Bring the joy of birding to children of all ages!
Bring the joy of birding to children of all ages!
Fledging Birder Tip #84
Grow icicles on their noses!

Use the cold weather to your
birding advantage.  Bundle the
kids so they can barely walk
and bend their arms. Then head
off to your favorite wintering
waterfowl hot spot.

Get your scope on some
Buffleheads, mergansers,
loons, or waterever floats your
boat. Try to pick a group that is
not actively diving as this will
frustrate your little ones.

Lock the head of your tripod in
place and let them enjoy the
view.  If they are really young,
you will probably need to be on
your knees and gently guide
their eye to the scope.

With only their faces exposed,  
lookout for "boogcicles"!

Then, you can talk about how
waterfowl are winterized!
Fledging Birders
"P2F" Blog
Follow my
"Pledge to Fledge"
commitment this year
Fledging Birders is the practice of effectively and creatively bringing the joy and benefits of
birdwatching to people, especially children.

It's hard to convince someone that birding is fun if they have just waded a mile through a
sweaty swamp while dodging flying bloodsuckers only to have their "annoying friend" point
out some distant bird - even if it is an Ivory-billed Woodpecker!


We should help prospective birders learn about birds on their own terms. It is important not
to force it upon them. Instead, give them opportunities to have positive experience with birds.
It's also very effective to make connections between their own lives and the world of birds.
When they're ready to fly with it, they will!

Fledging Birders uses a bilateral approach to inspire new birders. Based on state-of-the-art
educational methods, we will provide birders with practical strategies for sharing their hobby
with others.  We will also develop bird centric projects for use in classrooms of various
curricular areas and grade levels.

By bringing instructional theories into the field AND birding into the classroom, Fledging
Birders can help introduce  more students to the s
imple joy and profound benefits of birding.

With introductions out of the way, the wonder of birds and the child's intrinsic curiosity can
develop a lifelong friendship!
Why Birding?!
Birding is a fun activity for millions of people of all ages.  Many love to simply watch the birds
or listen to their many songs. Some take pride in making a difference with bird conservation
efforts. For others, the excitement lies in the challenge of building their lists and finding rare
birds.

While birding is very entertaining, it also holds many benefits, especially for children! Some
of the positive effects of birding include:
improving observation skills
building an understanding of the natural world
providing new socialization opportunities
improving communication skills
developing behavioral skills (impulse control, attentional skills, etc.)
improving academic success
What is Fledging Birders?!
* Fledging Birders is a component of the Education Programs  developed by  National Biodiversity Parks.
Have northbound
migrants started
trickling into your
neighborhood
?

M
ake sure to point
them out to anyone
and everyone
!
©National Biodiversity Parks, Inc.
Support NBP's Fledging Birders Program!
Sport your support
for our efforts
with a
Fledging Birders'  
Baseball Cap!
Spread the word
about NBP's

National Schoolyard
Birding Challenge!
Let's give our youth all the advantages we can to help them be successful.

Let's give them a lifetime of joy.   

Let's get them birding!