alertness means
no one will ever creep up on you for a closer look!
MASTER BUILDERS
All birds need to create a cradle to hold their eggs
26 ● Cooperative Living ●
June 2024
Orioles
Robins
and raise their young. They do this by adapting their
nests to the materials that are available where they live.
Robins use grasses, twigs, string and paper scraps
to build their nests in trees and shrubs.
Killdeer line a depression in the ground with small
stones and call it home.
Orioles weave grasses, sticks and string to form a
sock-shaped nest that hangs from a tree branch.
When it comes to nest building, there is no one way
to do it!
EAT LIKE A BIRD
If you have been lucky enough to
observe birds up close, you know that
each one has a unique beak, or bill,
specifically designed for its lifestyle. Cardinals -
thick beaks for cracking seeds. Herons - daggerlike
beaks for spear fishing. Hummingbirds - tubelike
beaks for sipping flower nectar.
To better understand how some birds eat their food,
try this activity:
Collect some objects to represent " beaks, "
like chopsticks, a clothespin, drinking straw and
tweezers. Then put together these items to serve
as the " foods " that different birds would eat:
- Seeds (uncooked rice)
- Fish (cooked macaroni in water)
- Nectar (any fruit juice)
Choose a " beak " and gather up as much " food " as
possible in a minute. Then repeat with different beaks.
Which method of eating was easiest? Which was
most difficult?
This eating exercise represents a very small sample
of the feeding habits of birds. Depending on the bird
and the time of year, the diet might include insects,
co-opliving.com
Killdeer
KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU'LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!

http://www.co-opliving.com

Cooperative Living June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living June 2024