
Urban Adventure Squad Wants YOU....To Bird!
Many of us have had to adjust our daily activities and spend a lot more time inside due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy the outdoors. In fact, being outdoors is an important way to care for our mental and emotional health.
We’re in the midst of spring right now and there are chirping birds everywhere! Migratory birds are stopping by or returning, and local birds are spending more time outside their nests. Friend of the Squad Steve Constantelos is an avid birder who sees a great opportunity right now for us to try our hands at birding (the updated term for bird-watching).
Steve is one of 47 million Americans who already bird, according to the National Audubon Society. He currently resides in Chicago, but he used to live and bird in the D.C. area. In 2017, Steve joined the Squad for a hike on Kingman and Heritage Islands, which is a beautiful place to find birds and learn about the Anacostia River.
To start birding, Steve suggests getting a pair of binoculars and a birding app. If you don’t have a pair at home, don’t worry! There are online resources to find them for kids and adults, and you can definitely bird without binoculars! Spring is breeding season for many birds, so they’re flying around with brighter plumage and much more audible songs.
Steve recommends the Audubon birding app and Cornell University’s Merlin Bird ID app, both of which can help you find and identify local birds. Also check out this cool article about Bald Eagles, our national bird!
Some colorful D.C. birds you might have already seen include Bluejays, Northern Cardinals, and American Robins, but there are plenty more if you look (and listen) closely!
To increase your chances of finding the most birds, the Audubon Society recommends finding a local open green space or a source of water, if possible. Urban Adventure Squad wants to make sure everyone is safe first and foremost, so we recommend that you only go out if these trips are possible while following social distancing guidelines.
It’s a great idea to bring a notebook, so you can write down and sketch observations about the birds you see. This will allow you to identify the bird later on if you aren’t able to during your excursion.
Finally, it’s important to think about how we can respect and preserve the natural spaces where birds live. Steve shared this article from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology describing 10 ways we can help birds. Some of these include gardening with native plants, keeping house cats inside, and turning off your lights at night so birds don’t fly into your windows (this one saves energy and money, too).
We’re living in a stressful world right now, but spending time outside can help us relax and bring ourselves back to center. Birding is an excellent way to enjoy the spring and UAS hopes you are able to get outside and give it a shot!
See if you can find the D.C. birds listed below, and feel free to tag us in social media posts if you do! We’ve linked the following bird names to info pages with audio files of their songs.
Many of us have had to adjust our daily activities and spend a lot more time inside due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy the outdoors. In fact, being outdoors is an important way to care for our mental and emotional health.
We’re in the midst of spring right now and there are chirping birds everywhere! Migratory birds are stopping by or returning, and local birds are spending more time outside their nests. Friend of the Squad Steve Constantelos is an avid birder who sees a great opportunity right now for us to try our hands at birding (the updated term for bird-watching).
Steve is one of 47 million Americans who already bird, according to the National Audubon Society. He currently resides in Chicago, but he used to live and bird in the D.C. area. In 2017, Steve joined the Squad for a hike on Kingman and Heritage Islands, which is a beautiful place to find birds and learn about the Anacostia River.
To start birding, Steve suggests getting a pair of binoculars and a birding app. If you don’t have a pair at home, don’t worry! There are online resources to find them for kids and adults, and you can definitely bird without binoculars! Spring is breeding season for many birds, so they’re flying around with brighter plumage and much more audible songs.
Steve recommends the Audubon birding app and Cornell University’s Merlin Bird ID app, both of which can help you find and identify local birds. Also check out this cool article about Bald Eagles, our national bird!
Some colorful D.C. birds you might have already seen include Bluejays, Northern Cardinals, and American Robins, but there are plenty more if you look (and listen) closely!
To increase your chances of finding the most birds, the Audubon Society recommends finding a local open green space or a source of water, if possible. Urban Adventure Squad wants to make sure everyone is safe first and foremost, so we recommend that you only go out if these trips are possible while following social distancing guidelines.
It’s a great idea to bring a notebook, so you can write down and sketch observations about the birds you see. This will allow you to identify the bird later on if you aren’t able to during your excursion.
Finally, it’s important to think about how we can respect and preserve the natural spaces where birds live. Steve shared this article from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology describing 10 ways we can help birds. Some of these include gardening with native plants, keeping house cats inside, and turning off your lights at night so birds don’t fly into your windows (this one saves energy and money, too).
We’re living in a stressful world right now, but spending time outside can help us relax and bring ourselves back to center. Birding is an excellent way to enjoy the spring and UAS hopes you are able to get outside and give it a shot!
See if you can find the D.C. birds listed below, and feel free to tag us in social media posts if you do! We’ve linked the following bird names to info pages with audio files of their songs.