BIRD STUDY MERIT BADGE

By James Schultz Most photos by James Schultz

What will we cover today? We will cover everything

we can that can be done in a classroom setting.

We will cover some ideas for the projects in requirements 7 and 8.

We will cover how to document your projects.

We will discuss how to identify birds.

We will listen to some bird songs.

What do I have to do in order to get signed off today? What are the expectations? 1. Worksheet must be fully filled out with

quality. 2. Present evidence that you have done all of

the required projects listed. 3. Demonstrate binocular use/care. 4. Identify some bird songs. Remember…you must do all of the work, not the teacher and do it with quality!!

1. Explain the need for bird study and why birds are useful indicators of the quality of the environment.

An allusion to caged canaries (birds) that miners would carry down into the mine tunnels with them. If dangerous gases such as methane or carbon monoxide leaked into the mine, the gases would kill the canary before killing the miners, thus providing a warning to exit the tunnels immediately.

Many animals including birds are indicator species. When the birds are falling in population, being killed or found sick, it is an indicator that something is wrong with the environment.

Requirement 2 Show that you are familiar with the terms used to describe birds by sketching or tracing a perched bird and then labeling 15 different parts of the bird. Sketch or trace an extended wing and label six types of wing feathers

Requirement 3 Demonstrate that you know how to properly use and care for binoculars. a. Explain what the specification numbers on the binoculars mean. b. Show how to adjust the eyepiece and how to focus for proper viewing. c. Show how to properly care for and clean the lenses.

What do the numbers in a binocular name mean? The numbers on a binocular describe its configuration. Let’s take 8×42 binoculars as an example. The first number (8) refers to the magnification, or, how many times closer an object will appear when looking through the binocular compared to looking at the same object with the naked eye. The second number (42) indicates the diameter of the objective lens (the light-gathering lens) in millimeters. Magnification: Consider this general rule about optics: low magnification provides a wide field of view and is easy to hold steady. So although a magnification of 10, 12 or higher is available, 6, 7, and 8-power binoculars are easier to use and in many cases more practical. Aperture: In regard to the objective (front) lens size: the bigger the lens, the heavier the binocular. While a large lens may provide a brighter image (all other things being equal), the compromise is increased size and weight. On the other hand, a compact binocular fits in your pocket quite nicely, but because of its small objective lens size, it will not be as bright, especially in low light conditions such as dawn, dusk, or in the woods

The right way to clean binoculars Step 1 Remove all the loose dust from the binocular's lenses. Brush with the brush end of a lens cleaning pen. The brush is soft and won't harm the glass or coatings. (It may help to hold the binocular upside down so the dust falls away.) Or blow with a can of air (from photo store). Don't use your breath — breath includes minute droplets of water that will spot your lens. Step 2 Moisten a Q-tip with water or lens cleaning solution and float off any remaining dust. Or if your binocular is waterproof, you can actually run it under the tap (but don't squirt it hard). DO NOT use fluid designed for cleaning eyeglasses or windows, as it may attack the coatings. Step 3 Now that the dust is gone, you can wipe the lens with lens tissue, a special micro fiber lens cloth, or a very soft cotton cloth (like a piece of a clean old cotton undershirt). Do not use paper towels or facial tissue, as these are too rough. They often include wood fiber that will scratch your lenses or the coatings on the lenses. Be gentle. Remember! More binoculars have been ruined by wrong cleaning than by being dropped on the sidewalk.

Dust is often small pieces of dirt (silica). Rubbing the lens is like using very fine sand paper on it. Try blowing off as much as you can with a squeeze bottle or compressed air prior to any cleaning.

Requirement 4 Demonstrate that you know how to use a bird field guide. Show your counselor that you are able to understand a range map by locating in the book and pointing out the wintering range, the breeding range, and/or the year-round range of one species of each of the following types of birds: a. Seabird b. Plover c. Falcon or Hawk d. Warbler or vireo e. Heron or egret f. Sparrow g. non-native bird (introduced to North America from a foreign country since 1800)

Ornithologist: A person who studies birds. Are you interested in becoming an amateur ornithologist? You will need a good bird book and a pair of binoculars…But which bird book should I buy? Depends… • Where do you live? • How good are you? • Do you want drawings or real

pictures of the birds? • Want a small pocket size or a

large backpack size?

Eastern Phoebe

Requirement 5 Observe and be able to identify at least 20 species of wild birds. Prepare a field notebook, making a separate entry for each species, and record the following information from your field observations and other references. a. Note the date and time. b. Note the location and habitat. c. Describe the bird's main feeding habitat and list two types of food that the bird is likely to eat. d. Note whether the bird is a migrant or a summer, winter, or year-round resident of your area.

This requirement is going to take some time. It must be done outside and can not be done from a book, video or past experiences. Everything is fresh and new. Record all of your observations immediately in your field notebook that you will prepare ahead of time. Once you have gone outside and made your observations and identifications, you will need to research your bird species and add the new information to your field notebook.

The verbs in this requirement. Observe Identify Prepare

To get this signed off, the scout must: Make a field note book Show observations in the notebook Research and record data Must be able to identify each of the 20 species

of birds observed. The instructor will quiz you on the birds. You can bring pictures in to be quizzed on or descriptions.

OK…You’ve got your binoculars, know how to use an I.D. book, know some parts of a bird…now How Do You Identify a Bird?

Guidelines: Know your book, read it, study it What time of year? Migrants or residents What is the habitat: wetland, upland, prairie,

woods Location Look at the bird. Note:

Size of bird Patterns of color especially white Special characteristics like type of bill,

feet, shape, wing bars Special behaviors like how it flies, walks,

bobbing of tail or head…

Where is the white? ID these birds.

Learn how your book identifies birds. These are all sparrows. Look for: Streaked breast or not White on tail or not Crowned or not Shape and length of tail Special colors or patterns on

head

Identify these birds using your books.

Field Notebook Take Pictures if You Can!!

Bird _______________ Date __________ Weather _______ Time __________ Location _______ Description: Habitat: Behavior: Songs or calls: Bird Song/call: Description of the call/song: Behavior of bird making the call/song: Why making this call/song?

______ Research: Food, Shelter, Water: Migrant, resident?

Requirement 6 Explain the function of a bird's song. Be able to identify five of the 20 species in your field notebook by song or call alone. For each of these five species enter a description of the song or call, and note the behavior of the bird making the sound. Note why you think the bird was making the call or song that you heard.

Why do birds sing and make other sounds? Vocals are a way of communication. They say many different things like:

Hey! I’m male. I am strong. Come here baby! Get out of here or I will

beat the crap out of you…this is my territory.

I’m available. Look at this cool nesting

area I’ve got.

Other sounds may communicate: location, where the food is, I’m your mommy, danger, warning, for keeping the flock together, mating, location of babies, bonding with chicks… Not all birds sing to find a mate. Grouse beat their wings against the air and make a thumping sound, woodpeckers find a dead hollow tree and peck on it.

What are your birds

communicating?

Sometimes birds sound like they are saying something which makes them easier to learn.

Great Horned Owl “who, who, who, who?”

Barred Owl “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?”

The requirement says you must learn 5 songs…but why not learn them all? Get a CD of bird songs or down load them on line.

Requirement 7 7. Do ONE of the following: a. Go on a field trip with a local club or with others who are knowledgeable about birds in your area. 1) Keep a list or fill out a checklist of all the birds your group observed during the field trip. 2) Tell your counselor which birds your group saw and why some species were common and some were present in small numbers. 3) Tell your counselor what makes the area you visited good for finding birds. or b. By using a public library or contacting the National Audubon Society, find the name and location of the Christmas Bird Count nearest your home and obtain the results of a recent count. 1) Explain what kinds of information are collected during the annual event. 2) Tell your counselor which species are most common, and explain why these birds are abundant. 3) Tell your counselor which species are uncommon, and explain why these were present in small numbers. If the number of birds of these species is decreasing, explain why, and what, if anything, could be done to reverse their decline.

Bird banding a peregrine falcon at Hawk Ridge in Duluth during a fall birding field trip.

7a… Field Trip Scouts on a birding trip to Pelican lake Jared (scout) working on his birding merit badge on a Salt Lake field trip with the MOU. Jared documenting his field trip with pictures and a list of all the birds seen.

There are Birding field trips being offered in Minnesota all year long. The best times to go though are during the migration when you might see birds that do not nest in Minnesota and are just passing through. To find out about these trips, go on line and google: bird field trips Minnesota. Some of these trips are expensive, but many offered by individuals, nature centers and the MOU (Minnesota Ornithological Society) are free. The over all best times to go are in late April for shorebirds and waterfowl, mid-May for warblers and other passerines, fall in Duluth for hawks and early winter on the North Shore for Canadian migrants and big water birds. Go on the Christmas Bird Count with other birders (google this.)

http://www.mbwbirds.com/MBWeekends.html http://birding.aba.org/maillistdigest/MN02

7b…Christmas Bird Couhttp://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count and then look at “Join the Christmas bird count”

Great Gray Owl I saw on the Christmas bird count 2014

Requirement 8 Do ONE of the following. For the option you choose, describe what birds you hope to attract, and why. a. Build a bird feeder and put it in an appropriate place in your yard or another location. b. Build a birdbath and put it in an appropriate place. c. Build a backyard sanctuary for birds by planting trees and shrubs for food and cover.

You must document what you have done. This means either pictures or a written statement from an agency or your scoutmaster or another merit badge counselor, NOT a note from your parent.

For the teacher Supplies needed for the class: • Several binoculars • Cleaning supplies • Lots of bird books ie field

guides • Bird songs • ipads or computers • Bird wings (ducks) • Bird feeder designs and an

example (sunflower feeder) • Example of field book if

you have one.

Snowy owl, 2013