Nature Calls: Tools For Budding Birdwatchers

It’s the perfect time of year to have the kids active and outside and, if they love to watch birds, to encourage that, too. If you have a beginner birder at your place, here’s everything they’ll need (and a couple of things they’ll love) to get started on what often becomes a life-long hobby.

1. Audubon Bird Call can produce generic bird calls $8 from Los Poblanos Farm Shop.

2. A large scale poster is the perfect way to familiarize kids with all the birds they might come across in your neighborhood. Sibley’s makes a few different ones, be sure to check for the poster that covers your local area. This one, for Eastern North American backyards, is $26.95 from Barnes & Noble.

3. A field guide is next, it will include extra information about each bird as well as guides to the sounds they make. National Geographic’s guide for kids is a great starter guide, with only a few birds per region but plenty of large scale color photographs, it’s a lot less overwhelming for a child than an adult bird-watching guide.

4. You’ll definitely need a pair of binoculars! This Fisher-Price pair is a place to start for the very young, though you’ll want to find something with a greater magnification for older kids. Here is a handy guide to choosing the right kind of binoculars for your child.

5. After you get home from a long walk, what about a cool sip of water from these incredible Todd Oldham x Charley Harper glasses from Fishs Eddy? They’ll be even more special after you can identify each of the birds by name!

5. Towel the kids off after bath time with a Bird Song Hooded Towel by Pendleton (they also have a crib blanket in the same style),

6. And when bedtime rolls around, an abundance of happy birdwatching dreams awaits the little head that rests on this bird pillowcase from Xenotees.

7. Learning to identify birds can be a game with Bird Bingo.

8. Or carry a Birds Fandex in your purse for quizzes on car trips or in waiting rooms.

Happy birdwatching, all!