| Cold Duck on Ice (FULL read) |
 |
 |
 |
Print these posters and assemble into a larger, 4-part posterCold Duck on Ice – A Little Bit MoreFeeding birds is big business across North America. All across the continent, people put out food for the birds during the winter months and many do so in summer too. The most rewarding part of this activity is probably the fact that birds are brought in close for people to get a really good look. Birds that you might only get a quick glimpse of in their normal habitat come into close range and can be seen “up close and personal”. Secondarily, people feel good about helping birds out during the winter months when food is scarce or at least somewhat limited.Many different myths have arisen about feeding the birds that may confuse people about the value of this enjoyable pastime. One persistent myth is that once you begin feeding, you must continue throughout the entire winter. Actually, since birds are so mobile, they can simply fly elsewhere for foods that they need. In a normal setting, without your help, they would be traveling about during the winter months hunting for food. Granted, you may be unnaturally concentrating birds in your area with your offerings but birds can quickly and easily disperse if food sources decline. In many cases, if you stop feeding, they simply go next door to your neighbor’s feeders. Don’t let the fact that you can’t consistently feed your birds keep you from this enjoyable activity. Probably the most important part of feeding birds at any time of the year is that you feed appropriate foods. Although humans consume large quantities of bread, this is NOT an appropriate food for birds. Unfortunately, this is probably the one most often offered to our feathered friends by uninformed people. Highly nutritious, carefully selected wildbird foods are available almost everywhere and these are the ones that need to be used; not scraps from the kitchen.
Cold Duck on Ice – See For YourselfActivity: Science – Local Birds
Objective: Become better acquainted with your local birds Materials: Field guide to birds and/or online We’ve discussed some of the ways birds adapt to winter weather. See if you can come up with a short list of a few birds in your local area that do migrate and some that do not. Keep in mind that just because you don’t see them at your winter feeders does not necessarily mean they’ve migrated.
INQUIRY: Here’s a question you may want to challenge your students with. If you’re able to provide food for birds outside your classroom/home, provide the birds with a mix of assorted seeds (no bread crumbs, please) and see whether any have preferences. If they do, try to determine which kinds of birds prefer which kinds of seeds. National Science Standards Addressed:
|
