Free Nature Studies: Our Wonderful World – Lesson X: Landlord to the Birds

Our Wonderful World by Emery Lewis Howe is a rich nature study book available for free download covering backyard neighbors, feathered friends, garden life, four-footed comrades, and the earth and its neighbors. By covering one chapter a week, there are 32 weeks worth of lessons. Enjoy the complete series!

Landlord to the Birds

The section on birds is broken into three parts; the first part is a general introduction, the second part focuses on birds that act as “guardians,” and this lesson is concerned with how to feed and care for birds. Various types of birds are covered throughout.

Suggestions

Take a “bird census” by finding out which birds overwinter in your area. Search the bird guide for all of the birds in your bird notebook and view the map to the right to see which ones are in your area year round.
You’ll find the list of seasonal birds referred to in “Seasons of Birds” in the book Bird Neighbors by Neltje Blanchan.
The best way to find seasonal birds in your area is a bird guide book. You’ll find our favorites in the additional resources below.
The author mentions several places to look for the birds that are listed for your area. Add this information to your bird notebook.
For help providing a “good cafeteria” for the birds, use this list from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You’ll find other bird feeding helps in the additional resources below.
Make the sliding bird shelter/feeder or one of the other bird feeders as described. You’ll find more bird feeder ideas in the additional resources below.
If you wish to make the bird food mentioned, you’ll find the “recipe” in “How to Invite Bird Neighbors” in How to Attract the Birds by Neltje Blanchan.
Make a bird bath in the spring. You’ll find plans and ideas below.
Make bird houses suitable to the type of birds in your area you wish to attract. You’ll find birdhouse dimensions per species at all-birds.com. You can also use this information to make the lists described in the lesson. You’ll find additional ideas for birdhouses below.
Become acquainted with John Burroughs by reading some of his essays on birds.
Read Psalm 84 to find the psalmist’s answer to the question: Why do birds choose the nest sites that they do? The answer is found in verse 3.
Make a gourd birdhouse like the one described. Or do it the Martha Stewart way.
Read (or re-read) “The Birds of Killingworth” by Longfellow. First write the poem as prose. Then make it into a play as suggested.
Building a birdhouse is a common 4-H competition project.
Did you know there was a Bird Day?

On May 4, 1894, Bird Day was first observed at the initiative of Charles Almanzo Babcock, superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. By 1910, Bird Day was widely celebrated, often in conjunction with Arbor Day. Statewide observances of the two holidays inculcated conservation training and awareness in a broad spectrum of the public, especially school children.

Library of Congress

You can read Babcock’s Bird Day: How to Prepare For It which includes the history of Bird Day and teaching ideas.
You’ll find bird identification charts, helpful for activity four, below.
Check the additional resources below for a variety of bird song resources.
Use the Bible verses listed for copywork or dictation.
More about birds from the Book of Knowledge:

Birds are perhaps the easiest wild creatures to attract. They are not too shy of humans, and many seem to prefer living near our homes. Some birds are seed- and fruit-eaters, others feed on insects that infest plants, so a varied vegetation will be best. You may entice a greater number of birds to your plot by adding to the vegetation already growing there.

To have bird visitors the year around, you should grow those plants that give food in the summer as well as those that produce abundant food in the winter. Specially favored by many birds during the summer are the red and white mulberries, raspberries and blackberries, wild cherry and chokecherry, blueberries, black huckleberry, honeysuckle and shadbush. Fall and winter food plants include the various dogwoods, elders and wild grapes, thicket thorn, Virginia creeper, sassafras, arrowwood, black haw, red cedar, chokeberry, bayberry, hackberry, bearberry and snowberry. Trumpet vines, jewelweed and larkspur attract hummingbirds. Seeds of these plants or the young plants and instructions for planting them may be obtained at your local seed store.

“Bring Nature to Your Doorstep,” The Book of Knowledge
Birds
Ready to go outdoors? The Handbook of Nature study covers birds beginning on page 27, and continuing through page 143. The beginning pages cover feathers, flight, migration, eyes and ears, beaks, feet, songs of birds, attracting birds, the value of birds; the following material covers the individual types of birds.

Further Investigation

Winter Bird Feeding
4-page download from The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Includes feeding chart.

Top Ten Bird Feeding Tips
From The National Bird-Feeding Society.

Wild Bird Food Preferences – Eastern North America
Bird feeding chart from the National Bird-Feeding Society.

Wild Bird Food Preferences – Western North America
Bird feeding chart from the National Bird-Feeding Society.

Providing Water for Birds
Find a better birdbath. From The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Creating a Garden For Birds
How-to from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Activities

Free Building Bird House Plans
For the bluebird, flicker, phoebe, purple martin, woodpecker, and wren.

Homes and Feeders for Birds and Mammals
37-page download that includes plans, templates, and directions. Very helpful!

Poetry

“The Birds’ Bath” by Evaleen Stein

Books

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America by Roger Tory Peterson
The definitive field guide for beginning birders.

The Bird Study Book by T. Gilbert Pearson
A book by a former secretary of the Audubon Societies written for the beginning student of ornithology. Includes details of field observation, information on bird nesting habits, bird behavior, making bird sanctuaries (with nesting box dimensions), and how to keep a bird notebook with sample page. Free and in the public domain.

The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats by Sally Roth
This family favorite alphabetically covers everything from accessories, accidents and acorns, to wrens and zinnias. Very helpful to those who would like to attract birds.

The Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers by Scott D. Campbell
For those who would like to build their own birdhouses, this book covers complete construction information, matching bird and birdhouse, nesting birds and their requirements, complete detailed design/plan information with dimensions, and placement of birdhouse. Perfect for parents and children to make together!

Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song by Les Beletsky
This beautiful book has been a real hit in our home. A photo page with a description of the bird is cross-indexed to its bird song. Unfortunately, this book is increasingly difficult to find…and pricey. Suggest used or the Kindle version.

Units & Lesson Plans

Audubon: A Mini-Unit
Many, many helpful books, resources and downloads from our Audubon mini-unit including our favorite identification guides, a bird coloring book download from Cornell, and instructions on how to draw birds.

Notebooking Helps

Backyard Bird Checklist – Eastern Version
Bird identification chart from The National Bird-Feeding Society.

Backyard Bird Checklist – Western Version
Bird identification chart from The National Bird-Feeding Society.

Mozart Unit Lapbook
Pages 34-42 of this free download from HomeschoolShare include a starling popup book, bird observations sheet, bird drawing journal, and a bird recipes foldable that includes hummingbird nectar, bird bath, and pine cone feeder.

Bird Facts
Includes space to record the name of the bird, information on its habitat, how to recognize the bird, the food it eats and where it nests. There is a map with a symbol key for recording the bird’s range (year round, summer and winter) and room for a picture/photo of the bird. One of the better bird notebooking pages we’ve come across. From HomeschoolNotebooking.com.

Backyard Birds
21-page download includes foldables of all kinds including those for bird observations, anatomy, predators, classifications, eggs, and feathers. From HomeschoolShare.