You can...
CELEBRATE URBAN BIRDS!

In your city or town

ACTIVITY GUIDE to help you with Urban Bird Studies

This information is provided for parents, educators, youth leaders, and any other group leader. You can use some or all of the guide to develop a curriculum around the study of birds in cities.

Print this guide (and other materials) by clicking on the "Print materials" link to the left.  

Introduction
Learn about birds
Learn about Citizen Science and the Urban Bird Studies projects
Conduct Urban Bird Studies projects
Design your own bird project
Beyond birds
Summing it all up / Report your data

INTRODUCTION

A. Complete the FIRST survey
We'd like to learn more about what people think about birds before they begin to participate in Urban Bird Studies. Fill in one or more of the sections of the First Survey (if you don't already have one, click here to print). Later, you will fill out the back side to see if you have changed your thoughts about urban birds. When your Celebration is over, mail in the surveys (click here for address) and we may publish your art, writings, comments, and other work in the Celebration issue of our newsletter, PigeonScope, or on our web site. Two versions of the survey are available--choose the one you prefer to use.

Suggested activity: If you wish to add to the survey activity, talk with your group members about any questions you have about birds. Write the questions on a large piece of paper and post them to look at later in the week.

B. Begin your journal
You may want to keep a journal while you are watching and learning about birds. Print a journal cover and follow the directions for making the journal. Many book stores have blank books that you can use for a journal if you don't want to make your own.

Journals are your own personal record of what you observe or think about by making lists, writing, or drawing. A journal becomes a record to help you remember your observations and ideas you have had.

Suggested activity: Talk about different things you can record in your journals, such as drawings, observations, questions, and creative writing.

LEARN ABOUT BIRDS

A. Look at the Bird Guide on the web site
Try to figure out which birds in the guide live in your city.

Suggested activity: Have each person in your group read a cool fact about a bird or group of birds. Or, write some cool facts in your journal. Send us your favorite cool fact that we haven't already included on our web site.

B. Print a list of birds in your region
You also can use printed lists from nearby Audubon chapters, nature centers, or bird clubs. Choose some city birds to look up in a field guide (bird book) to practice using the guide. Make a list of your favorite birds in your journal.

Suggested activity: "Binocular Races" Hang some drawings or photos of your local city birds along a sidewalk or path or even indoors in a large room. Each person can use binoculars and a field guide to identify the paper birds.

C. Walk around your neighborhood to look for different bird habitats
Anyplace where you see a bird is a habitat. In your journal, write the locations where you see birds and note what they are doing, such as eating, hanging out, or chasing each other. You also may want to write a description of where the birds might find food, water, or shelter in this habitat.

Suggested activity: Take photos or draw the locations where you see birds. Be sure to also note what the birds are doing in those locations. Send us your photos and drawings for possible publication in the Celebration issue of PigeonScope or on the web site.

D. Investigate how birds are portrayed in art, literature, and history
Find stories about birds or other city animals at your local library or on the Internet. Investigate how birds appear in art and history, for example, in ancient cave paintings, on stamps, or in military history. Look also at uses of bird song and movement in music and dance.

Suggested activity: Visit your local art or history museum and find examples of where birds are mentioned. Write these examples in your journal.

Suggested activity: Write a story, poem, song, or dance about birds and send it to us for possible publication in the Celebration issue of PigeonScope or on the web site.

E. Meet the Scientists
During the Celebration, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will answer your questions about city birds. Click here to see the schedule of chat rooms, discussion boards, and other opportunities to meet the Lab scientists.

F. Suggested resources

Books

Endangered and extinct species:

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. 2003. by James T. Tanner. Dover Publications.
Dodo: Extinction in Paradise. 2003. by Errol Fuller. Bunker Hill Publishing, Inc.
The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Species. 2003. by Scott Weidensaul. North Point Press.
Return of the Crazy Bird. 2003. by Clara Pinto-Correia. Copernicus Books. (about Dodos)
The Birds of Heaven: Travels with Cranes. 2003. by Peter Matthiessen, Robert Bateman (Illustrator), George Archibald. North Point Press.
Eye of the Albatross: Visions of Hope and Survival. 2003. by Carl Safina. Owl Books (reprint edition).
A Gap in Nature. 2001. by Tim F. Flannery, Peter Schouten (Illustrator). Atlantic Monthly Press.
Hope is the Thing With Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds. 2001 by Christopher Cokinos. Warner Books.
The Silent Sky: The Incredible Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon. 2000. by Allan W. Eckert. Backprint.com
Grandmother's Pigeon. 1996. by Louise Erdrich, illustrated by Jim La Marche. Hyperion Press.
The Black Robin: Saving the World's Most Endangered Bird. 1994. by Don Merton, David E. Butler. Oxford University Press. (out of print)
Endangered Birds of South America: An Educational Coloring Book. 1992. by Peter M. Spizzirri, Linda Spizzirri (Editor). Spizzirri Publishing Co.

Urban birds:

Two Blue Jays. 2003. by Anne F. Rockwell, illustrated by Megan Halsey. Walker & Co.
Red-tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park. 1999. by Marie Winn. Knopf Publishing Group.
The Magpie's Nest. 1995. by Joanna Foster, illustrated by Julie Downing. (English folktale about nest building, also published by Joseph Jacobs, 1970)
Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in the City. 1992. by Barbara Bash. Little, Brown & Company.
A series of Native American stories about ravens by Anne Cameron.
Home in the Sky. 1987. by Jeannie Baker. William Morrow (in both English and Spanish)

Birdwatching:

Kingbird Highway: The Story of a Natural Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand.  2000. by Kenn Kaufman Houthton Mifflin Co.
An Exhilaration of Wings: The Literature of Bird Watching. 1999. by Jen Hill (Editor). Viking Press.
The Feather Quest: A North American Birder's Year.  1999. by Peter Dunne. Houghton Mifflin Co.
Tales of a Low-Rent Birder. 1994. by Pete Dunne, David Sibley (Illustrator). University of Texas Press.

Bird lesson plans from the web

http://www.uwsp.edu/museum/lessonpl.htm
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/virtualbird/educational.html
http://www.warrennet.org/lessonplans/birdbanter.html
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/animals.html
http://www.wathena406.k12.ks.us/Nett/BirdLessonPlan.html
http://www.edu-source.com/RCEE/lessons/birdbrain.html (corvids)

What is Citizen Science? It is a partnership between citizens and scientists to conduct large-scale research that would not be otherwise be possible. Scientists cannot be everywhere at once so they are asking for assistance from people across North America to help them monitor bird populations. By counting birds and sending their information to the Lab, citizen scientists provide valuable data and learn about birds along the way. It's EASY and FUN!

A. Urban Bird Studies is a set of citizen-science projects that are focused on city birds
Each project was developed from a simple question that is of interest to scientists. The instructions are simple and participating is FUN! By participating in Urban Bird Studies you will

1. learn about how birds use city habitats
2. learn how to identify and count birds
3. learn how to observe bird behaviors
4. contribute meaningful data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for scientists to learn more about city birds

During the Celebration, we are focusing on two Urban Bird Studies projects: Crows Count and Birds in the City.

Suggested activity: Find a list of birds for your state or local area. You can get a list from a nearby bird club, park, or nature center. You also can find lists from the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. Click on your state to see a list of local bird checklists. Try to figure out which birds might live in your city or in your neighborhood.

B. Crows Count: HOW DO CROW GROUP SIZES CHANGE THROUGH SEASONS?
Why study crows and their relatives? To learn more about the sizes of family groups and urban roosts.

Crows, ravens, magpies, and jays are in the Family Corvidae and are often referred to as "corvids." Some corvid species live in family groups during the nesting season (spring and summer). Sizes of family groups seem to differ from one region to another but little else is known about this. During fall and winter, some urban locations have huge numbers of corvids (especially crows, sometimes seen in groups larger than 50,000) that roost communally (together in a relatively small area). Understanding the sizes of family groups and urban roosts are two of the main goals of Crows Count.

Instructions and other materials for Crows Count are included with your Celebrate Urban Birds! kit. Click here for more information.

Suggested activity: Learn more about the Family Corvidae in the Bird Guide . Find stories on the Internet or at your local library about how crows and ravens star in mythology and other stories.

C. Birds in the City: WHAT BIRDS LIVE IN YOUR CITY?
Why study birds in cities? To figure out what habitats birds use in cities.

Scientists are beginning to realize two things about cities

• they provide important habitat for many birds
• little is known about how and when birds use cities.

It is not very surprising that birds live in large city parks (such as Central Park in New York or Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.) but there is growing evidence that birds live in many types of city habitats. By participating in Birds in the City, you can help scientists to learn more about urban birds in their chosen habitats.

Instructions and other materials for Birds in the City are included with your Celebrate Urban Birds! kit. Click here for more information .

Suggested activity: Walk around your neighborhood looking for places where you might find birds. Draw or describe these places in your journal or take photographs to add to your journal later. Note any birds you see and if you don't see birds, write down a list of reasons they're missing (for example, it's the middle of the day and very hot so maybe they are hiding in the shade).

D. Other Urban Bird Studies projects
Check out the three other Urban Bird Studies projects

1. PigeonWatch (now with online data entry!)
2. Dove Detectives
3. Gulls Galore

Suggested activity: Walk around your neighborhood looking for pigeons, doves, and gulls. Write in your journal where you see them. Later, if you choose to conduct one of these three projects, you'll know where you can set up your Study Site(s).

E. Other bird projects
The Lab of Ornithology has a number of other citizen-science projects, including

• The Birdhouse Network (studies of birds that nest in birdhouses, spring and summer)
• Birds in Forested Landscapes (studying birds that nest in forests, spring and summer)
• eBird (any bird, anywhere, anytime)
• Project FeederWatch (studying winter feeder birds, November to April)
• Classroom FeederWatch (a middle-school curriculum based on Project FeederWatch)
• The Great Backyard Bird Count (counts of birds during four days in mid-February)

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service studies shorebird migration through the Shorebird Sister Schools Program . "Linking educators, students, biologists, and shorebird enthusiasts along flyways."

For a list of other volunteer bird opportunities, across the country, go to the American Birding Association's Opportunities for Birders.

A. Crows Count
It's EASY! To conduct Crows Count, all you have to do is

1. Find one or more Study Sites for studying crows and their relatives, ravens, magpies, and jays.
2. Record the habitat information on a simple Habitat Form.
3. Count and record the numbers of crows, ravens, magpies, and jays you observe and check off their behaviors on a Tally Sheet.
4. Report your data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Instructions for Crows Count are included with your Celebrate Urban Birds! kit. Or, click here for more information.

B. Birds in the City
To participate, all you have to do is

1. Find a location for a Transect (a line, such as a sidewalk, to walk while you count birds).
2. Record the habitat information on a simple Habitat Form.
3. Count birds along the Transect and record them on the Tally Sheets.
4. Report your data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Instructions for Birds in the City are included with your Celebrate Urban Birds! kit. Click here for more information.

Science is an orderly way of answering questions. Starting with observations, you can develop questions related to your observations. Then, with time, you might determine possible answers to your questions. Eventually, you end up with new observations and even more questions. This is the scientific method.

A. How to ask and answer scientific questions
Make a list of questions you have about birds in cities. Choose one or two questions to look at more closely. Figure out what you will have to observe and record in order to answer the questions. Usually, you will have to change a question in order to make it easier to answer. Once you have worked on your questions and the information you will need to collect to get answers, you can begin your study.

For example, you might ask, "how does a pigeon eat a piece of popcorn?" This is a good question but it might be hard to collect data to answer it. You could simplify the question to, "how many times does a pigeon peck at a piece of popcorn before eating it all?" Now, you can count the number of pecks to help answer the question. Although you still won't know everything about how a pigeon eats popcorn, you are beginning to understand it.

Here are some steps for developing your own bird project.

• Observe some birds in your neighborhood.
• In your journal or on some paper, write some notes about the birds.
• Using your observations, write some ideas about what you would like to learn about the birds.
• Reword your ideas into questions.
• Next, write a list of things you could count, measure, or describe that could help you answer one of your questions.
• Go back to the question and reword it to make it more simple to answer. Repeat this several times until you make a question that is easy to answer.
• Go back to your birds and observe them again. Count, measure, or describe the information you need to answer your question.
• Summarize your data. Can you answer your question?
  • if not, go back to observe some more; rework your question if you find it too hard to answer
  • if so, write up some conclusions and some new questions

B. Reach out
One important part of conducting a science project is sharing your project ideas and results. Scientists share their ideas and results through publication in journals and magazines, presentations at meetings, and regular discussions with colleagues and students. Take some time to tell someone about your project or results. You can do this in many different ways: writing, talking, or using pictures. You also may want to get some other people involved to help you answer your questions.

Suggested activity: Develop your own bird project, write it up, and send it to us. You can even send a "proposal" if you are not yet able to collect your data. We may publish your project or proposal in the Celebration issue of PigeonScope or on our web site.

BEYOND BIRDS
Here is a small selection of other citizen-science projects that don't involve birds but may interest you.

A. Garden Mosaics
Garden Mosaics addresses issues related to science education, positive role models for youth, green space in cities, and sustainable agriculture. It is a program that combines intergenerational community action, and learning about different cultures. Youth learn from elder gardeners, who share their planting practices and cultural backgrounds, and from our science resources posted online. Information on the web site includes inquiry activities and database projects.

We recommend that you check out Neighborhood Exploration. You will learn how to read an aerial photograph of your neighborhood and find local features on the photograph. Use this opportunity to find places where you might also see birds!

More information about Garden Mosaics

Suggested activity: If you have a community garden or other local green space, you may want to participate in another Garden Mosaics project called Weed Watch.

B. Citizen-science projects involving animals other than birds
Listed are just a few of the many citizen-science projects that involve people across the continent.

FrogWatch USA (National Wildlife Federation)
North American Amphibian Monitoring Project (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center)
Bat House Research Project (Bat Conservation International)
Journey North (studies of migration and seasonal change)

Many cities have action projects in which you can become involved--check with your local news organizations to see what's happening in your city.

Some national organizations have action projects that may interest you. Here are a few examples

The Humane Society's Urban Wildlife Sanctuary Program
The Jane Goodall Institute's Roots and Shoots Program
The River Network

A. Review your journal
After participating in one or more of the activities listed here, review your journal entries. Think about what you have learned about birds and what questions you still have about birds. Remember that science is about asking and answering questions--scientists start each research project with a question and then figure out a way to find answers to that question. By asking questions and attempting to answer them, you are on your way to thinking scientifically.

B. Complete the SECOND survey
Help us learn about your participation in Urban Bird Studies. Fill in one or more of the sections of the Second Survey. We may publish your art, writings, comments, and other work in the Celebration issue of PigeonScope or on our web site.

Two surveys are available--choose the one you prefer to use.

C. Mail your Tally Sheets, Habitat Forms, and comments to

Urban Bird Studies
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850

Email: urbanbirds@cornell.edu

Use the same address (and envelope if you want) to send us your surveys, art, stories, photos, and all other contributions. Don't forget to tell us your name, city, and state for us to use if we choose to publish your contributions. Please include grade level or age if you are a student.

D. National Science Standards
Most of the Celebrate Urban Birds! activities satisfy national, state, and regional guidelines or standards for science education. Click here for more information about matches between Urban Bird Studies and national science standards.