Introduce Your Kids to Birdwatching

Some kids are curiously drawn to nature and the outdoors. What better way to foster their curiosity than to introduce them to birding. It is an inexpensive and fun way to teach kids about the world around them.

Binoculars, especially for young children, are not always necessary. The only things required are a field guide (Peterson‘s Field Guide to Birds for more serious young birders, or Bird Finder: A Guide to Common Birds of Eastern North America are two inexpensive and easy-to-understand guides for younger children) and a bit of patience.

For true beginners, you need only to go out in your backyard, or to your neighborhood park to observe birds. Common birds to look for include the American Robin (Connecticut's state bird), House Wren, Cardinal, Starling, House Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee, Rock Dove (pigeon) and woodpeckers.

A great way to peak curiosity in kids is by asking questions:

• “Where do you think that bird lives?”
• “How does it make its home?”
• “Can you tell the difference between a male and a female?”
• “Do you think these birds fly in flocks, or do they fly solo?”

Of course, the answers may vary depending on the time of year, but it’s a good way to start a conversation about bird behavior.

Children also love games, so make it fun for them to learn about their feathered friends by presenting fun facts, such as:

• Woodpeckers wrap their tongue around their head to protect it from all of the hammering.
• Pigeons can reach speeds of as much as 100 miles per hour but a Peregrine Falcon can reach double that!
• The Starling and House Sparrow were both brought to North America in an attempt to introduce birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays.

Trivia is a great way to make birding exciting to young minds.

It's a good idea to keep a list of all of the birds you spot. To many serious birders, a "life list" is kept to record all of the birds one sees in a lifetime. For beginners this can be done on a sheet of paper, or in a wildlife journal dedicated to all wildlife, or you can download a checklist from a nature center. A Connecticut bird list can be found at here.

So, the next time you take the kids out to play or go for a walk in the park, take a moment with your children to observe our feathered friends. It is an easy and inexpensive way to encourage kids to learn about the world outdoors.

Where is the best birding location in Connecticut? The answer is .