Clayton-Bradley Academy Discovers Birds!

On May 23rd, the Discover Birds Program had a great morning of discovering birds with students on the campus of the Clayton Bradley Academy in Blount County, Tennessee.

Above, Billie Cantwell gets students ready to learn about birds by playing the bird's song while showing students the bird on her I-pad.  A slideshow presentation followed showing students a variety of birds, their habitat and the ways in which the bird's characteristics make it well suited for that habitat.  
Students groups rotated through a three-part program--a bird slide presentation, a show-and-tell session with bird related items that students could handle and examine, and a guided bird walk. Students were given a Waterford Press Pocket Naturalist Guide on Tennessee Birds to help in identifying birds and binoculars were provided.  Birding spotting scopes were also provided to help "bring the birds closer".

Above, Warren Bielenberg talks with students about listening for bird songs and calls.  Often we know that a bird is in the area because we here their song or call notes.

Above, Chris Welsh helps a student use the spotting scope while another student finds a Mourning Dove with his binoculars.

Above, Warren talks with students about how to find birds.  His walk took his students along a path near a creek, below.  Eastern Bluebirds, American Robins and a Green Heron were among the birds found.

Warren explained that some birds have more than one name.  The Robin's full name, for example, is American Robin.  He compared these longer names to human first and last names.  We hear the Robin's full name less often than the simple name, Robin.

The Green Heron was found sitting on an electrical wire which seemed like an unlikely place to find a wading bird.  The two green herons in the area seemed to like these wires for perching.  Warren gets the scope on the heron just before it flies.  

Above, you see the Green Heron in flight and below, a closer view of a Green Heron in its wetland habitat. Green Herons are wading birds that feed on fish and other small wetland animals.

Photo credit:  Wiki Commons

While Warren's group was on their bird walk, another group of students was visiting with Paula Schneeberger to see and learn about her collection of bird-related objects.  Bird talons, eggs and a collection of owl pellets are among the items the students examined.   

Above, Paula explains that baby birds while hatching have a "pipping" tooth on the end of their beak, a hard protrusion that helps the unhatched chick break open the shell.  The pipping tooth disappears a few days after the chick is hatched.

Above, the last bird walk group assembles outside for their birding experience.  As Warren explains some tips on finding birds, Chris Welsh gets his telescope on an Eastern Kingbird perched high in a tree at the edge of the campus.

It looked as though the kingbird and his mate were guarding their partially built nest, located to the right and below the kingbird shown above.  Below, is a closer view of an Eastern Kingbird.  Kingbirds are fly-catchers.  They catch insects by flying out from a perch in spectacular maneuvers to snap up insects in flight.

Males and female kingbirds look alike.  Below, a Common Grackle perches on a limb briefly before flying on.  Notice his yellow eye and overall size.  Grackles are smaller than crows, which are also black.

At the concrete supports that brace the nearby highway, we found nest-building Cliff Swallows. Cliff Swallows build their nests of mud and are colony nesters, meaning many pairs nest together in the same location.  The swallows flew into the nest area together and left the nest area at the same time, filling the sky with chattering, insect eating birds!
Below, two images that show the beautiful colors of the Cliff Swallow and a closer look at an unfinished mud nest.  When finished, the nest entrance will be closed into a small round opening, protecting the eggs and hatched young inside.

Photo credit:  Wiki Commons

The swallow below has just applied wet mud to the nest.

Photo credit:  Wiki Commons

Below, a Red-tailed Hawk flies over-head giving us a look at his powerful wings and red tail.

Red-tailed hawks are one of our most common hawks in Tennessee.  They feed on mice, voles and other small rodents that they find by hunting from a high perch.

Our thanks to Clayton-Bradley School and the teachers who invited us to bring the program to their students. Thanks also to Discover Birds Program volunteers Doug Schneeberger, Paula Schneeberger, Warren Bielenberg, Chris Welsh, Vickie Henderson and Billie Cantwell.

For the morning we found 41 species of birds.  Chris Welsh uploaded the following list to eBird at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

3 Mallard
1 Double-crested Cormorant
     flyover
1 Great Blue Heron
     flyover
2 Green Heron
1 Black Vulture
3 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-tailed Hawk
2 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
3 Mourning Dove
1Chimney Swift
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Phoebe
     Nest under overpass, fresh but did not see birds at nest.
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
2 Eastern Kingbird
     Seen near what appeared to be unfinished nest.
     Breeding Code--Visiting Probable Nest site
1 White-eyed Vireo
3 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
2 Barn Swallow
     Nest under overpass
     ON Confirmed--Occupied Nest
50 Cliff Swallow
     Active nests under overpass
     ON Confirmed--Occupied Nest
1 Carolina Chickadee
     heard only
1 Tufted Titmouse
     heard only
2 Carolina Wren
4 Eastern Bluebird
     (2 adult males; 1 recently fledged juvenile (sex unknown); 1 adult female)
     Confirmed recently fledged young
4 American Robin
2 Northern Mockingbird
6 European Starling
18 Cedar Waxwing
1 Prothonotary Warbler
     heard only along creek east of overpass
1 Common Yellowthroat
   heard only
1 Yellow-breasted Chat
1 Eastern Towhee
3 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrow
4 Northern Cardinal
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Eastern Meadowlark
     heard only
5 Common Grackle
8 Brown-headed Cowbird
12 House Finch
2 American Goldfinch

Links and Resources:

Clayton-Bradley Academy
Waterford Press Pocket Guides--Tennessee Birds
KTOS--Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society
KTOS on Facebook
Discover Birds Program
Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Discover Birds in the Tennessee Conservationist
eBird at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Tennessee Birds
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife--Birds
Cornell's free beginning birding app--Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Audubon Mobile Field Guides

I. B. Tigrett Middle School Students Discover Birds

Earlier this year, Marsha Parsons, science teacher and Project Learning Tree facilitator, requested 200 Discover Birds Activity Books for sixth grade science students at Tigrett Middle School, in Jackson, TN. This spring, she received those books courtesy of the Tennessee Ornithological Society.

Since receiving the books students in Mrs Parsons, Mr. Shackelford and Mr. Pledger's classes have been going on daily bird walks on the school grounds to study the ecosystem in which the birds in their area live .

Tigrett Middle School is located in an urban area with an open grass yard and bordering trees.  Though it is often hard to identify birds at a distance, noticing the bird's relative size, color, if possible, the way it flies and its general behavior can often help in identifying the bird.

Common birds found in urban areas include:  Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon (feral pigeon), Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, House Sparrow, Common Crow and American Robin.  Pictures and information about the life and behavior of these birds can be found at Cornell's All About Birds by entering the bird's name in the search space.

While on their bird walks, students study the habitat and have even discovered bird nests. They are using the bird adaptation section of the Discover Birds Activity Book to aid their discussion about the kinds of adaptations birds need for this urban environment.  

A special thank you to Mrs Parsons, Mr Shackelford and Mr. Perkins for sharing their class activities and sending the above images of their students discovering birds!

Links and Resources:

Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Tennessee Ornithological Society
Tennessee Birds
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife--Birds
Cornell's free beginning birding app--Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Audubon Mobile Field Guides

Brownie Troop 20869 in Oak Ridge Discovers Birds!

Discover Birds volunteers and Oak Ridge Brownie Troop No. 20869 had a great time at Big Turtle Park in Oak Ridge this week, on May 14th.  

The group met in the playground area to visit with Paula Schneeberger and learn about her interesting bird treasures.

Her collection of bird items gives students the opportunity to learn details about the physical characteristics of birds and their behavior and to see some of these things up close.  Everyone enjoyed a close look at one of the characteristics that make birds different from all other animals--feathers!

Paula discusses the individual feather parts or filaments and explains they can separate leaving gaps. Each filament also has barbs that help hold the filaments together.  Birds take care of their feathers by preening. Paula compares preening to a zipper on a jacket. Preening zips the filaments back together!

The girls already knew some ways that feathers help birds, including flight and protecting them from cold.

Some students also knew that bird bones are hollow.  This characteristic helps bird flight making the bird's body very light.

Above, owl pellets are passed around.  Students are challenged to figure out what they are seeing in the pellets.  Owls can not digest hair, skulls and some bits of bones.  Sometimes there is enough of a hint remaining to identify the animal that was digested.

Birds' nests come in many sizes, shapes and materials. Some birds weave their nest between two twigs so that it is suspended in between.

Volunteer, Billie Cantwell, bought a bird poster, offering the students an opportunity to get familiar with some of the birds they might see on their bird walk.  Many could already identify the American Robin and Northern Cardinal.

Students also received a Waterford Press pocket guide of Tennessee birds to take with them on their walk to help identify birds.

Doug Schneeberger (behind the leaves) talks with students about the birds they are hearing.  The group stopped to listen to a Blue-headed Vireo.  At the pond, students showed interest in the fish and insects they found.  

As they were leaving the trail area, the group moved into a field and saw a small flock of Cedar Waxwings. Everyone was excited to also find this bird on their pocket guides.

A big "thank you" to Brownie Troop No. 20869 for their enthusiasm and interest in discovering birds! Thanks also to KTOS Discover Birds volunteers Billie Cantwell, Paul Schneeberger, and Doug Schneeberger.  Each of the students received a free Discover Birds Activity Book to continue their interest and learning about birds!

Photo credit for all images:  Billie Cantwell

Links and Resources:

Waterford Press Pocket Guides--Tennessee Birds
KTOS--Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society
KTOS on Facebook
Discover Birds Program
Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Feather parts--filaments
Tennessee Birds
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife--Birds
Cornell's free beginning birding app--Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Audubon Mobile Field Guides

The Discover Birds Program Visits Sevierville Primary School!

The Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society visited Sevierville Primary School on May 9th, 2014, to present the Discover Birds Program to 260 second graders and 13 teachers!

Above, volunteer Chris Welsh talks with students before their bird walks and tells them what to look for when they're watching birds. Color, size, length of tail, crest or no crest, and the color of the beak are some of the many ways that birds can be recognized and remembered.  
Volunteer, Doug Schneeberger, passes out Naturalist Pocket Guides on Tennessee Birds for students to share and use as reference to identify birds on their bird walks.   Most of the birds they saw on their bird walks could be found in the pocket guides.

Below, volunteer Tony King, assists students in viewing Cedar Waxwings through the birding telescope. The scope brings the bird closer and allows students to see even the color of the bird's eyes from a distance away.

An American Robin, below, stares back.  Students noticed the yellow color of its beak, his dark head, red breast and white markings around his eyes.  Talking about these observations aids memory and makes it more likely the robin will be recognized the next time it is seen.

Below, Warren Bielenberg, gives his student group an introduction to their bird walk activities.  A Common Yellowthroat, a yellow warbler with a black mask, was heard throughout the day singing, "witchity, witchity, witchity, witch".  Students in one of Warren's bird walk groups saw this bird while on their bird walk.

The students were divided and rotated through the three parts of the program:  a slide presentation introducing birds, a bird treasures program with bird-related items the students could see up close, and a bird walk to find birds and view them through binoculars and telescopes.  

Above, Billie Cantwell, talks about bird habitat, bird beaks, legs and feet, and shows the many different varities of birds we can find.  Her program also includes listening to the calls and songs of some of the birds. Many students recognized the birds and knew their names. 

Above and below, Paula Schneeberger, talks about bird eggs, talons, different kinds of feet and how they function and many other fun facts about birds.  For example, a perching bird has three toes in the front and one in the back for grasping a perch.  A woodpecker usually has two toes in the front and two in the back to help in climbing tree trunks.  

Paula's bird items include an egg display, cast impressions of bird feet, bird skulls, bird castings or pellets (containing hair and bones the bird can't digest), nests, feathers and other items for the students to see up close.  

On their bird walks, students enjoyed seeing birds at a distance away through the scope, seeing more of the vivid color and detail.  Some of the birds, like one Rough-winged Swallow, perched for a long period so that all the students got a look through the scope.  Others, flew away more quickly, giving students opportunity to watch for movement and locate another bird.  

The Blue Jay above came to the bird bath for a drink.  Blue Jays have a tall crest of feathers on their head.   The jay above has his crest lowered. During nesting season, a jay often lowers its crest and makes soft squeaky sounds around its nest and mate.

Binoculars help bring birds closer so you can see more characteristics for identification.  The way a bird moves and their songs also help in identifying birds.

Sevierville Primary School has a wonderful outdoor classroom.  The school yard has many nest boxes, feeders and bird baths to attract birds.  Tree swallows and bluebirds were nesting in some of the nestboxes and other birds were coming to feeders and visiting the bird bath.

Tree swallows have beautiful iridescent feathers that shine green and blue in the light.  Chris explained that the feathers are not actually blue but the structure of the feather reflects the light so that our eyes only see the blue in the color spectrum.

The tree swallows were very cooperative and went about their nesting activities while we watched and continued our bird walks in the area. Tree swallow flight is fun to watch. They fly fast with lots of turns and twists to catch insects. They even dip down to drink water while in flight.

A big thank you to Sarah Green, her fellow second grade teachers, and Sevierville Primary School for inviting the Discover Birds Program to return for a second year.  All of the students received a Discover Birds Activity Book, compliments of the Knoxville TOS.  A big thank you, also, to our Discover Birds volunteers:  Chris Welsh, Tony King, Denise Nauman, Paula Schneeberger, Doug Schneeberger, Billie Cantwell, Warren Bielenberg and Vickie Henderson.

Chris Welsh recorded the birds he saw during the morning on eBird.  These reports help scientists learn where birds are located and how their populations are doing.  On our Sevierville Primary School bird walks we saw or heard a total of 32 bird species!

3  Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
5  Mourning Dove
3  Chimney Swift
1  Red-bellied Woodpecker
1  Northern Flicker
1  Eastern Phoebe
     Nest under bridge
     NY Confirmed--Nest with Young
2  Eastern Kingbird
3  Blue Jay
2  American Crow
2  Northern Rough-winged Swallow
5  Tree Swallow
     Breeding Code
     ON Confirmed--Occupied Nest
3  Barn Swallow
2  Carolina Chickadee
1  White-breasted Nuthatch
1  Carolina Wren
2  Eastern Bluebird
     Breeding Code
     ON Confirmed--Occupied Nest
3  American Robin
1  Gray Catbird
1  Northern Mockingbird
5  European Starling
9  Cedar Waxwing
2  Common Yellowthroat
      heard only
1  Yellow Warbler
4  Song Sparrow
2  Northern Cardinal
2  Blue Grosbeak
3  Red-winged Blackbird
1  Eastern Meadowlark
      heard only
4  Common Grackle
2  Brown-headed Cowbird
2  House Finch
1  House Sparrow

Links and Resources:

Tennessee Birds
Discover Birds Program
Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Waterford Press Naturalist Pocket Guides
Sevierville Primary School
Knoxvile Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Tennessee Ornithological Society