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

Dear friends of The Bird School Project,

It was an exciting start to Bird School Project’s winter units at San Lorenzo Valley Middle School and Bradley Elementary, where we got an inside look as to what birds do in the rain. Some of our students suspected that the answer to that question was, “Nothing,” that is until they got to witness Dark-eyed Juncos in action during a particularly stormy day!

No, the rain has not kept us from getting out into the field and watching science and life in action through birds. From sneaking ninja-like out of the classroom door and observing juncos under the awning while the rain came down, to checking out scrub jays through binoculars as the foggy grey morning turned into a sunny day, students have been getting outside and seeing that the natural world is close by. It is an exciting realization that the scientific processes and patterns they have been studying in the classroom are happening all around them.

Taking notes and taking notice, and then taking notice and taking notes; this is the strategy students have been utilizing to build a deeper and more connected understanding of birds. Throughout each class period we have gotten students spinning the wheel and asking questions that lead to deeper questions. This allows them to be fully inquisitive and also to make educated guesses. An awesome tool that has aided in students’ ability to record their questions and observations has been the new Bird School Project field journals. The field journals are a space for students to write down what we are teaching, helping them to retain information that then can better be carried on through the five weeks that we work at the school.

Bird School Project’s curriculum has grown as well. We have been finding ways to work in and with the rain, which has meant doing a few more indoor activities. Using museum specimens from the Norris Center at UC Santa Cruz has provided a great opportunity for kids to learn inside the classroom. One such activity had kids in groups using their four bird ninja steps to thoroughly observe and ID the bird specimen they were presented with. Each group then shared their findings with the class.

The field journals have also presented the opportunity for a lesson focused on field journaling. In week two we taught students to make quick sketches of birds they see, highlighting posture, bill type, and other general size/shape details, then labeling other qualitative data they noticed. Learning how to keep a field journal that can house the species you see, the questions you have, and the observations you make, is an important skill in life sciences. I checked off their homework entries and sketches and was blown away. The care with which they approached their at-home field journaling shows the excitement that they have for experiential learning through bird watching.

In the spirit of feathers and the freedom to learn,

Hannah Mae Miller

I am a new bird school intern and a sophomore studying Feminist Studies and Sustainability at UC Santa Cruz. I am passionate about the outdoors, but as a native to Wisconsin, the natural history of California is more foreign to me. Before coming to work with The Bird School Project I knew little about birds, so as the students learn about how to best observe and identify species of birds, I do as well. Students are able to view me as both a resource and as someone who is willing and excited to learn from them as well.

Springtime for Bird School!

As the winter goes by