On our regional greenbelt course, I frequently see joggers and bikers immediately stop to take pleasure in an osprey flying overhead. The osprey is an unquestionably gorgeous bird. For kids, theres another reason theyre interesting: They are amongst the most convenient predators to watch in action.
Birders are fond of the concept of “stimulate birds”– the birds that inspire a lifetime interest in birding. Sometimes its a single sighting of a particularly lovely species. Sometimes it is viewing a common bird in a city park.
You can likewise see them dive into the water and come up with a flapping fish if you discover a river or pond that an osprey frequents.
On a current visit to a local state park, my now 8-year-old kid came across a killdeer. Even funnier to him was the bird acting like it was wounded.
As the Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes, killdeer are “a shorebird you can see without going to the beach.” Theyre singing and extremely noticeable, and typically found in parks and open fields.
Leading 10 List
An adult terrific horned owl. Picture © OnceAndFutureLaura/Flickr through a Creative Commons license.
Great-horned owls likewise can be heard hooting, particularly in the cold weather. Even when my child was a toddler, he liked to see great-horned owls in trees, while listening to their hooting at dusk.
Here are 8 North American species that Ive found routinely pleasure children and new-to-birding adults. I selected some obvious “fan favorites” as well as some ignored species that are pretty cool.
Owling is an enjoyable winter activity for the family. You can often get an owl to address your own hoots. Once you hear one, scan thick tree branches and other possible perches. The fantastic horned owls summary is unmistakable. You can typically sneak closer and take pleasure in the owls shenanigans up close.
When threatened by pesticides, contamination and unlawful searching, the osprey has rebounded and is now typical throughout North America. During the summer, I see them almost daily around my Idaho home.
Obviously, we swerved away to offer the bird (and its nest) some space. However seeing behavior like this is a fantastic way to talk about adjustments and how birds find ways to avert predators.
And how about you? What birds recorded your imagination as a kid? Leave your choices in the comments area.
In my experience, kids like to see birds doing fascinating things. Some birds just naturally bring in more attention.
However lots of bird species are easy to not just see, however to observe tackling their everyday regimen.
Ive also discovered that birds can spark a basic interest in nature and nature observation in kids. Lets face it: the delights of hard-core listing, the finer points of warbler identification and cold, mornings are delights that leave lots of youngers (and grownups, too, for that matter).
Lets begin with the obvious choice. The great-horned owl is a charismatic types, and even better, its common and found throughout North America. You can discover them in city parks, around suburbs, on farms and at nature preserves.
I still keep in mind seeing my very first osprey, on a fishing expedition to Canada when I was 14. I d rest on the dock by the cabin and view them splash into the water. They appeared such a rare bird then. This is one bird species that is more common now than when I was a kid.
Picture of a killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), a medium sized plover, on the banks of the Cosumnes River, CA. © Ed Greaves
Juvenile peregrine falcons near their nest website © Ariel Seroussi/TNC Photo Contest 2022
This offers a great opportunity for kids to significant predator-prey interactions even in the heart of cities. When I had a workplace in downtown Boise, I d typically see raining plumes and bird parts. Looking up, I may catch a look of the peregrine darting away.
Turkey vulture flying. © Gary S. Meredith
My kid loves superlative animals: the greatest, greatest, most poisonous. And fastest. For a long while, that made the peregrine falcon his preferred bird.
Nest webcams allow another opportunity for kids to see the habits of peregrines from home, including bringing home that prey to young.
Like the ospreys story, the peregrine falcons recovery from the edge is a roaring conservation success. One factor is nesting boxes established in cities. Tall structures are similar to pigeons and canyons provide abundant prey.
A turkey vulture can projectile vomit 10 feet to discourage additional interaction if bothered. The vulture urinates on its legs to cool down on hot days. And it consumes dead things, the factor for that bald head. Essentially, to human perceptiveness, the turkey vulture is gross.
And what kid does not love the gross-out element?
I presume Im not the only kid who sprawled out in a field, hoping it may draw the circling around vultures in for a more detailed look. Right?
Of course, as with any bird observation, its an ideal opportunity to share why vultures are environmentally essential as natures clean-up team. , if you are fortunate (?) enough to see one tearing into some roadkill, you get a mix gross-out and environmental lesson.
Golden pheasant © OZinOH/flickr under an innovative commons license
Theyre native to Asia, however a few of these aviary and video game farm birds get away. Some even form feral populations. The thought of tracking down a few of these free-roaming pheasants always appealed to me, a little a safari near to home.
I smiled when ultra-birder Mya Rose-Craig, in her engaging memoir Birdgirl, committed a chapter to see feral golden pheasants in the United Kingdom. It was one of her stimulate birds and among her intros to the world of severe life listing. (She went on to be the youngest birder to see more than 5,000 types).
Yes, I understand theyre not native in the United States or the UK. Still, uncommon animal quests are fun. And theyre stunning. You can wager Ill be there with binocs if I hear of an exotic pheasant sighted at a local park.
This may be a little bit of an unusual pick. I was one of those kids who imagined far-off locations and the cool animals discovered there. It would be a while before I got to go see those places for myself, however often I d see those unusual critters.
A regional animal destination kept a collection of unique pheasants like the Lady Amherst, golden, silver and Reeves pheasants. I was taken with these incredible birds.
Hummingbird © Darrell Bodnar
Common hummingbird feeders have actually enabled much more kids and grownups to end up being fans of these little birds. But I believe its even better to have kids watch the hummingbirds among flowers and native plant gardens. This, too, can be a lesson in pollinators and ecological interactions.
Theyre quick. Theyre colorful. And theyre adorable. The various species of hummingbirds are extremely enjoyable for kids to observe. With even limited perseverance, you can often see their whirring wings up close.
You might be tricked by the hummingbird moth, an insect with an incredible resemblance to the bird. You can see wasps and bumblebees and birds all contending for pollen.
Common merganser © Ken Miracle
Mergansers dive beneath the surface for a long time. Concerns engage young naturalists and keep them engaged in whats occurring around them.
I always delight in watching a household of mergansers hunting as they drift down a river. And naturally, freshwater habitats are great for other fascinating species, from belted kingfishers to excellent blue herons, from snowy egrets to American bitterns.
Birders are fond of the idea of “spark birds”– the birds that motivate a life time interest in birding. What birds recorded your creativity as a kid? When I had a workplace in downtown Boise, I d frequently see raining plumes and bird parts. You can see bumblebees and wasps and birds all vying for pollen. Ideally, that interest also leads to support of conservation, as many bird types deal with decreases and unsure futures.
Really, this might be any bird that dives, like loons, various ducks or grebes. Mergansers are my favorite, due to the fact that you can typically see (huge) fish hanging out their beaks. And they just look cool.
There are lots of methods to enjoy bird enjoying, from installing a backyard feeder to chasing after “huge year” world records. Hopefully, that interest likewise results in assistance of preservation, as lots of bird types face declines and unpredictable futures. That interest can start at any point, and it typically starts with take pleasure in the natural spectacles, all around us if we look and stop for a minute.