Birdwatching

Awhile back, I was riding my bicycle along country roads in Cache Valley, when suddenly six unusual looking chicks ran across the road in single file right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes just in time as the chicks disappeared down the farmhouse driveway on the other side of the road.

When I first became interested in using Utah birds as a core theme for teaching my 2nd-graders I had no idea how it would revolutionize my teaching career and connect me and my students with so many different natural and human communities.

Falconry is an ancient sport going back thousands of years. In Shakespeare’s time, it was a way of putting food on the dinner table.

A bird of the prairie and countryside, the western meadowlark releases songs synonymous with spring grasslands flush with balsam root, lupine, death camas, larkspur, prairie smoke, and wind tossed grasses that shimmer in morning sun.

Across my years of exploring the majestic outdoors with young children, I’ve experimented with nature journaling.

In other news, Utah firefighters are preparing to head home after two weeks battling the Los Angeles County wildfires. And, Utahns can see bald eagles across the state this winter.

There are many reasons for having a bird feeder, especially in the winter season when birds are often hanging on by a thread due to challenges from inclement weather and lack of food.

Mindful birding is a practice that incorporates a heightened awareness and deepens our relationships with birds and our connection to the natural world.

Bird identification is all about learning to notice the little differences in size, coloration patterns, shape of the beak, the crown of the head and the tip of the tail.