Bird Education Network News- IMBD 2010

Bird Conservation Through Education TM

March 11, 2010

In This Issue

IMBD Theme for 2010

Spring Equinox

Winter Bird CountProtocols

Thanks to our BEN Bulletin sponsor:

The Bird Education Network (BEN) was created following the February 2007 National Gathering, hosted by the Council for Environmental Education (CEE). BEN is a CEE initiative that seeks to connect and support a community of bird education professionals.

Over 3,000 individuals representing 300 organizations receive communications and engage in professional dialogue through the BEN-run Bird Education Listserv.

A BEN Committee has been established to provide advice and guidance for this important initiative, to advance "bird conservation through education."

Quick Links

BEN website
CEE website

Draft National Strategy for Bird Education

BEN Bulletin Archives

Join the Bird Education Listserv

IMBD Theme for 2010 - Power of Partnerships in Bird Conservation

Each year, a team of International Migratory Bird Day coordinators select a theme that meets diverse criteria to reach varied audiences to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). This year's theme has a focus on the power of partnerships in bird conservation.

Over the span of several decades partnerships have been an integral part of making bird conservation programs successful. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the innovative public/private consortium, Partners in Flight, this year's IMBD's theme showcases 20 inspiring stories of succesful bird-protecting collaborations.

There are lots of ways to get involved through IMBD in bird conservation, bird education, habitat projects, and birdwatching. IMBD provides the framework for bird festivals and events as well as the opportunity to motivate people of all ages to get outdoors to learn about birds.

The official date for IMBD in the U.S. and Canada is the second Saturday in May each year, but today, IMBD programs, events, and festivals are held year-round. These are held at schools, parks, libraries, museums, zoos, refuges, nautre centers and other locations accessible to the public.

Robert Petty is the IMBD 2010 featured artist. This Whooping Crane is one of 20 bird species featured in this year's poster.

For more information on IMBD click here.

Spring Equinox- The Perfect Time for Building Birdhouses

Spring Equinox marks the beginning of spring for people, however it is also a time when birds begin their migration. In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox or first day of spring begins on March 20 when the day and night are equal in length.

Spring is a time when migrating birds begin arriving to areas with warmer temperatures to stake out their breeding, feeding territories, and build their nests. This makes spring the perfect time to build your own birdhouse. Building a birdhouse can be a fun project for children and adults, especially if a pair of birds takes up residence!

A variety of simple bird house design plans can be found on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Nestwatcher's Resource Center website by clicking here.

Photo by Jim Williams

Protocols for a Winter Bird Count with Teams of Kids

Bird counts are a great way to help students and adults learn about birds and wildlife. Leading a bird count can be tricky at times. Below are some tips to help make your next winter bird count for teams of kids a success.

Consider...

1. Students and parents will see that there is an exciting world of birds right outside their front door, all over our city.

2. Students and parents will remember this day for a long time, and never look at birds the same way again.

On the bird count...

· The first order of business is for each team to choose a name, preferably something birdy. Give your team a minute or two to reach consensus on their name and then write it on the checklist.

· Each team has one clipboard with today's checklist and tally sheet on it. The job of team checker should be rotated among every student in the group if possible, so that everybody gets to be the checker for 5 to 10 minutes.

· We are recording numbers of individuals, so the tally sheet for the common species should be explained to the group, and used during the walk. The final number of individuals will be added to the species checklist at the end of the walk.

· The checklist has been kept small to make it possible to find more "unexpected" birds. If something that is not on the list is seen, the kids will get more excited this way.

· Students should identify birds on their own as much as possible. Please try to get students to recognize field marks on their way towards generating an ID. Feel free to share as much as you can about what to focus on in making an ID. By the end of the walk, it would be great if each student has been able to ID one bird with no help.

· This is the first time birding for many of the parents as well! They're looking forward to this as much as the kids are.

Photo by Ruey Gimberg taken during a winter bird count at Hains Point, overlooking the Washington Channel.

BEN: Connecting Bird Educators TM

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Newsletter maintained by: The Council For Environmental Education, Flying WILD and the BEN Committee.