Fall and winter are excellent times to bird watch. In the fall you have migration and in the winter there are opportunities to set up feeding stations to attract the birds. The Bird Study Book by T. Gilbert Pearson, former secretary of the National Audubon Societies, provides everything you need to study birds. It even has a chapter on how to teach bird study to children!
The book is not intended so much for the advanced student in ornithology, as for the beginner. Its purpose is to answer many of the questions that students in this charming field of outdoor study are constantly asking of those more advanced in bird-lore. In conformity with the custom employed during many years of college and summer-school teaching, the author has discussed numerous details of field observation, the importance of which is so often overlooked by writers on the subject.
The author advocates keeping a notebook. He even provides an example recording page:
For easier identification he provides a chart of the heads and feet of various birds. He also recommends you arm yourself with a bird identification book for your area with color photos to aid identification.
All of this information (along with setting up an umbrella blind) is in the first chapter! Other topics covered include:
- Nests.
- The life of the bird.
- Migration.
- Providing for birds in winter.
- The benefits we receive from birds.
- Instructions for making bird housing.
Accessible book that provides a great deal of information. And it is free!
Free eBook
Additional Resources
Know What Birds are Doing Each Month
Seasonal bird study tips from the Audubon Society.
Free Nature Studies: Our Wonderful World
Or use this book along with the bird portion of our free nature studies.
- Hunting Birds With Eyes & Camera
General introduction that explains how to study and identify birds and looks at various types of birds and their anatomy. - Bird Guardians
Focuses on owls and other “guardian” birds and the migratory habits of birds. - Landlord to the Birds
How to feed, care for, and shelter birds.
Birds
We have accumulated quite a few helpful resources on birds including teacher and student manuals, interactive bird identifiers, and other bird books.
Nature Journal Notebooking Sets {Free Download}
Free pages to get you started.
DIY Homeschooler 