Students Say it Best

I wanted to share the excitement of birding and nature with my elementary class. They were asked to make observations of birds for a few weeks. They would have to document the description of the bird - even if they didn't know what it was, write where they saw it and what it was doing. After several days I asked them to write a reflection about their experiences. They came to me excitedly and reported often about their discoveries. I was thrilled to share the joys they experienced. I hope you enjoy the words of my students.

They shared their discoveries about bird behaviors and their amazing lives. Who would have thought a young girl would see with her heart, observe the fierce drama of a falcon capturing a dove, or experience the intense feelings of seeing a hawk fallout as the birds were captured between severe spring storms. I wish I were as lucky as they in seeing these wonderful events that only nature can provide. I hope they may continue to see with their hearts and look at the small and simple things that can enrich their lives. The following are the words of my students.

"I own a cockatiel. Cockatiels natural habitat is the outback areas of inland Australia. You can purchase cockatiels in a pet store. They range in price from $20 to $100. Cockatiels are grey bodies, white winged, yellow headed with orange cheeks. The bird was singing the lovely song, pretty girl and he sings to us and he is a funny bird to have. He can whistle thank you when you give him food." ~ Peyton

"One morning I was talking to my grandma on the phone. Then I saw a little plump bird that was brown. It was a House Sparrow. Then I saw a Grackle chasing another bird. He was black with greenish shiny feathers. I was so excited when I saw a Robin jumping on the tramp." ~ Liz

"One day I was eating breakfast when I asked my dad if I can go to work with him. He said 'sure', I went with him to his bosses’ ranch. He was talking to his boss when I got bored and started seeking through the old tall trees. All of a sudden I saw a gray turtle dove sway out of a tree gleaming in the sun. Then I saw a big falcon come out of the same tree, swoop down in midair and caught the gray dove for lunch." ~ Marissa

"One day I was walking around at the lovely brick Karval School. I saw a beautiful black-spotted, yellow beaked Starling, Sitting on these two tall, shiny, blue lights that we walk through. It was calling another bird over and I loved the sound of it. Every time it made a sound it would move its head. It was a little bit shiny on its little wings. I think this Starling was very interesting to watch it had different ways to move and talk." ~ Kaylee

"One day in Don and Janet's back yard I spotted a red, black, brown, and gray male House Finch. Also, I saw a dark and light brown female House Finch. They were eating away. They were also making a huge mess, cracking the sunflower seeds open and throwing them all over on the sidewalk. They were very picky eaters. The male was on the right side and the female on the left. They were bobbing their heads left and right as they were chomping on delicious seeds. As they chomped away a big black bird with greenish, shiny tint on its head came up and just scared it off. He flapped his wings in their faces and they fluttered off." ~ Janna

"One day I went to my grandmas’ house and flying around their house were big beautiful hawks. The hawks were coming by the dozens. I couldn’t believe it. They were very obnoxious. They hovered over the house for over an hour. We couldn’t find out why the silly hawks were there. They glided around and around forever. From a distance they looked like a tornado! It was scary but fun at the same time. It was awesome!" ~ Taryn

"One day I saw two beautiful gray, black, and red Robins. One was plump and rounded and small. The other was small, skinny and rounded. Their skin was shiny. It was a cold rainy day after the rain stopped. It was a beautiful day. The Robins were calling to each other. The male was showing off and the female strutted over to the male. She sounded like she was singing-'Row, Row, Row Your Boat.' It was a beautiful tone. They dashed off to the West." ~ Maggie

"Last Friday about 50 hawks were hovering over my house. When they were chattering it was obnoxious. They would perch in the tree and call each other. They stayed there for about five minutes. All the hawks were brown with a hint of white. It was very interesting. After they were done at my house they went and visited my neighbors. They were all perched in their trees. You could barely see their tree. It was amazing." ~ Jaci

"Once I was in La Junta when I looked out the window and saw a beautiful Long-Billed Curlew. It was a big bird about three feet tall. It was black and a beautiful brown. We stopped for about 25 minutes and had all the big cars’ windows rolled down. The noise was very, very obnoxious. It was a big long billed bird. It was close to White Woman Creek. It didn’t move a muscle so we thought it was dead and then it moved its big old head. That is when I saw it truly in my heart." ~ Mackenzie