Backyard Bird Watching

We spent a lot of time watching birds in our backyard over the weekend. I assembled a small kit for the girls, stocked with books, field guides, a blank notebook and pencils (we couldn't find the binoculars).

Our house is on a small pond, so we get a lot of water birds. We saw a great blue heron, a great egret, two ducks and a snake bird along the coast or in the water. In the trees we spotted two blue jays, singing and playing. A rusty blackbird was gathering grass on the ground. And soaring high above we spotted three birds of prey...I'm not certain what they were.
Selby had great fun identifying the birds we saw, then recording them in her journal. And we're all looking forward to doing some of the activities in the Smithsonian Bird Watcher book we borrowed from the library. It's full of easy ideas for birdwatching with kids, including creating a "bird buffet." This is setting out several small dishes of bird fare, such as breadcrumbs, sunflower seeds, soaked oats, soft fruit and bacon fat, and then watching what different birds select. Other ideas include making bird feeders & bird baths, bird gardening tips and collecting feathers.

Birdwatching with my gals was back-to-basics fun, allowing us to connect with nature and one another without spending a penny or leaving our home.