For our first presentation of 2014 we made a visit to the Astley Beavers pack in Astley Green. We've been here before to see the 1st Astley Gillwell Cubs, but this was a much younger group aged between 6 and 8 years old, and so we had to adapt our material to suit them.
Martyn began the presentation with a cut down version of our usual introduction about who we are and why we're visiting groups of youngsters in Beavers, Cubs and schools.
Then he showed a video of a Barn Owl and a Kestrel both hunting for food in the snow, to explain why we're interested in birds - this captivated the boys, especially when graceful creamy white Barn Owl flew silently over the snow listening for mice.
The boys held their collective breath when the Kestrel mobbed the Owl trying unsuccessfully to make it drop the mouse it had just caught.
A funny moment was when the Kestrel returned to its icy telegraph pole and skidded across the top and off the pole - fortunately it can fly and so didn't come to any harm!
The video finished off with a shot of the Barn Owl swallowing the mouse whole and we all watched with wonder as its tail and back legs slowly disappeared down the Owl's throat - luckily we'd all had our tea beforehand!
After the video, Martyn went on to quickly describe four birds that can easily be seen in most gardens - the Blackbird, Blue Tit, Goldfinch and Collared Dove. This was done with the aid of RSPB pictures projected on to a screen and the sound of each bird's song or call. Tony then covered another four birds - the Chaffinch, Great Tit, Magpie and Woodpigeon. These birds were chosen because they can be seen on most days.
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| Making the Feeders |
Following the presentation, Brian then described how a simple bird feeder can be made from a recycled plastic bottle, some garden wire and a fatball. He gave very clear instructions in an excellent step by step demonstration of how to make the feeder, which everyone found easy to understand. Two tables were then set up fro the boys to work on and the materials were handed out.
With help from the Beavers leaders and the L.O.S. team, work then began on making the feeders. There was the constant hum of enthusiastic chatter as the feeders took shape, and one by one the finished products started to appear. All the boys were very pleased when they'd completed their own feeder and they started to think about where they could hang them up at home.
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| The Finished Product |
After this practical activity the boys sat back down and Martyn told them about the Big Garden Birdwatch event at Pennington Flash this Sunday (26 January) where we will be taking guided birding walks around the hides. A letter and bird checklist was handed out about the event for each of the boys to take home to show their parents. The L.O.S.Young Birders' Club website was briefly mentioned and displayed.
Finally we finished the session off with a question and answer quiz about the birds we had described earlier using some photographs - the Beavers were really keen show that they had remembered the information discussed earlier and most of the questions were answered correctly. It was really good to see how enthusiastic and interested they were.
At the end of the session, the Beavers thanked us for coming and we all went home very happy. Hopefully we'll be coming back some time soon to do some field work looking for birds with binoculars.
It's that time of year again, the last weekend in January when the RSPB asks us all to take part in an hour of recording the birds in our garden, parks and schools.
Bird populations are a great indicator of the health of the countryside. That's why it's so important to take part in surveys like the Big Garden Birdwatch to keep an eye on the ups and downs of the wildlife where we live.
To recognise this national initiative, the Leigh Ornithological Society is holding an event in partnership with Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (WLCT) at Pennington Flash from 10am to 3pm on Sunday 26th January.
We're particularly keen to get young people involved in birding, nature and the environment, but all the activities are equally suitable for adults and families.
This year there will be stalls manned by the RSPB,Greater Manchester Ecology Unit and the Friends of Lilford Park as well those from the L.O.S. and WLCT.
The activities will include:
- Guided birdwatching walks to and from the main bird hides
- Free bird ID sheets and identification help from experienced LOS members
- Making bird feeders with the WLCT staff
- Nature and wildlife quizzes with the GM Ecology Unit
- and hopefully a birds of prey display (to be confirmed)
The RSPB will be giving out information about how you can join their organisation and so gain free access to their many bird and nature reserves around the whole country, as well as having books, bird food and other products available to buy.
We hope you can join us at Pennington Flash from 10am onwards and come for a walk round the hides to see which birds we can see during this exciting season. We'll lend you some binoculars or a spotting scope and give you a free bird ID checklist to use as we walk round.
You can also take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch at home or in school by following the links shown below:
Why not have a look at the report of last year's event here on our Young Birders' Club Website: Big Garden Birdwatch 2013 - hopefully it won't be as cold this year!
See you soon
Leigh Ornithological Society's Young Birders' Club Team
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