Tips for Getting Kids Started with Birds and Bird Watching

By Bill Thompson, III, author of The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North America

Start watching at home, in your own backyard. Birds are everywhere— even in large urban areas. Begin by pointing out the birds of your backyard or neighborhood. No birds there? Then ...

Put out some bird feeders. Hummingbird feeders in almost any backyard in North America will attract at least one of these tiny birds in the warmer months. Seed feeders in fall, winter, and spring cater to a wide variety of seed- and insect-eating birds. Feeders serve to get birds in close for viewing. No backyard? Then ...

Visit a local park or nature center that has bird-friendly features, such as a feeding station or a pond or other water feature. These venues also often have knowledgeable staff that lead organized bird walks, give presentations, and can answer questions about birds and nature.

Point out obvious birds close to home. Focus on BIG birds that are easy to see: Canada Geese, Mallards, or Great Blue Herons at the park pond; Rock Pigeons or Mourning Doves in the park; Turkey Vultures in the sky; Red-tailed Hawks along the highway. Start with the big and obvious and move on to the smaller and harder to see birds later.

Get them the tools: basic binoculars and a beginning field guide or local bird book. These can be purchased for less than $100 in total at a nature or outdoor store. Get “binocs” that are built for small hands and closeset eyes—many adult binocs are too large and heavy for kids to use. If you find a pair of binoculars that works for your child, make them his or hers. Put his or her name on them and on the cover of the bird book. It's OK to make a big deal out of the fact that these are THEIR binoculars and guide. Kids value things when they are theirs and not just a loan from Mom or Dad.

Kids love a quiz, riddle, or challenge. Make identifying birds by sight or sound a game. For example: “I see a bird out the kitchen window right now that looks different from all the other birds. Who can spot it first?” When one of them spots the bird, ask:“What's the most OBVIOUS thing you notice about this different bird?” At this point you're looking at the same things that birders do—field marks and behavior.

•What's the main defense of a Turkey Vulture? Projectile puking! •Chickadee brains get LARGER during the winter to help them remember where they stored seeds for later consumption. More stories and amazing facts can be found in the WOW! section of each species account in The Young Birder's Guide.

Ask the kids to draw a bird they've seen. It can be their favorite bird of the day or the grossest, scariest, prettiest—whatever. This is another sneaky way to help the young birders begin to notice field marks!

No matter where you go with your youngster(s) you can include bird watching as part of the activities. Your kids will get to see birds they don't see around your home—and seeing these new species will make them even more interested in seeing MORE BIRDS!

At the heart of bird watching is the excitement of seeing a new species. Bird watchers keep a Life List of all the birds they've seen at least once in their life. There are more than 800 species that nest or occur regularly in North America, and it takes even hard-core birders years to see most of them. This “collecting” of a list of birds is easy for young birders to get into. Each species account in The Young Birder's Guide has a space at the bottom of the page to check off that species once it's seen, and to note the date and place. But this book has only 200 species in it! There are LOTS more birds to see.