Gratitude

Two weeks ago, from the roof top at my parents house in La Jolla, California, Darrow and I sat talking about all that needed to be done to wrap up our autumn-long project. Perspective is always a tough chew. From an early stage in our trip, back when we were still pedaling our miles, folks were asking us if we planned on turning the Bird School into a full-time operation. Nearly two months later, after much more discussion and thought, we still hadn't a clear answer for ourselves. I looked past Darrow for a moment at an Osprey that had just landed, perched high on a streetlight in the middle of my parents neighborhood. They're everywhere down here, this time of year.

Our last week of teaching involved some of the best birding and best workshops we had done yet. On Monday, we made a last minute arrangement to visit a Waldorf charter school called The Journey School in Aliso Viejo, Orange County. We took two classes of 4th graders to the creek behind their school. The creek was actually flowing due to recent rains. This provided a great habitat for ducks, herons, egrets, and even a White-faced Ibis!

After visiting The Journey School, we hustled down to San Diego to teach a lesson at Gabby Sabas' 4th grade class in the neighborhood where I grew up. Solana Ranch elementary is a new school and Ms. Sabas is a young teacher working her hardest to bring hands on education to every aspect of her teaching. Her 4th grade class was inspiring and very observant. Amidst all of the fast-track housing development happening immediately around their school, the students all have eyes for the natural world. Within two minutes of our walk around campus one of the students commented on an American Crow she saw flying over an adjacent plot of land. It was far in the distance, but pointing her binoculars toward the bird she then exclaimed, "Whoa! It just dive-bombed a bunny rabbit!" Everyone's excitement, including mine, immediately turned to the broad field. The scene unfolded.

Breaking in the binos = hands on!

Yonder, a unique battle was staging, between a Red-tailed Hawk and a murder of crows. It is uncertain if whatever mammal was being torn apart in the field by the Red-tailed was a "bunny rabbit" or not, but the crows seemed interested. The Red-tailed hawk tried to make off with the bounty of meat, but the small mammal was too heavy. Instead it dropped the meat and began an aerial defense of it's catch, providing a dramatic scene for the students to watch for the rest of our hike. Yes, we received visits from the Black Phoebe and Say's Phoebe on the fence, as well.

Darrow and students in the elements.

After so much excitement, Darrow and I travelled to my alma mater high school, Francis Parker, for our last class of the Fall. It was quite rewarding to visit old teachers and new students. We taught three periods of AP Environmental Science, a class that originally inspired me to pay more attention to the other creatures in this world. Though my APES teacher is no longer at the school, I was happy to see my chemistry teacher, Rose Hanscom, at the helm of Environmental Studies at Francis Parker.

Can you tell which bird Darrow is drawing?

Stoke in the classroom with the Bird School Project.

Her students learned how to keep a field journal and how to identify birds they are seeing. This is all in preparation for a bird watching project they will begin first thing after winter break. We got great looks at both Allen's and Anna's hummingbirds, as well as, a Loggerhead Shrike in the canyon. Who knew that the whole time I was in school at Parker all these birds were just over my shoulder on campus. Our last day of class was memorable and we were content to have shared our excitement with a willing group of juniors and seniors, ready to take on the world of environmental science.

Focus those binos!

The next generation of environmental scientists.

Learning about the Yellow-rumped Warblers on campus.

And just like that it is all over. We finished what we set out to do, and discovered so much more as we were doing it. Feeling the wear and tear of our travel, I can't help but to watch the Osprey on the streetlight, across the street from my parents house, and relate. What a feat is migration! Yet, the Osprey is so well equipped. Its long and aero-dynamic wing span and amazing ability to hunt fish make this creature far more prepared for the long journey than myself.

Then I think again. Sitting right next to me is one of my best friends, Darrow. His perseverance and encouragement has, at times, been the only force guaranteeing lift off of the Bird School's wings. I think of all the friends and family, new and old, that we crashed with as we moved from town to town, school to school. Their open doors were so critical to our well-being on the road. I think of all the financial support and resources we received from our community that allowed us to bring high-quality, hands on, life-science workshops to over 1,700 students. That support is invaluable. I think of every student we interacted with. Their positivity and excitement motivated us to new levels of inspiration. I think of all the teachers, breathing life into the classroom each day, no matter what. I guess gratitude can go a long way for our species. To all of you who interacted with us and helped us on our migration, we want to say, "Thank you!" We couldn't have possibly been more well equipped than to have the thoughts and gratitude of an entire community of friends and family behind us. Until next time, cheers! Bird's the word!

A trip down memory lane and teaching on home turf

We were well received at Darrow's alma mater

At the end of last week, we arrived in the sunny and busy city of Los Angeles. Darrow is from LA, so this trip has been a time of visiting family and working in the community. A highlight this week was visiting Darrow's old middle school on Tuesday--The Wesley School. Wesley is a tiny school with a strong sense of community and it felt great to be back! Darrow was able to reconnect with the few teachers that are still teaching since his time there and got to roam his old stomping grounds in search of birds with the current 7th graders. We worked with Mr. Vance's science class, learned some basic bird skills in the class and then spent some time in the courtyards and had some amazing looks at Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches, Anna's Hummingbirds, and our old favorite, the Black Phoebe. We had a couple of solid hours to work, which gave us time to journal and come up with some great science fair project questions. Some of the questions they came up with could someday be master's thesis questions! Things like, "Do the birds have specific territories at our school and are these species territorial?" and, "How come the house finches and warblers hang out in the same place if they have different bills and behaviors?" and, "What are all of the birds getting out of the gutter?" are all great questions that could be answered through continued observation and scientific methods.

If you have not gone back to visit your old school, we highly recommend it. Find out a way to give back to your school and go for a visit. It means the world to teachers!

Darrow reunited with his middle school science teacher--Mr. Vance!

Today, we worked with El Rodeo school--a K-8th school near Darrow's mom's house where his younger brother and sister--Jack and Emily-- attend. We worked with four classes in a row--two kindergarten classes, a third grade class, and a fourth grade class! It was a very full day in yet another urban school, but we continued to see beautifully inspiring birds such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler. This warbler has taken on a new and endearing name amongst Bird School students: "butter butt."

The Yellow-rumped Warbler showing off the "butter butt."

El Rodeo kindergartners sneakily watch a Bewick's Wren.

Kevin and his wonderful bird song orchestra.

We will wrap up our quick visit to LA with a second day at El Rodeo tomorrow (another four classes!). Looking forward to it!

Inspiration from the 3rd graders at Linwood E Howe Elementary

As we walked into Lili Glassman's 3rd grade class at Linwood E. Howe Elementary in Culver City, Los Angeles, CA, there was an apparent shimmer of excitement. Students were yelling across the room, welcoming us and sharing stories of birds they had seen. Some stories seemed like tall tales, but as our walk about their campus began, what also became apparent was that these kids all had a keen awareness for the natural world. Each student seemed to have a favorite spot where they had seen a bird, or thought they had seen a nest, that they wanted to show us. Some of these favorite spots even included bird feeders, bird baths, and bird houses in the yards of neighboring houses across the street.

Students hands shot in the air at every question Darrow asked.

Olivia tallies up the species list while Darrow talks about eBird.

 We spent a whole hour walking the school premises in search of birds high and low. The students jumped at the opportunity to count the number of birds we were seeing and added up a total of forty nine birds, across nine different species!

Good listeners make good scientists.

When in doubt, figure it out.

We were sad to be leaving these students so quickly, however we know that their curiosity and awareness will carry them a long way.

Inner-city LA get's a full day of birds!

When Darrow was in high school, he had a dear red-headed friend named Landry. He did not know at the time that Landry would grow up to be an energized and passionate teacher in downtown LA. Landry allowed us to visit her fifth grade class for the entire day on Friday. When we asked students to introduce themselves and share something they were grateful for, every single one responded with how grateful they were that we came to visit and teach them about birds. They showed us, in that short introduction, how important our work is. Esperanza Elementary is a Title 1 school-- meaning enough students' families fall under the poverty line that the school provides some free services, school supplies, and food to students. Many of these students have had harder experiences than we can even imagine. It is imperative we help provide meaningful experiences like this to them.

We began our day by introducing our birds, doing a lesson on bird sounds and bird language, and had students pick a focus bird and draw and label the various parts of a bird. They learned some new vocabulary like crown, nape, and rump and learned about the genus and species names for their birds.  After recess, they learned about using binoculars (which no one had ever used) and we went outside to look for birds. We were able to see a few common species, but it was a bit hard to focus with other students having lunchtime on the playground. After lunch, we decided to try going out on the yard again. This time, without the added noise of other students, we were able to find all sorts of birds including House Sparrows, Anna's Hummingbird, and the exciting and tropical Yellow-Chevroned Parakeet!

The Yellow-Chevroned Parakeet is quite the bird to see in downtown LA
(credit: birds.audubon.org)

The Parakeet is native to South America from Brazil to Argentina. There are established feral populations of Parakeets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami. They are believed to have been released from captivity and have established their populations since then. Though the bird is non-native, it is still an attention-grabbing bird and did not fail to get our students squeaking with excitement.

Mr. Rumble is a major bird education advocate 

We also had the privilege of meeting Esperanza's principal, Brad Rumble. Mr. Rumble happens to be perfectly aligned with the vision and interests of the Bird School Project. Mr. Rumble is on the board of Los Angeles Audubon and is a passionate teacher and birder that has made great strides for the outdoor education movement in Los Angeles. Rumble used to work at Leo Politi Elementary, another LA school that made headlines when Rumble received a large grant from Audubon and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to transform the school's yard into a native habitat oasis for birds and insects alike. After completing his noble work there, Rumble is now at Esperanza and hoping to accomplish a similar transformation. Please read about this incredible project and watch the video HERE. We are excited to be connected with Mr. Rumble and look forward to collaborating with him in the future!

The class getting quiet to check out nearby birds

To wrap things up, we wrote up our species list for the day (nine species!) and came up with some "I wonder" questions for students to work on for homework. We made sure that everyone could easily identify the four most common species on the schoolyard--American Crow, Western Gull, Rock Pigeon, and Mourning Dove. By the time dismissal came around, students couldn't stop asking questions. Many wanted to stay after class to look at the bird specimens and tell us stories about birds they have seen at the local park. We are confident that this was not just another day at school for these students. This was something that many were needing--an assuring experience that it is okay to take the time to honor the beautiful and natural, that it feels good to just go for a walk and listen, that birds are simply amazing!

Learning about the five voices of the birds and how to draw sonograms

What do you all think are the common birds at school?

Southern California: Hope, habitat, and happenings

Amidst a mid-week rain storm, The Bird School Project was back in action this week in Southern California. We kicked off the week visiting Hope Elementary School in Santa Barbara.
We visited two 6th grade classes (Mr. S. and Mrs. Thurston) in the morning. Students were excited to learn that the trees surrounding their soccer field made great habitat for Yellow-rumped warblers and Bushtits, two common birds in California. We spent some time comparing call notes between the two. What do you think?

Bushtit sounds

Yellow-rumped sounds

A tried and true method for a bird photographer without a zoom lens.

Another highlight from our morning walk was when we took the students outside and before going to look for birds, we asked them to just stand quietly and listen. Upon doing that, a young girl's eyes got very wide and she said, "I never knew we had so many birds here! This is incredible!" It is moments like this that make all of our work this fall worth it.

Oh, what you'll find if you sit and listen a while!

Most schools have a large area for play, like a field or blacktop, but what happens when you add a few trees?

After lunch we switched age groups and took Mrs. Thornton's 1st graders for an energy packed walk about campus. They managed to discover a few quiet spots along the fences that made good sit-spots, despite having to avoid predation from the Red-tailed hawk!

The male Bufflehead duck is a beautiful sight indeed!
(credit: allaboutbirds.org)

During our time off during Thanksgiving week in Santa Barbara, we had the chance to visit the Campus Point Lagoon at UC Santa Barbara and were able to see the groups of migrating ducks that only just recently arrived in the area from areas further north. A personal favorite of ours is the Bufflehead duck. The males have bright white patches on the back of their head and bright white bodies that allow them to stand out amongst the rest. Look in your local pond or lake for these dapper ducks!

On Tuesday, when the storm began (Woohoo! California's kinda wet again!), we showed up to a wet and wild Santa Paula High. We taught a section of Ms. Mitchell's wonderful AP Environmental Science students and also a section of Zoology.

Santa Paula High zoology students read up on the ranges of the common birds in their neck of the woods.

These are the oldest students we have taught yet, and some of the most inspiring. The attitude changes when students are in a class because they chose to be, and these students really cared about the subject. We specifically focused on a lesson about what birds need to survive. We talked about the components of a good ecosystem and what makes an ecosystem a habitat. The students then designed their own habitat for common California birds.

Time to map it out. What are the key components to good bird habitat?

These birds are singing in the rain.

Then, into the mist we drove. To Los Angeles, where the Rock Pigeons, Crows, Gulls, Mallards, and Mourning Doves make illustrious distractions for the many warblers, sparrows, finches, sandpipers, and Buffleheads that share the city's space!

A post-turkey day challenge

When it comes to gratitude, The Bird School Project has a lot to be thankful for. Among the many grateful thoughts floating through our minds is appreciation for all of you. By "you," we mean students, teachers, and supporters who have donated money, time, or thought to our project. There are many of you out there and if you are reading this you are probably one of them, so thank you.

On a second note of gratitude there is one more group, or should we say Class (Aves), that The Bird School Project is thankful for. You got it: birds! In a sense, that's what this whole project has been about; sharing our gratitude for birds with others. Now, we are challenging you (that's right, all of "you," aforementioned) to share your gratitude for birds with us!

Here's the challenge:

Step 1) This Turkey-day weekend, find a bird in your neighborhood (or whichever neighborhood you are in) that you are grateful for. Identify it! It can be a new bird, or an old homie. If you can take a picture of it, please do so! All the better for sharing!

Step 2) Write why you are thankful for this bird. This can be anything from its beauty to it keeping you on your toes.

Step 3) Share your gratitude with us! Post your bird gratitude on our Facebook page or Instagram #birdgratitude. You can also like and comment on others posts of gratitude.

bonus points: Create a profile on Cornell's ebird.org. Document you observation of a bird in your neighborhood by following the steps to create a checklist for the spot you observed. Share your checklist with us (Darrow Feldstein, or Kevin Condon, we both have profiles)! 

You're all awesome.

The Ultimate Bird School Week at Carmel Middle School

This past week was the most full and exciting week yet! As said in our last post, we started the week with two days in Salinas teaching at La Joya elementary school and Gavilan View middle school. In two days we taught 380 students! Then, we headed just a bit further south and arrived at Carmel Middle School which had the best bird habitat we have seen on the entire coast! The outdoor space known as "The Habitat" was created from a vacant lot in 1995 by one of the school's past science teachers--Craig Hohenberger--who is actually an Ornithologist by profession. It is now teeming with bird life. Over one hundred and fifty species have been identified there! We got to work in the habitat for three full days and some students were able to meet with us every one of those days.

Taking notes on our observations

On our first day, we were able to do an expanded lesson on sound and bird language. We broke down bird sounds for the students and taught them what to listen for. One can describe a bird sound in four general ways: pitch, volume, rhythm, and quality. We talked about how to describe bird sounds that you hear and even got to listen to bird songs at half speed. If you haven't done that yet, try it out!

Benny teaching about the five voices of the birds

Additionally, we spoke to students about the five voices of the birds. One of the mentors on our naturalist journey has been renowned tracker and nature connection guru, Jon Young. Jon has developed incredible resources, programs, and books for naturalists of all levels to use in developing their skills. His newest book, "What the Robin Knows" is an entertaining guide to the meanings behind what birds are saying. Did you know birds tell us about all sorts of things from weather patterns to season changes and where the nearest bobcat or Cooper's Hawk might be? It just takes practice, as with any new language, but it is most certainly a learnable skill for all! Thankfully, Jon has helped to boil it down to five general voices of birds. Check out the whole world of bird language!

Sitting and listening--what a pleasant activity!

On the second day, we worked on bird identification and field journaling, and had great looks at the many bird species at the habitat. Before lunch, we attended the school gathering and were able to share about our tour down the coast in front of the whole school.

There are huge bird feeders there that attracted four species of sparrows, finches, goldfinches, chickadees, scrub jays, nuthatches, california quail, northern flickers, and more. Students combined birding basics with a little Jack Laws style journaling (check out his work and workshops) and discovered just how fun it can be to discover which birds are living near.

Sit spot time for all!

On the third day, we received a whole bunch of new students, as well as one class that came to our workshop for a third day. We needed something new for them so we designed a bird scavenger hunt deemed, "The Big Bird Blowout." Students put their knowledge of birds to the test, having to identify bird calls, think about habitat, and find different species within the forty minute time frame. We are impressed and convinced that there is a new crew of bird ninjas at Carmel Middle School.

Wrapping up our week at CMS we were sad to be leaving, but very grateful to the wonderful folks at Carmel Middle School and MEarth for having us. A special thank you goes to science teacher Darrell Steely for organizing such a grand hoopla of birding for all of his students and more. Also, thank you to Tanja Roos, executive director of MEarth, the non-profit behind the CMS habitat.

The wonderful amphitheater at the CMS Habitat

Teaching about nature journaling

Observing birds at the feeders--look at those scientists!

Showing off an awesome journal page!

Birding with buddies

Now that we have our journal entry, let's identify these birds!

A stunning journal on the Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Look at all that labeling, great observations!

We got to talk to the ENTIRE school at their weekly "gathering"

Journaling with friends is great! Look how wonderful these came out!

Birding is always a great time to connect with friends

Watching the feeders together

Everyone had their binos on an elusive Bewick's Wren

Scouring field guides during "The Big Bird Blowout"

An action team of scientists--looking, listening, recording