Inside the Birding Activity Bag

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Originally appears in the Summer 2018 issue.

ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY is a cumulative process of learning a variety of concepts, skills, and knowledge of the natural world. It can be especially impactful to introduce children to this process.1 The challenge is finding a hook or entry point. An interactive outdoor activity, like birding, can be that entry point. Birding can connect children to the excitement of making discoveries about the natural world with learning ecological concepts. Birding also builds scientific skills. Making detailed observations for species identification, such as recording bird appearance, sounds, behaviors, and habitat uses; and using field guidebooks and technology tools like cameras, websites, and sound recordings to support field findings, are routine practices in birding.
With a classroom or large group, birding is best accomplished with sound field preparations and some structured and guided discovery. One method that can be implemented as a guided discovery lesson is a birding activity bag. The birding activity bag was created for an environmental education center with an extensive trail network. Designed for 8-12 year-old children, the birding activity bag was originally intended to facilitate exploration of the Sonoran desert habitat, but it can be used in any other location, including a lake, park, or yard. Beyond bird identification, ecology concepts like energy expenditure, the food chain, and ecosystem services are incorporated into the birding activity bag. These concept links serve as branch points for additional ecology lessons, building on the field experiences gained using the birding activity bag.
One birding activity bag is suitable for up to four children, though pairs are ideal for ease of sharing field time with the tools and activities. The bag and contents, including binoculars, cost about $80.00, or $20.00 without binoculars. Bird observations can still be made without binoculars.
When viewing birds from a distance or via internet technology, actual bird sizes and shapes can be challenging to estimate. As an enhancement, consider obtaining replica bird skulls for the classroom. The replica bird skulls range from $50.00 to $200.00 each. In lieu of purchase, a local environmental education center, wildlife agency or wildlife rehabilitation facility may have some they are willing to loan out or allow educators to borrow for a small donation. These replica bird skulls are valuable for their use in closer viewing of various beak structures and bird sizes. They enhance explorations of bird diversity, provide for measurement opportunities and aid in making species comparisons. A minimum of two different bird skull replicas is recommended for a classroom. The two bird replica skulls should be from two different bird families with divergent feeding behavior and preferences. An example pair fitting those criteria are a woodpecker (larger, burrowing insects, grubs) and a finch (seeds), owl (small mammals, small reptiles), or hummingbird (small insects, nectar).

Materials List & Estimated Costs

• Backpack (any type, but cotton or recycled plastic is recommended), $2.00
• Binoculars (at least 6.5 x 32 recommended), $60.00
• Laminated bird identification card (8.5-inch x 11-inch) (A bird identification card was tailored for the area using materials from the environmental education center and local Audubon organization. It is simply a laminated sheet with colored photos and the names of 12 common local birds.), $2.00
• Laminated list of bag contents, $2.00
• Clipboard and two two-sided worksheets, $1.00
• Log book (any type, but recycled paper is recommended) (The intention of signing in and providing an open-ended opportunity to write anything else is to track interest levels or ideas for making improvements to the activity.), $3.00
• Pen/colored pencils, $5.00
• Other tools such as a magnifying glass, ruler, and tongs (Tools provide enticements for closer viewing under rocks, leaves, and/or scat.), $5.00

How the Activity Works
Provide a bag for each pair of children (or groups of up to four children). The students should check their assigned bag to ensure that it has all the required contents and that the tools are in working order. Through this bag check exercise, the students are assuring that their bag is “field ready.” This is also the time for the students to take a look at the tools and experiment with how to use them. As part of this field preparation, the worksheet questions can be reviewed, or this can be done upon arrival at the field location — a school yard, park, wilderness area, or nature center. This is a good time for them to also assess what else they might need for longer field studies (e.g. water, hat, sunscreen, snack).
Using binoculars takes practice. It is helpful to go over the binocular adjustments and to practice with them ahead of time. The main adjustments are the focus wheel and the binocular hinge, which must align with students’ eyes such that they only see one field view and not two circles. To test how well students have focused their binoculars, ask them to view cards from a distance. Number each card so that the number can be plainly seen without binoculars from about 10 feet away. Assign a student a card number and then ask them to read the card. Playing cards are useful for this game, as are any nearby signs.
Upon arrival at the field location, split the groups apart, such that each group has their own designated area along the trail or their assigned corner of the school yard. Students can then begin their observations and worksheets. The worksheet consists of a grid of five rows with the column headings as shown below. Using the activity worksheet, have each group make at least five observations. All five observations may be for the same individual bird, five different individual birds, five unique species, or any combination of these. The question in the last column asks students to note where they observe the bird(s), to help with connecting habitat and human development to their observations.
On the other side of the grid worksheet, there are a series of guided discovery questions as listed below. Question 1 requires the students to look at the bird identification chart and their observations to try to identify the bird(s). Questions 2 and 3 are meant to spark curiosity and encourage consideration of the bird’s/birds’ perspective(s) and survival needs. Questions such as 2, 3, 4, and 6 are meant to draw attention to the habitat and other related concepts. The intention for these questions is also to provoke feelings of empathy for the bird(s). Questions 3, 5, and 6 consider energy expenditure, and questions 3 and 6 consider food chains and their role in ecosystems (e.g. how birds influence vegetation growth). Question 7 is for reflection and is intended to bridge the birding bag experience with students’ own interests from their field observations. Provide the students with at least one class period to complete this activity. Mornings are generally the preferred time of day for birding as many birds are most active then.

Post-observation questions

1. After you have made five observations, look at the bird identification chart. Which bird(s) did you see? Look closely at the beak and body shapes, as well as feather colors in making your decision. Make a list of the possible birds you saw based on your observation data.
2. Does one of the birds that you observed have mostly brown feathers? If so, how might the bird behave differently if its feathers were bright yellow or white? Why?
3. As you walk the trail, see if you can find any seeds on the ground. Many birds help plants in the ecosystem by moving seeds from one place to another. Some birds mostly eat seeds, while others mostly eat insects, fruits, or flower nectar. Imagine what it would be like to eat with a bird beak. Use the tongs found in the bag and try to pick up a seed or a tiny rock. What did you pick up? Did it take a few attempts or could you do it right away?
4. Look at a plant around you. Is there evidence that a bird or animal is using it for a home? Are there flowers blooming on it right now? What do the leaves look like? Do you see any seeds on or around the plant? Sketch the leaves, flowers, or seeds. Use the magnifying glass in the bag to look at small things more closely.
5. Do you hear any sounds from a bird or animal? Do you hear any other sounds? What exactly are you hearing? If you hear birds or animals, why do you think they are making those sounds? Does it take energy to make sounds?
6. Take out the bird skull models in your pack. Look at the bird skulls and the bird beaks. What do you think each bird eats? Which beaks look strong enough to crack seeds or nuts? Which ones look like they are good for digging? Which beaks do you think took more time and energy to form as each bird grew?
7. Take out the log book. Record the date and your name. Write a few sentences about your exploration today. Did you enjoy it? What did you like best? What did you learn? Also, what question or questions do you have? It may help to look back at your findings to see if they can give you ideas for a question. What could you do that would help you to answer your question? For example, do you need more information, a book, an expert, or more observations?
8. Now that you have completed this birding activity, take a worksheet and see which birds you find at another location. Do you think you might see the same birds as you found today? Why do you/do you not think so?

Before the next class period, instruct the students to bring back a completed worksheet as stated in number 8 above. (This can be done in their yard at home or at school, or at a neighborhood park.) Students can do the worksheet with or without binoculars, depending on the equipment available to them at home. In another class period, the class could compare the homework observations alongside those they collected in their groups. There will likely be some overlap of bird species found in the different locations. The intention of the take-home worksheet is to provide awareness of shared habitat and range of different species (humans included). At the environmental education center where this birding activity bag is used, human development is in constant view. Children who use the birding bag are likely to find that some of the birds present at the classroom activity location are found in their school or home yards, too.
In their groups or as a class, students can compare the worksheets from the class activity using math and critical thinking skills. These data discussions can lead to further habitat inquiries about the factors potentially contributing to any stark differences or similarities in their observations.

Modifications and Extensions
To specifically adapt the birding activity bag for your area, find out which bird species are the most commonly seen. Staff at local nature or environmental education centers can help with this as well as with the identification of flora and other fauna. They can also help explain ecosystem connections and suggest additional locations for birding. They may even have a list of bird species in the area that you can use or draw from when creating a bird identification card.
Local Audubon Societies and other naturalist organizations generally offer free birding trips. One could likely be set up for a class. On a typical birding trip, everyone is invited to participate by scanning their surroundings and notifying the group of any bird sightings as the group slowly walks a trail. When a bird is spotted, a collaborative effort of rapid information sharing is required to help everyone focus on the same bird. To effectively point out birds in trees or shrubs, many guides ask group members to visualize each tree/shrub as a round-faced clock. If a bird is, for example, half-way up the outer right-hand edge (from the viewer’s perspective) of a tree, it is “at 3 o’clock.” The species of a tree/shrub, a bird’s height from the ground, and other landscape features are also helpful for locating a bird. A leader may bring out a guidebook or birding application on a smartphone to share a close-up image of the bird, tips for its identification, or key facts about its life history. Once everyone has had a look at the bird of interest, the group continues their watchful walk.
In addition to a science, environmental, or ecology unit, the birding bag may be useful in other disciplines or in extracurricular clubs. Students can create videos about their birding experiences, or design a website or presentation to teach other students how to go birding or how to use binoculars. In an art class, the birding activity bag could help inspire a topic for a class art exhibition.

The Ideal Impact
For more explicit insight in how building environmental literacy can influence behavior change, imagine the following scenario: a student uses the birding bag and observes many different birds as a class activity. The student notices that some birds perch within a tree, while others stay low to the ground under a shrub. The student learns that the tree and shrub provide shelter. With this new awareness and knowledge (and budding empathy for these birds), the student asks her/his parent or accompanying adult if s/he can plant a tree at their home to provide more shelter for birds. That student may watch the tree develop and discern that the birds perching in the tree are different from those on the ground, and thus learn about different feeding behaviors and food sources. Perhaps the student then desires to protect insects, too, developing into an adult who refuses to apply synthetic pesticides. This illustration of how environmental literacy can unfold is just one example. Environmental literacy is ripe for evolving in many different ways — perhaps towards creating a bird feeder, bird bath, or an insect hotel, or towards planting flowering plants. Overall, it shows how a person can develop increased conservation behaviors long after being grounded in environmental literacy, continually gaining new insights, knowledge, and concern about birds, their habitat and the ecosystem.
Environmental literacy helps influence conservation behaviors over a lifetime. Conservationists and environmental activists believe that a big driving factor for this is exposing children to positive free time spent outdoors — both alone and with influential adults sharing their naturalist interests with them.2 The birding bag activity achieves the latter and helps nurture environmental literacy. I hope the activity’s versatility and usefulness for outdoor classroom use will be attractive to you, too.

Notes
1. Chawla, L. & Cushing, D. F. (2006). Education for strategic environmental behavior. Environmental Education Research, 13(4), 437-452.
2. Monroe, M. (2003). Two avenues for encouraging conservation behaviors. Human Ecology Review, 10(2), 113-125.

Joy A. Bell is an environmental professional working for an Arizona municipality. She created a birding activity bag while pursuing a master’s degree in biology through Project Dragonfly at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. She would like to thank Kathryn Stevens for reviewing this article and to acknowledge Lisa Herrmann, Education Manager of the South Mountain Environmental Education Center, and advisor Gabrielle Hebert, Director of Education at The Phoenix Zoo.