• Bird Academy
      Bird Academy
      Are you starting to recognize some of the “themes” in the natural world more readily? Can you share some examples? Upload one of your journal pages reflecting one of the themes, if you’d like to. There are no right or wrong answers!
      You must be enrolled in the course to reply to this topic.
    • Giorgia
      Participant
      Chirps: 9
      I’m a birder, so it comes natural to always ask myself loads of questions about birds, especially in my usual birding spot on the hill at the end of my street. Now, I’m a big winter fan so I’m enjoying this very cold February, but part of me can’t wait for spring and all that it brings: new leaves, flowers and, of course, returning summer visitors.
    • Richard
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      I am a science teacher by training. These themes are part of the Next Generation Science Standards which guide science educators in many states. In that context, the themes are called crosscutting concepts which exist across all branches of science. I like seeing them here.  https://thewonderofscience.com/ccc Despite our brains being wired to recognize and work with them, I think patterns is the one of the most under appreciated themes. It requires us to pay attention across multiple time scales, from being in the moment to observe in the moment to slower, more phenological observations. This is why the practice of nature journaling is so appealing to me.      
    • Sari
      Participant
      Chirps: 17
      My sketchbook is too small for all the questions I have now! I looked more closely at the autumn colors of the plants. I noticed that one branch or plant can have very different colored leaves. Why is there some red among the yellow leaves of the aspen? Could the explanation be that some leaves have a damage or disease that causes the red color? Maybe leaves grown at different times and under different conditions turn different colors. More questions: do different colored leaves release different nutrients when the leaves fall to the ground? Do the leaf decomposers or those who overwinter in their shelters prefer a certain color?IMG_5680
    • Barbara
      Participant
      Chirps: 9
      Change: Now that it’s turning fall-like I’m beginning to notice seasonal change in the bird population at my feeders. I haven’t seen house finches for a while, and today I think I saw a pine warbler for the first time. I’m wondering how long the hummingbirds will stay around before they migrate.
    • Sally
      Participant
      Chirps: 33
      I notice a lot of paper birch trees that their roots are either wrapped around a close tree or run on the surface of the ground.  They really are fascinating.  There is a theme of them all over our property.  This one was particularly unique.  I am really enjoying this course it is getting me to look closer at nature and appreciate the little things more. I wanted to make a comment on the observation of the beaver dam.  There is a beaver dam on our property and I spend a lot of time there.  Beavers are complete vegetarians and do not eat fish.  They create their ponds for safety and are very graceful swimmers.  They eat the bark of only certain trees and use the wood for their dams and lodges.  They create habitat for other species including fish.  They should be better protected, because their wetlands are vital for cooling the planet.
    • Sally
      Participant
      Chirps: 33
      Paper birch roots around maple tree
    • Sally
      Participant
      Chirps: 33
      Aug. 24, paper birch roots
    • Linda Guenther
      Participant
      Chirps: 20
      bobcat2024 a
      • July 19th, 2024, I observed the bobcat from inside. I saw him last October. He managed to kill my chickens, and thanks to the red-tailed hawk, I don't have any more chickens.  I noticed last year "Gimpy" was limping on his left front. I thought he was just hurt. I guess it is permanent. That's how I know he is the same bobcat. He was smart. He is walking to the chicken coop to check things out. He sauntered over, looked in the coop, sat in the shade, and then wandered off toward the neighbors. It was hot, mid-day 90F...I thought he might try the birdbath for water but I guess he was hydrated enough. I've seen him one time since. he came from a different direction. I tried to trap him so we could relocate him, but with no success. bobcat2024 a_1bobcat2024 a_5
    • Debbie
      Participant
      Chirps: 32
      Observation: In the spring, the squirrels came to our corn pile singularly or in pairs, chasing off any others that approached.  Since the temperatures have been in the high 80s and low 90s, the squirrels have been coming in groups of up to 8 at a time. Possible Explanations:
      • heat--by not chasing off the other squirrels, they do not have to expend as much energy and possibly stay cooler.
      • heat-Their food supply is not growing as much as normal due to the lack of water neccesating sharing what is available.
      • Are they litter mates?
      Further Questions: When the temperatures go back down, will they go back to feeding one or two squirrels at a time? Although you can't tell from my sketch, the squirrels' coats are darker than most gray squirrels.  Is this because they have cross-bred with another type of squirrel? As far as seeing themes, yes, I do notice them more in my writing than I did before. Journaling themes sketch only
    • Sarah
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      PXL_20240408_145427106.MP
    • Kathleen
      Participant
      Chirps: 14
      Themes 3
    • Kathleen
      Participant
      Chirps: 14
      Themes 2
    • Kathleen
      Participant
      Chirps: 14
      Themes 1
    • Laurie
      Participant
      Chirps: 9
      0 Observation: It is a brisk windy cold day.  Our feeders have about fifty or more goldfinches competing for food today. Several pairs of Bluebirds flit in and out. Multiple Juncos and an occasional mockingbird visit. But, at the moment it is goldfinch land. The difference between the male and female is becoming more pronounced due to nesting season approaching. Possible Explanation: Ample food is bringing them together as they consume the niger and sunflower seeds.  There are competitions and then there is pairing off occasionally and one goldfinch will give a mealworm to another.  Nesting season is around the corner so the pairing should begin in earnest soon. Questions:  Can I keep the goldfinch around? Which food does the goldfinch like better? Which trees are better for their nests? I would love to see a nest weaved with spider webs. I have coneflowers everywhere to hopefully keep them around. At the moment shoots of the coneflowers are just peaking out of the dirt. Can't wait for spring.
    • Sue
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I have often wondered how cowbirds can find their own mates, when they are raised from the egg to the sounds, songs and patterns of other birds. I know a little about imprinting, but I don't know how cowbirds can recognize other cowbirds unless they are genetically "hard wired" to recognize their own kind. If that's the case, how do tnhey do this?
    • Heidi
      Participant
      Chirps: 21
      IMG20240218104820IMG20240218104726 I'm definitely struggling with creating depth in the landscapes. Hopefully, that lesson will come soon:) I also realize I don't have a lot of patience for drawing lots of details. There are so many trees that made sketching very complex for my basic skills.
      • Suzanne
        Participant
        Chirps: 1
        Learning to simplify a scene is a really necessary skill when drawing landscapes.  Maybe you don't need to draw every tree, but a representative set of them.  Sometimes picking a smaller field of view will help too.  Our eyes see such a wide format, but the drawing needs to be smaller in scope.
      • Heidi
        Participant
        Chirps: 21

        @Suzanne I've been meaning to thank you for this advice. It will be helpful as I get out and attempt to capture more landscapes. The weather has been awful each weekend when I try to get outside. Hopefully, it will change soon. It still feels like February in Massachusetts.

    • Kerry
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      IMG_5301
    • Marsha
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      January 18, 2024 Observation:  Watching back yard through inside back room, with window open. Cloudy day after a rainy day previously, with some sun peeking through the clouds. Hearing "crackle" sounds through the open back window (persistent sound for 1/2 hour). Possible explanation:  Rain from the tree branches has collected in places, gradually falling like rain in "drips", but causing the branches to sound like "crackle"? Actually pieces from the trees are falling (small branches, leaves, etc.) after weight from the collected water causes them to fall? Weight of the water collected makes the tree bark expand and makes a sound? Questions: Do only certain trees respond this way after a rain? (we have many kinds of trees here in the yard) Does it take an animal (like a squirrel, of which there are many, or birds) running through the trees or lighting on them to make the sounds happen? Does the sun have any affect on this process to cause the water-soaked branches to expand or ??
    • Raegan
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      I have noticed the consistent return of a rabbit at around the same time. He hops cautiously out of the invasive cesarweed and munches on the grass. Through further investigation of my question,'why does this rabbit come out at the same time every day?' I have made thehypothosis that predators (mostly hawks) are not out during the period of time. Now I am stuck in the loop of natural curiosity!
    • alegria
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      WhatsApp Image 2023-11-18 at 8.27.09 PM
    • Anita
      Participant
      Chirps: 26
      I have been trying to get better at noticing change, which I attempted by doing a study of an Oak tree that was being defoliated by Spongy Moth caterpillars.  I would like to work on counting and measuring more as well, putting more numbers into my journaling.Spongy Moths & Oak Trees Journal Page
    • Maritte
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      Dragonflies While sitting for a long time in a grassy park meadow, I realized, almost suddenly, just how many dragonflies were zipping around through the air. I wondered what they were doing. It was golden hour, not quite dusk, and I know many animals are most active during sunrise and dusk. I guessed they might be feeding, and wondered what dragonflies eat. Maybe the little gnats and flies I had observed in the still air around the park? I wondered how they eat...like are they able to just eat a bug and keep zipping around? I looked it up to see, and my guesses seem plausible: dragonflies eat other flying insects, such as flies, midges, and mosquitos. They can also even eat butterflies and larger dragonflies. Google says that although they can catch prey in mid-air using their legs (weird), they carry their food to a perch to eat it.
    • Penelope
      Participant
      Chirps: 38
      I was wondering about the Chickadee's Black caps, for which they are named. Are they a form of camouflage? Are they to attract a mate? Black cap males tend to have larger bibs and caps then females, so perhaps this is the case. The two generations of chickadees are shown here; Gen C: the younger, tan chickadee, and Gen A, the older, green chickadee. I wonder why the juveniles are browner then the adults? Also, a male Indigo Bunting sits at the top of a specific tree at least once a day. This certainly seems to indicate his established territory. Oddly enough, it includes the feeder, which many other species of bird come to, including egg-stealing jays. Why doesn't the Bunting chase them off? Perhaps the feeder is no-birds-land for them. Journal2
    • Heath
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      Since beginning to bird, I've been going back to same park at least once a month. I can see how the type and number of birds change as the seasons progress.