February 2002
February is National Wild Bird Feeding Month. Why February? For most wild birds in the U.S., February is one of the most difficult months to survive. LAND, SEA, & AIR MAIL gives projects and tips to help our backyard friends make it through the winter.
Classroom activities cover grades K-3, 4-8, and 9-12. Art projects for K-3 graders have them creating bird finger puppets and learning bird songs. 4-8 graders can test their knowledge with an “Extreme Bird-facts Quiz” and sharpen their quills for a poetry challenge. 9-12 graders use cups of beans and a tag and recapture equation to simulate a field biologist’s work when estimating a wild bird population.
The winners of the 2002 Environmental Excellence Awards will be announced this month. Go to the EEA Web page to see last years’ winners. LSA will be spotlighting this year’s winners in our spring issues.
Blake School in Hopkins, Minnesota did an extensive report on their winter birds. See the third-grader's reports and photos on the school's Web site.
Teaching about the environment is not always easy. Do you know a teacher who’s figured out a unique way to inspire students, communicate concepts, or encourage exploration? What about a school that has dedicated itself to a project? We want to hear about them. Use our easy entry form to nominate your favorite school or teacher.
Julie's Journal
Our SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Ambassador has just returned from the heart of South America! On an expedition in cooperation with Conservation International, Julie surveyed the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland area. Watch for a very special Julie's Journal event in mid-February as she shares images and thoughts from this incredibly diverse and frighteningly fragile environment.Conservation Partners: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Since it's founding in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has supported more than 5,000 grants and leveraged $226 million in federal funds for more than $700 million in on-the-ground conservation. Funded grants for the current year are listed per state and grant applications are available on-line.
Want to attract birds to your backyard? Welcoming Winter Birds gives tips for building houses and feeding stations.
Partners in Flight has an upcoming conference March 20-24, 2002 at Asilomar State Park Conference Center in Monterey California. Titled “A Workshop on Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration”, the conference’s registration deadline is February 15 and you can sign-up on-line.
Developed at the University of Illinois, this “Inquiry Page Project” is the first free Web site to offer resources that facilitate inquiry-based learning. Check out how teacher's have used the online "ckickscope" to explore the development of chicken eggs.
Into backyard birding? The Baltimore Bird Club has a Web page with tips on how to build feeders and houses. And you can post your bird report. Or if you’ve made a Web page about your backyard birds, you can post it here too.
Helping our backyard buddies through a cold and barren winter doesn’t take a lot of effort. Here are some easy tips to follow.
Water: In climates cold enough to snow, the water in birth baths and dishes often freezes. Check with your local pet or bird store for a birdbath heating device so birds can have access to fresh, clean water throughout the winter.
Shelter: If you don’t have trees or shrubs in your backyard, ask a local nursery for the best shelter and food plants for birds. Although winter planting may not be possible now, by next season the trees or shrubs will be well established.
Food: Black-oil sunflower seeds are the favorites of many wild birds like ground finches, chickadees, and Pine siskins. Seeds that fall to the ground will attract juncos, jays and woodpeckers. Winter birds also eat suet, available in blocks from pet stores. Or dip a pinecone in melted suet, stuff with peanut butter, and hang from a tree.
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