The Official Bird Watcher’s Adventure Guide

By Logan Smith and Mary Jane Dickey Wandering in the Wonders of Science Manchester College

http://users.manchester.edu/Student/mjdickey/MyWebQuest/index.htm http://users.manchester.edu/Student/lsmith/MyWebQuest/index.htm

Dear Students, Hello! Today you are going to be participating in a bird watching adventure here at Koinonia. We have a variety of exciting activities planned for the day to prepare you for some exploring. Birds are all around us and are fascinating creatures that you probably see or hear every day! First, we are going to look at the book United Tweets of America by Hudson Talbott. Each state in the United States has a state bird. Do you know the state bird of Indiana? After we are done looking at the book we are going to begin our adventure in the Prairie to find out what kind of birds live there. We will be using our binoculars and observation notebooks to record what we see on the Prairie. Then we will be heading into the woods to look at the nests that birds make. You will get to make your own bird nest with the materials you find on the ground around you. Lastly, we will go down to the lake to discover what happens when the environment of a bird’s habitat changes. What happens to the birds when their habitats are modified, and how do birds adapt? NOW LET’S GO EXPLORE AND HAVE SOME FUN!!

Stop 1: The Prairie

Using your binoculars and your “animal senses” you will explore the surroundings on the prairie: What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What can you touch?

In your observation notebooks write down what you find.

Prairie Bird Fact Sheet: The Red Tailed Hawk

Habitat The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of open country, like the prairie. Look for it along fields and perched on telephones poles, fence posts, or trees standing alone or along edges of fields. Size & Shape Red-tailed Hawks are large hawks with very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Large females seen from a distance might fool you into thinking you’re seeing an eagle. Color Pattern Most Red-tailed Hawks are rich brown above and pale below, with a streaked belly and, on the wing underside, a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. The tail is usually pale below and cinnamon-red above, though in young birds it’s brown and banded.

Stop 2: The Woods

Did you see that cool nest in the bird house? Birds who live in the woods build their nests out of things they find on the forest floor. Now you are going to make your own bird nest out of the materials you find along the trail. Don’t forget to keep your animals senses turned on! What do you see, hear, smell and touch in the woods?

Wooded Area Bird Fact Sheet: The Northern Cardinal

Habitat Look for Northern Cardinals in inhabited areas such as backyards, parks, woodlots, and shrubby forest edges. Northern Cardinals nest in dense tangles of shrubs and vines. Size & Shape The Northern Cardinal is a fairly large, long-tailed songbird with a short, very thick bill. Cardinals often sit with a hunched posture and with the tail pointed straight down. Color Pattern Male cardinals are brilliant red all over, with a reddish bill and black face immediately around the bill. Females are pale brown overall with warm reddish tinges in the wings, tail, and crest. They have the same black face and red-orange bill.

Stop 3: The Lake

What kinds of environmental changes in the wetlands could be harmful to the birds that live there? What environment changes in the wetland could be beneficial to the birds that live there? Use your animal senses to explore the wetlands surroundings. What do you see, hear, smell, and touch?

Wetlands Bird Fact Sheet: The American Black Duck

Habitat Breeds in a variety of wetland habitats, from salt marshes to beaver ponds, river islands, and boreal bogs. Winters primarily in salt water along coasts, but in a variety of freshwater areas inland Size & Shape The American black duck is a large dabbling duck with an average weight of 2.4 lbs for females and 2.7 lbs for males. Wingspans average 35 to 37 inches and lengths range from 21 to 23 inches. Color Pattern The American Black Duck has a dark blackish-brown body. Its head and neck are a lighter brown and the legs and feet are red. The white under wing linings contrast sharply with dark body in flight

Credits

Prairie, Woods, Lake and bird house photography courtesy of Mary Jane Dickey Northern Spotted Owl image can be found at http://www.ggnrabigyear.org/northernspottedowl.html Red Tailed Hawk image can be found at http://www.dmcquestion.com/Commissions.html Northern Cardinal image can be found at http://whatbird.wbu.com/obj/692/_/Northern_Cardinal.aspx American Black Duck image is found at http://whatbird.wbu.com/obj/392/_/American_Black_Duck.aspx Fact sheet information provided by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1189

Teacher Resource Name: Logan Smith & Mary Jane Dickey

Topic/Theme: Birds

Big Idea: Observation Overall Goal: Noticing & understanding your surroundings through observation Standard(s): 5.4.5 Explain how changes in an organism’s habitat are sometimes beneficial and sometimes harmful. 5.4.7 Explain that living things, such as plants and animals, differ in their characteristics, and that sometimes these differences can give members of these groups an advantage in surviving and reproducing. Children’s Literature Book: United Tweets of America: 50 State Birds by Hudson Talbott

Stop #1

In the Prairie: Using binoculars and observational notebooks, the students will participate in bird watching. The students will notice and begin to understand their surroundings during this activity. They will be given a chance to observe the types of birds found in the prairie as well as the characteristics (color, size, shape) that these birds possess. The students will then be asked to record their observations in their notebooks and possibly share some of their findings with the rest of the group. Objective: After thorough observation, the students will be able to describe what they saw/observed through written words in their observational notebooks. Assessment: The teacher will observe and identify what each student is recording in their own personal observational notebook.

Stop #2 In the Woods: The students will be making their very own bird nest using the surroundings around them. They will create an up to scale bird nest, as shown on the Science Trail packet, with any of the materials they can find in the woods, such as sticks, leaves, grass, candy wrappers, tree bark, and anything else other than poison ivy. We will give them time to explore their surroundings as well as provide them with an example of what an actual bird nest should like. They will then model our nest with their very own using their bright minds and creativity and then share them with the rest of the group. When sharing they will be asked to explain the reasons behind why they used the materials they did in creating the bird nest. If time permits, have them write down any observations they made in the woods using their notebooks. Objective: After seeing examples of bird nests, students will create their own nest using the environment around them for materials. Assessment: The students will be assessed on their creativity and accuracy in making their own up to scale bird nest. Stop #3 At the Lake: The students will start to think about the different habitats in which birds live. As a group, we will begin to explore different examples of habitats and explain how changes in a bird’s environment can sometimes be beneficial and other times harmful (Examples: cutting down trees, changing of seasons, etc). Students will then be given the opportunity to use their very own binoculars and observational notebooks to notice and record the types of birds that can be found in a wetlands habitat. Objective: After discussion and observations, the students will be able to describe and communicate examples of both harmful and beneficial changes in a habitat of at least two types of birds. Assessment: The teacher will observe what the students are recording in their notebooks. Questions will also be asked by the teacher once everyone has finished making their observations, and the students will have the chance to SPEAK UP and share some of their responses from the activity.

Introduction: Dear students, Hello! Today you are going to be participating in a bird watching adventure here at Koinonia. We have a variety of exciting activities planned for the day to prepare you for some exploring. Birds are all around us and are fascinating creatures that you probably see or hear every day! First, we are going to look at the book, United Tweets of America by Hudson Talbott. Each state in the United States has a state bird. Do you know the state bird of Indiana? After we are done looking at the book we are going to begin our adventure in the Prairie to find out what kind of birds live there. We will be using our binoculars and observational notebooks to record what we see on the Prairie. Then we will be heading into the woods to look at the nests that birds make. You will get the opportunity to make your own bird nest with the materials you find on the ground around you. Lastly, we will go down to the lake to discover what happens when the environment of a bird’s habitat changes. What happens to the birds when their habitats are modified, and how do birds adapt? NOW LET’S GO EXPLORE AND HAVE SOME FUN!!

Materials: • • • •

Binoculars Pencils Nest Supplies Small, hand-held notebooks