By Liza Barney, Education Program Coordinator, Bird Studies Canada
Is it a warbler? A robin? A Killdeer or hawk? Which feathered friends share your schoolyard?
Bird Studies Canada invites your students to explore the diversity of birds in your neighbourhood by participating in the Schoolyard Bird Blitz this spring! In addition to getting outside and learning about local bird life, students are ‘scientists’ responsible for conducting a survey of birds at their school and reporting the observations to Bird Studies Canada. The results help scientists study bird populations, and participating in this memorable activity could spark a love of birds and science that lasts a lifetime.
Last season, an impressive 152 species were observed. The top five most-reported species were: American Robin, American Crow, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow, and Common Grackle. These results, bird count photos, and student highlights can be found in the 2018 season summary. A huge thank-you to all of the students and educators who have been part of the Schoolyard Bird Blitz community so far!
Schoolyard Bird Blitz is fun and easy for students of all ages and grades. Our new program video demonstrates how to participate, featuring the enthusiastic students at Russell Reid Public School in Brantford, Ontario. Thank you to Mr. Duane Gray for being a life-long teacher champion for birds, and to Gregg McLachlan at Workcabin Creative for creatively capturing this program!
How to participate in Schoolyard Bird Blitz at your school:
1. Download your region-specific bird identification guide.
2. Choose any day in May.
3. Go birdwatching around your schoolyard.
4. Identify, count, and record birds on the bird tally.
5. Submit your observations.
Share your birding adventures, or follow along the Schoolyard Bird Blitz season on Twitter with @BSC_Education and #SchoolyardBirdBlitz.
Schoolyard Bird Blitz is generously supported by The W. Garfield Weston Foundation.
