Keeping a Bird Watching Journal

Keeping a bird watching journal provides an enjoyable summer activity for youngsters and the adults.    Actually this can be a year round project, but since it’s mid-spring, let’s start yours now.

There are various ways you can do this:

• Simply keep a list of the birds you see.
• List the birds and write something about them.
• Add a sketch to the list and description.
• Write a story or poem about the birds you see.
• Make a papier mache model of a bird…or use other materials for a bird sculpture.
• Make a painting of some of these birds you see and list.

In my anthology, Tales of Adventure and Discovery, you’ll find two poems, The Red-Winged Blackbird and Lord Baltimore Oriole.   I’ve written stories published in magazines about birds.  Some were nature stories and others were fiction.

I became intrigued with sketching birds after seeing a watercolor painting my mom did when she was attending teacher training class.  (I still have this painting she did 80 years ago.  ) So I went on to sketch and paint birds, even doing paintings on commission for customers.

Do you and your children like to keep track of the birds around you?