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Be a BIRDER!
Birds are just about everywhere. Head outside—or keep watch out a window—and see how many individual birds you can count and of how many different species. Over time, you'll start to notice some of the same ones over and over, and they'll become like familiar friends. You'll discover how each kind is similar to and different from the others.
Don't worry if you can't identify them at first. You can always ask a better birder or look for them in a field guide to discover their names. Eventually, you'll know their names by heart.
KEEP COUNT
Once you've sharpened your birding skills, you might want to share what you see with scientists. They're keeping track of which species—and how many of each—seem to show up from year to year in places all across the country. One program doing that is National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count. It's been held every winter for over 100 years! Some places have even started counts just for kids. Want to know more? Go online with a parent to audubon.org/Christmas-bird-count. Enter your zip code under "Find Audubon Near You" to locate a local group and then ask how you can get involved.
Or join the online Great Backyard Bird Count in February. For more information, have your family visit birdsource.org/gbbc on the Web. Your teacher might also want to check out fledgingbirders.org online.
Rangers: Many of these tips come from The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds by Richard Crossley (Princeton University Press, 2011). For more information, visit crossleybirds.com
art by Dave Clegg