Share Nature:  Keys and Tips for Birding with Children
Birding with Children

Support Your Child’s Learning of  Bird
Identification:  Have your children learn to identify
some birds using I.D.Bird Cards. It’s useful to study
an I.D.Bird Card deck that represents the habitat you
are about to explore. For example, if you are about to
take the children birding in a marsh, have the
children learn some of the birds you are most likely
to see, such as Red-winged Blackbird, Marsh Wren,
and Killdeer.  When children are able to identify
some of the species they are seeing, birding
generates enthusiasm for being outdoors
and builds a genuine sense of accomplishment.
Please check out some of the other information in
this Learning Toolkit for ideas about how to support
your child’s learning of bird identification with I.D.
Bird Cards.

Give your child the opportunity to grow familiar
with a good bird guide.  I.D.Bird Cards are not bird
guides, they are learning tools for children. Bird
guides are the most important resource for any
person learning to identify birds.
  • Bird guides have much useful information
    on key identification cues, preferred habitats,
    bird classification, and range maps. Some
    guides have more complete presentations
    of bird species images by sex, by age and by
    time of year.
  • Children will find useful information in the
    introductory section of a bird guide as well.
    Much of this information will help them learn
    classification groupings of birds and the
    major feather groups of birds. This
    information will help them recognize and
    describe what they are seeing in the field.

For details on how to support your child’s learning
of bird identification with I.D.Bird Cards, please
check out some of the other information in the
Learning Toolkit.  See the navigation bar with the
yellow leaves to the left.

The Second Key:  Learning to Use Binoculars:  
Give your child some binocular lessons. Children
love to use binoculars and spotting scopes to see
things close up. Most children initially have
problems seeing objects through binoculars, but
this can be addressed though a simple binocular
lesson. The learning process can be simple.
  1. Bring your children outside to look through
    the binoculars.
  2. Point out stationary objects and have your
    child find them through the binoculars. This
    includes things such as stop signs, the tops
    of lamp posts, parked Volkswagens, etc.
    You may have to focus the binoculars at first.
  3. Have your child find objects at varying
    distances and practice using the focus
    knobs.
  4. Introduce the children to simple new
    challenges, such as spotting dogs and cats.
  5. Then, you can give the children an
    opportunity to see birds through the
    binoculars. Have the children start with birds
    which will not move out of the view range
    quickly, such as dabbling ducks and then
    work up to perched birds. With time and
    more experience in the field, children will be
    able to spot birds as effectively as any adult.
An hour lesson around the block is a good time
investment before trying an hour in the field.
Navigation Bar for I.D. Bird Card
Learning Toolkit
Serious Birding and Serious Family Fun

Also, if you have ever gone on a guided birding field trip (or are
yearning to go) outside the United States or to southeast
Arizona, Alaska or some other great birding spot in North
America, and you wished you could share this experience with
your children, you have to check out Nestling Tours at
www.nestlingtours.com.

Nestling Tours is the only professional tour company offering
guided bird trips to families with children.  They are currently
offering trips to Costa Rica, Ecuador, and other great birding
destinations.  They also have some North American trips to
southeast Arizona, the Rio Grande of Texas, and other
destinations.  They continue to prove that you can bring
children along on birding trips, allow for other fun family
vacation activities and include the children in numerous
birding activities.  Something to consider for your next family
vacation when you want the children to have a great time and
you want to also be able to enjoy some great birding.
A Few More Tips for Birding with Children:

  • Set a reasonable expectations about what birds the children will see on your field
    trip together. Don’t set an expectation that the children will see all or only the birds in
    any given deck. As all birders can attest, you can never tell which birds you will see on
    any given day at any given location. Set realistic goals with the children for your early
    birding trips.

  • Be supportive of any bird identification, because bird identification is not always
    easy for anyone.  Remember that novice birders encounter many birds that they can
    not identify. Most children will not be able to identify every bird they see as they begin to
    enjoy birding. Give them the opportunity to have success with a few identifications. You
    may want to spend a little time discussing how some birders are slow to identify “Little
    Brown Jobbies” (LBJs) or refuse to identify female hummingbirds. Enjoy sharing the
    LBJ acronym rather than letting unidentifiable birds become a source of frustration.
    Spend time explaining that in some species males and females look very different and
    that juveniles usually look different from adults. Help your child feel comfortable with
    expressions like: “That could have been a _______,” or “That was probably a
    ________.”

  • A bird in the field is worth two in the book. When children see an unfamiliar bird,
    encourage them to take the time to observe the bird carefully. Describe the bird
    aloud to each other. Note its size, shape, color, and field marks! Sometimes it is helpful
    to follow up what you are seeing by referring to a bird guide; however, don’t miss the
    whole show. Many birds demonstrate lots of interesting behavior that can be missed by
    novice birders flipping through the pages of bird guides. If you recognize a bird, but your
    child does not yet recognize it, resist the temptation to be the expert. Rather, take the
    time to guide your child in the process of figuring out what species you’ve spotted.

  • Most children also enjoy listening to bird songs and calls. After listening to the songs
    and calls of more common birds and seeing these birds in the field, children will learn
    to associate songs and calls to these common bird species.
Checking out a Blue-footed Booby with
Nestling Tours in San Blas, Mexico.
Nestling Tours in Southeast
Arizona in 2005.  Great looks at
the Whiskered Screech-Owls at
Ramsey Canyon.