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Bird Watch
 Wherever you live, you have birds for neighbours. You probably know common birds, like gulls, crows, and robins, but have you ever stopped to watch them? Here are a few tips for learning more about our feathered friends.
What You Need
• Binoculars (optional)
• A bird guide (optional)
What to Do
1. With an adult, go for a walk. You could walk around the block, or go to a local lake, park, or hiking trail.
2. When you see a bird, take a few moments to watch it. (Don’t ignore common birds. They are interesting, too!) Use binoculars if you have them. Here are some things to note:
• Size: Is the bird larger or smaller than a crow? (You could also compare it to another bird you know well, such as a robin.)
• Colour: What colour, or colours, is the bird? Look for distinctive patches of colour, such as a white head or a reddish-brown tail. Also note the colour of the beak and legs.
• Movement: How does it fly? Does it soar (glide with its wings open), flap, or hover over one spot? Maybe it has a distinctive flight pattern, like “flap, flap, flap, soar”. If the bird is on the ground, does it hop or walk?
• Location: Where is the bird? In the water, in the forest, in a field? Different birds prefer different locations.
• Sounds: Does the bird make any calls? Try to imitate the sound.
All of these things are clues to help identify a bird.
3. If you have a bird guide, try to identify the bird. Guides give clues to birds’ different “field marks”. This photo shows the field marks for a great blue heron:
Other things to note:
• usually found near water
• long, thin legs
• walks slowly
• stabs prey with its beak
• makes a loud “squawk”
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