admin 2 July 2009 1, Activities, Featured, Headline, Independence/Interdependence, Themes 202Commentshttp://www.progressivekid.com/kidsrock/index.php/2009/07/urban-bird-activities/Urban+Bird+Activities2009-07-02+21%3A48%3A42admin Print This Post  Email This Post

by Pat Leonard and Christianne White, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

How much is your life affected by birds and how much of an effect do you have on the birds in your town? Here are some fun activities to explore your relationship with birds.

Try This at Home!

• Go outside and sketch the shape of the beak on a bird you see. Can you guess what that bird eats?
• Watch from your front door or a window. Do you see birds? Try watching at different times of day. Do you see more birds in the morning, at noon, or when the sun is going down?
• See if you can spot a bird nest. Is it on a ledge, in a hole, hanging from a branch, in some weeds, or on the side of a skyscraper? What is the nest made of?  Can you tell which bird is the mom and which is the dad? Can you see baby birds?
• Where do birds find water in your neighborhood—puddles, pails, gutters, fountains? Do you ever see birds drinking? Do they tip their heads back to let the water roll down their throats or do they suck water up using their beaks like a straw?

Bird Projects to Try

• Paint a mural with kids in your neighborhood using big pieces of cardboard.
• Take pieces of cloth, paper, or other materials and make a bird collage, remembering the shapes and colors of birds you’ve seen in your neighborhood.
• Cut off the top of a plastic soda bottle or milk jug. Decorate it with ears, arms, wings or anything you like to make a fun feeder. Fill it with black-oil sunflower seeds and hang it from a nearby tree.
• Plant sunflower seeds in an old boot, pan, pot, or other container. Even after the blossoms die, leave them on the plant so birds can eat the seeds

Create a Bird-Friendly Home

Birds will come to your yard or neighborhood if they find the food, water, and shelter they need. Even if you don’t have a big yard—or any yard at all—there are ways you can help the birds.

• Offer water in a shallow container that is easy to clean. Birds need fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing
• Put up a bird feeder. In cities it is best to use feeders with small perches suited for smaller birds that will not easily spill seed on the ground. If bird feeders are not permitted in your building, a simple potted sunflower or other seed or nectar-bearing flower placed on your balcony may provide food for birds.
• Birds find shelter in trees and bushes. If you don’t have any nearby, a nest box will give birds a place to take shelter. Find instructions on how to build a nest box here.

©2009 Cornell Lab of Ornithology