Springtime for Bird School!

Students solving the mystery

Springtime is here, and Bird School is well underway! Fluttering into classrooms and schools all over Santa Cruz and Soquel, we have begun training a new cohort of bird ninjas, ranging from 4th grade all the way up to high school. We began, like any good natural historian, with observation skills, and particular aspects of our avian friends that help us to ID them and so begin to ask more serious questions. And just like the new little birds hopping up out of the nests all over town, the questions have flown at us. Curiosity, once fueled by a little bit of good ol' taxidermied bird specimen, is hard to stop.

Double-crested Cormorant

The beautiful BSP spring interns!

At Soquel elementary, we work with two classes, and are fortunate to have Soquel creek running along in a gentle curve around the campus; prime habitat for our sojourns outside with the students. Already, we have found a Black Phoebe nest built onto a portable classroom, and a couple of other nests closer to the creek! After reviewing a bit about the importance of field journaling and getting in a little practice drawing birds and taking notes, the students began their first forays into the world of natural history. Every gasped "Oh! I see it!" is accompanied by a flurry of pencils to paper, quick little sketches, and an explosion of questions. Too many questions to answer, but perhaps that's the point: wonder never ceases.

Black Phoebe

An elegant student journal entry

This is how we are getting to ALL of our spring classes

Eyes following pointing fingers; widening eyes; lying flat on the ground, binoculars glued to the face, tracking a chickadee through low foliage; smiles, laughter, and excited exclamations; these are the sights and sounds of Bird School. Watching little "A-ha" moments occur is part of the joy of outdoor education, and it is remarkable to watch it happen so quickly. It goes to show how important a little bit of vitamin G(reenspace) can be for people, especially young students. 

Armed with binoculars and journals, the students of Soquel Elementary are eager to learn and explore. Looking forward to several more weeks of learning and exploring alongside them. How does that old proverb go again?

"Show a kid a bird and you entertain her for a day,

Teach a kid to bird, and you entertain her for a lifetime"

- Bird Ninja Master 

Written by BSP spring intern Spencer Klinefelter