Springtime is big nature study time in our house. The winter months are cold here so we tend to hibernate a little, but as soon as spring hits we can’t wait to get outside. One of our most favorite things to do is check out the birds in our area. It is very simple to do a North American Bird Nature Study with a few easy to find resources and a little curiosity.

Things to Have on Hand

When spring comes and we prepare for nature study time – in this case a North American Bird Nature Study, there are a few must have items that we pull out to get us going.

Nature Journal/Notebook

This can be one you have purchased, blank white or lined pages, or printable notebook pages. We have been using a combination of white card stock paper and printable notebook pages. Since we have spread our study out over years (sometimes adding more to a topic) we keep all our loose pages in a folder and plan to bind them when we are done.

FREE Printable Activity Book:  Creamer’s Field Student Activity Book

This printable activity book has several different birds in it like geese, ducks, birds of prey, cranes, chickadees and sparrows. Each page has a color number code so you know what color to color the bird.

Colored Pencils

While you can use markers or crayons we have found colored pencils give you the best drawing control along with a large variety of colors. We also like Twistable Colored Pencils because there is no need to have a sharpener on hand, just twist and it is like new again!

North American Bird Field Guide

We like the National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Birds of North America and Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America.

You can find a ton of great free field guides and resources in this FREE Nature Study Resources Page including How to Attract Birds, The First Book of Birds, and more!

Another great resource to use as a field guide is the iBird Pro Guide to Birds app

Two great online identification sites: North American Bird Photo Gallery and Birds of North America

Binoculars

While you can certainly observe nature without binoculars, when it comes to something like birds, that tend to be flying around or high up in trees, it can be a great help to have binoculars.

Camera

We like to have a camera on hand when we do our nature studies. While we like to at least attempt to sketch or draw in our nature journals, sometimes it is difficult to do and having a photo is a great alternative. Another reason we use the camera is for things that might not stay in place long enough for us to sketch them, like birds, butterflies and other animals.

Bird Nature Study Activities

1. Outdoor Nature Challenge: Robins

2. First Signs of Spring – North American Robin – free printables resources & crafts

3. Backyard Birds & Birds of Prey Printable Units

4. Bluebird Nature Walk – Facts & Nesting Boxes

5. Two awesome coloring books that you can use in place of drawing your own. These are great for younger children who are not yet ready to draw, as well as for us older folk who are not very gifted in the drawing department! Audubon’s Birds of America Coloring Book &  The Birdwatcher’s Coloring Book from Dover.

6. Chalk Pastel Drawing