Barbara Herkert

Coloring Page (1904 KB)

The best way to remember a bird that you see is to draw it. You will need a spiral notebook, a pencil, and some colored pencils.

Start your sketch light...

Gradually building up the pencil marks...

And darkening the lines. Add color if you like.

And then you have it! It is finished!

1. Measure and mark the cutting lines on the two boards as shown on page 34 of "Birds in Your Backyard". Mark the locations of the entrance hole, ventilation holes, and the hole by which you will hang your nesting box.
2. Have an adult cut the board with a saw and drill the entrance hole using the 1.5" bit. Drill the hanging hole and ventilation holes with the 0.25" bit.

3. On the back of the front piece, scratch some deep horizontal lines under the entrance hole with one of the nails. These groves will make it easier for young birds to climb out of the box when they are ready to leave the nest.

4. Nail the pieces together with the help of an adult, leaving one side not nailed at the bottom. Screw the square bend hook into the bottom of this side. This will allow it to swing open so that you can clean out the nesting box when the birds have left the nest.

A finished coloring page done by a student

On the top left of this page is a downloadable coloring sheet directly from "Birds in Your Backyard". (You will need Adobe Reader to open the file)

You can keep a notebook handy in your bird watching spot, along with a field guide and a pair of binoculars. Be sure to include the date, time of day, what the weather was like, the name of the bird (look it up in your field guide), and what it was doing.

An example of a bird watching notebook

Everyone can join in on the birdwatching fun!

How To Build a Nesting Box

You can make your own nesting box with the help of an adult. The best time to put it up is in late winter or early spring. That way, the box will be in place when the birds are ready to nest. Here's what you'll need:
1" x 5" pine board, 2 feet long
1" x 6" pine board, 3 feet long
ruler
saw
drill with a 1.5" and a 0.25" bit
galvanized nails
hammer
square bend hook
(see left for instructions)

A finished nesting box

Something that your backyard birds will LOVE is bird cake!

Making "bird cake"