A morning with the birds

Last weekend the Bendigo Family Nature Club spent a morning with the birds, thanks to Nicole Howie and her wonderful bird knowledge and playful skills to share with children.

We hope you enjoy these images taken by Joy Clusker!

Children were immersed in the wonderful world of our native birds by actively participating in a range of hand-on activities.


Bird calls and nest building
With the help of modern technology (ipod) we had a quick bird call quiz then the kids were challenged to build a nest using natural materials lying around on the ground.  Some choose a cosy nest of moss and fine grasses, others made larger stick constructions - not as easy as a bird makes it appear to be !!

Birdwatching
After a quick chat about how we might be alerted to a bird whilst in the bush (call, movement, sound of feeding / flying) the kids were set the challenge of finding 21 hidden birds.  Success was guaranteed by the use of life-size laminated 'birds' placed in their natural habitat - some feeding on the grass, some fossicking for insects under bark, some searching for blossom in the foliage, some sitting quietly above waiting for their prey, etc)

Beaks and Feet
Next, we zeroed in on the various shaped and sized beaks and feet of birds.  To demonstrate how these adaptations allow birds to live in a range of habitats and feed on a variety of foods, the children became 'birds'.  They used tongs, skewers, tweezers, pipettes and garlic crushers to attempt to pick up and eat marshmallows (meat/fish), rice (insects), water (nectar) and peanuts (seeds).  Many discoveries were made including why a long, thin, sharp beak (skewer) is very effective for spearing fish but impossible for crushing nuts.  Also why a small beak (tweezers) makes quick work of grabbing insects but can't reach into blossoms to suck nectar.  And how frustrating that they could pick up a piece of meat (marshmallow) with tweezers but couldn't open them wide enough to eat it whole - of course a bird would soon give up, not wasting their energy on such a laborious process.  They soon realised that varied beak types enable the food source to be shared equally among the bird world.   And they had lots of fun eating all that real food !!

 

Bird calls and nest building
With the help of modern technology (ipod) we had a quick bird call quiz then the kids were challenged to build a nest using natural materials lying around on the ground.  Some choose a cosy nest of moss and fine grasses, others made larger stick constructions - not as easy as a bird makes it appear to be !!