• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The River Houses

A National Network of Local Homeschool Societies

  • Join Us!
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • Topics β–Ύ
    • Arts & Music
    • Astronomy
    • Books & Libraries
    • Dewey Decimals
    • Friday Bird Families
    • Geography
    • Great Stars
    • Holidays & History
    • The Homeschool Year
    • Language & Literature
    • Lunar Society Bulletins
    • Natural History
    • Photo Contests
    • Poems-of-the-Week
    • Quick Freshes
    • Research & News
    • States & Countries
    • Weekly World Heritage
  • Calendars
  • Books
  • About Us β–Ύ
    • Our Mascots
  • Lunar Society
  • Shop!
You are here: Home > Homeschool Natural History > This Post

🐦 BIRD-FEEDING SEASON is Here! (And so is Project FeederWatch!)

19 November 2022 by Horace the Otter 🦦

Setting up a bird feeder is one of the simplest and most educational activities you can do in a homeschool setting. You can feed the birds in your neighborhood at any time of year, although winter is certainly the most popular season.

A male Northern Cardinal (page 522 in your bird guide) at a winter bird feeder. (Image:Β WikimediaΒ Commons.)

Whether you’re a beginning backyard birder or an experienced veteran, aΒ resource you’ll want to explore is Project FeederWatch from Cornell University:

  • ➒ Project Feederwatch from Cornell University (feederwatch.org)
  • ➒ Beginner’s Guide to Winter Bird Feeding (pdf) (feederwatch.org)

Why not print out that short beginner’s guide and have your students study it and develop a custom bird feeding plan for your homeschool.

There are a lot of free resources available on the Project FeederWatch website, and if you wish you can also register as a project participant (for a small fee) and get some very nice posters of common North American feeder birdsΒ β€” great for your homeschool classroomΒ β€” as well as access to some excellent publications about birds and natural history. When you register, any records you submit of the birds you see at your feeder will be included in a database that tracks winter bird populations across the United States and around the world.

If you’re in the market for a bird feeder you’ll find that there are many different types available, from simple and inexpensive to ornamental and costly. (Fancy feeders don’t necessarily appeal to birds any more than plain ones.) Here are a variety of selections from Amazon.com that you can exploreΒ β€” browse around and find one or two that would fit well in your own backyard setting:

  • ➒ Tube and Hopper Feeders, best for chickadees and finches
  • ➒ Suet Feeders, best for woodpeckers and nuthatches
  • ➒ Window Feeders, for close-up views
  • ➒ Platform Feeders, best for ground-loving birds such as cardinals

If your students watch carefully over the course of the year, they will discover that different bird species exhibit different behaviors: chickadees will generally pick up a single seed and fly away with it; winter finches, by contrast, will usually perch and keep eating until something scares them away. Cardinals will generally choose a flat surface to feed on if one is available, while finches will happily feed from slender perches well off the ground. Woodpeckers won’t usually be attracted to your seed offerings, but they will readily come to a suet feeder.

Why not set up your own homeschool bird feeder and see how many educational discoveries you can make in your own backyard. 😊

❑ Books in the running brooks: Our recommended homeschool reference library includes an excellent bird guide that would serve your homeschool well. Many other similar guides are also availableΒ β€” find one that’s a good fit for your family and take it with you on all your outings, whether far afield or just out to the backyard.Β πŸ“š

❑ Homeschool birds: We think bird study is one of the best subjects you can take up in a homeschool environment. It’s suitable for all ages, it can be made as elementary or as advanced as you wish, it can be made solitary or social, and birds can be found just about anywhere at any season of the year. Why not track your own homeschool bird observations using the free eBird website sponsored by Cornell University. It’s a great way to learn more about what’s in your local area and about how bird populations change from season to season. 🐦

❑ Nature notes: This is one of our regular Homeschool Natural History posts. Add your name to our weekly mailing list and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year.Β πŸ—ž

❑ Homeschool calendars: We have a whole collection of free, printable, educational homeschool calendars and planners available on our main River Houses calendar page. They will all help you create a light and easy structure for your homeschool year. Give them a try today!Β πŸ—“

❑ Support our work: If you enjoy our educational materials, please support us by starting your regular Amazon shopping from our very own homeschool teaching supplies page. When you click through from our page, any purchase you make earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping us to keep going and growing! 😊

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related Posts:

  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Finches, Longspurs, and Snow BuntingsπŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Finches, Longspurs, and Snow Buntings
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Indigobirds, Old World Sparrows, and AlliesπŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Indigobirds, Old World Sparrows, and Allies
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Tropical Tanagers and the Western SpindalisπŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Tropical Tanagers and the Western Spindalis
  • πŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Sylviid Warblers and AlliesπŸ¦… FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: Sylviid Warblers and Allies

Filed Under: Homeschool Natural History, Lunar Society Bulletins

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

It’s free! Your name and email address are never shared with any third parties.

CHECK YOUR INBOX (or spam folder) to confirm your subscription. Thank you! 😊

Search the River Houses

Recent Posts

  • πŸ“š HOMESCHOOL BOOKS: Dover Thrift Editions for Your Students
  • πŸ—“ HOMESCHOOL CALENDARS: Thirty days hath SeptemberΒ .Β .Β .
  • 🌍 πŸ‡§πŸ‡­ WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Ancient Capital of Dilmun in Bahrain
  • πŸ“š LIBRARY LESSONS: Getting to Know the Library of Congress
  • πŸ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 24 September 2023
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ SUNDAY STATES: Georgia, Bahrain, Belarus, and More
  • 🌏 πŸŒ‘ 🌞 HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE: Solar Eclipse, 14 October 2023
  • πŸ–‹ πŸƒ WONDERFUL WORDS: β€œOur Summer made her light escape”
  • πŸ¦ƒ πŸ“ FRIDAY BIRD FAMILIES: β€œGallinaceous” Birds
  • πŸ—“ πŸ‚ FALL IS HERE! (Astronomically Speaking)
  • 🌏 πŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί WEEKLY WORLD HERITAGE: The Sydney Opera House in Australia
  • πŸ”Ž HOMESCHOOL RESEARCH & NEWS – September 2023
  • πŸ“š HOMESCHOOL LIBRARY LESSONS: Discovering Dictionaries
  • πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ πŸ“œ THE U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES and Constitution Day
  • πŸ—“ QUICK FRESHES for Homeschool Families – Week of 17 September 2023

Post Topics

  • 🎡 Homeschool Arts & Music
  • πŸ”­ Homeschool Astronomy
  • πŸ“š Homeschool Books & Libraries
  • πŸ“… Homeschool Holidays & History
  • πŸ“– Homeschool Language & Literature
  • πŸŒ• Lunar Society Bulletins
  • πŸ—Ί Homeschool Geography
  • πŸ—“ Quick Freshes for Homeschool Families
  • 🏞 Homeschool Natural History
  • πŸ”Ž Homeschool Research & News
  • 🌎 πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Homeschool States & Countries
  • πŸ—“ The Homeschool Year

Astronomy

  • American Meteor Society
    • – Fireball Reporting System
  • Astronomy Picture of the Day
  • Evening Sky Maps
  • Homeschool Astronomy (Sky & Telescope)
  • Hubble Space Telescope
    • – Learning Resources
  • NASA
    • – Asteroid Watch
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Our Solar System
    • – Spot the Station
    • – Webb Space Telescope
  • The Planets Today
  • The Sky This Week (USNO)
  • Space Weather
  • Stellarium Night Sky Charts
  • Time and Date
    • – Eclipses
    • – Meteor Showers
    • – Moon Phases
    • – Seasons
  • Tonight’s Sky (hubblesite.com)
  • Virtual Planisphere

Books & Libraries

  • Baldwin Library of Children’s Literature
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Classic Children’s Books (read.gov)
  • Folger Shakespeare Library
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Shakespeare’s Plays Online
  • HathiTrust Digital Library
  • In Our Time (BBC Podcasts)
  • New York Public Library Digital Collections
  • Project Gutenberg
  • US Library of Congress
    • – Children’s Book Selections
    • – Educator Resources
    • – LC Blogs
    • – LC Digital Collections
    • – Minerva’s Kaleidoscope
  • US National Archives
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Founders Online
    • – K–5 Resources
    • – Teaching With Documents
  • Vatican Library Digital Collections
  • WorldCat Library Catalog
    • – WorldCat Library Finder
  • World Digital Library

Museums, Parks, & Monuments

  • Art Collections Online
  • British Museum Collections Online
  • Google Arts & Culture Collections
  • Smithsonian Institution
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Smithsonian Museums
    • – Smithsonian Open Access
  • Timeline of Art History
  • US National Park Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – National Memorials
    • – National Monuments
    • – National Parks
    • – Wild & Scenic Rivers Program
  • US National Wildlife Refuges
  • US State Parks
  • Watercolour World

Natural History

  • All About Birds (Cornell University)
    • – Bird Identification Guide
    • – eBird Online
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • BirdCast Daily Migration Maps
  • Time and Date
    • – Seasons
  • UC Museum of Paleontology
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Fish & Wildlife Service
    • – Education Programs
  • US Geological Survey
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Latest Earthquakes
  • US National Weather Service
    • – Educator Resources
    • – Nationwide Air Quality
    • – Nationwide River Conditions
    • – Wildfire and Smoke Map
  • Wild & Scenic Rivers Program

Maps & Geography

  • Antipodes Map
  • EarthCamTV
  • FlightAware (Planes in the Air)
  • Mapquest World Maps
  • MarineTraffic (Ships at Sea)
  • OpenStreetMap World Maps
  • Printable Blank Maps & Flags
  • Printable Outline Maps (d-maps.com)
  • River Runner
  • USGS Topographic Maps
  • World Heritage Sites (UNESCO)
    • – Educator Resources
  • Zoom Earth

Civics & Social Science

  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • Constitution Center
  • C-Span Classroom
  • Free Speech Curriculum from FIRE
  • Foundation for Economic Education
  • History of the Western World (I)
    • – Western World (II)
  • iCivics.org
  • Learn Liberty
  • Mises Institute Economics
  • MyMoney.gov
    • – Educator Resources
  • Online Library of Liberty
  • US Founding Documents
  • US Government Portal
    • – The Congress
    • – The Supreme Court
    • – The White House
  • US Mint
    • – Coin Activities for Kids
    • – Educator Resources
  • US Postal Museum
    • – Explore the Collections
    • – Activities for Kids
    • – Stamps Teach (from APS)
  • Visual Capitalist
Sign up for our free newsletter and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox every week!

All original content Β© 2017–2023 by The River Houses Β· The River Houses and the River Houses emblem are Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.