American Crow by Pedro Fernandes

Nature centers across the continent are participating in Celebrate Urban Birds. Why? It's an easy, ready-made activity, all materials are provided, participants get to take home wonderful posters, no birding skills are required...and it's completely free!

 

 

 

Host a "Breakfast with the Birds" for families

Families can visit your nature center for a breakfast program and early morning walk. You might include a power point presentation featuring Celebrate Urban Birds 16 species of birds before going outside to collect data. Download Power Point Presentations from our Resources for Celebrating page

or contact urbanbirds@cornell.edu for a ready-made power point presentation on cd to be sent to you by mail.

 

Hold a BIG SIT

From dawn until dusk encourage the public to drop everything, go outside to a designated area in your nature center, and sit! Participants can sit for 10 minutes or for hours at a time. Keep a running list of the species seen, or focus only on the 16 focal Celebrate Urban Bird species (for beginners especially). Taking the time to stop, listen, and really see nature is a great benefit.

 

Loan binoculars and Celebrate Urban Birds Kit

Visitors to your Nature Center can participate in a meaningful, ready-made activity. By loaning binoculars and the CUBs Kit you'll engage families in science, nature, and service! Don't forget to collect and send us back the data forms. Encourage visitors to report when they see NO birds by using the "Zero Means a Lot" stickers

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Landscaping for Birds Workshop

Bring in an expert to talk about landscaping for birds! Learn more about gardening for birds.

 

 

Build birdhouses

Families can build birdhouses to take home with them. Please review our birdhouse guidelines or contact urbanbirds@cornell.edu for plans. Don't forget to let your participants know how to monitor their boxes once they set them up. It's easy!

 

 

By Katherine Smith

Host a bird art or photography competition

When you receive enough entries hold a reception and create a public display of the art/photography. Don't forget to include a youth section. Encourage people to take pictures in your nature center by loaning a digital camera.

 

Brown headed Cowbird by Sam Crowe

 

Hold bird walks

Don't forget to take the Celebrate Urban Birds data forms, pause mid-walk for 10 minutes and collect data! Your participants will be excited to be able to contribute data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You'll also be modeling a great citizen science project, and best of all, participants can take home kits and repeat the project at home.

Have walkers record bird sounds with their cell phones.  Middle School children in India used the sounds they recorded on their cell phones to create music videos with bird song accompaniment, see more here. 

 

Begin a Read-Aloud Series

 

Download our Children's Book Recommendations

 

Select one read-aloud book a month and get families to participate in related activities. E-mail urbanbirds@cornell.edu for a list of year-round read-aloud books and related activities. Check out our "libraries" section for ideas.

Bird Video Competition
Everyone can capture nature with a digital video camera or cell phone. Participants create a one-minute video of birds (or 'signs' of birds, gardening for the birds, habitat creation). Keep the videos short so you can feature them on your website. Hold a film "showing" at your Nature Center and give out prizes. Send us your winners and we'll feature them on our website.