Category Archives: Education

October 13, 4:30-6pm Learn birding basics with Birdeez at Ventura’s Foster Library

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On October 13th from 4:30 to 6 pm, I will be teaching birding basics. This class is aimed at all ages, so bring the family!

The Foster Library is located at 651 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001. Visit their official site for more info.

We will cover the basics of bird identification in this interactive workshop. I will show parents and children how to connect to nature using play, careful observation, books and smart phone technology. A smart phone is not required for this workshop but you may optionally download Birdeez for your iPhone at www.GetBirdeez.com

Read the official release

Hope to see you there!

Connecting to Birds with Birdeez – Solvang Library 2 PM Saturday July 13

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Screen Shot 2013-07-12 at 3.26.41 PMI will be teaching the basics of bird identification and demoing Birdeez for folks at the Solvang Branch Library 1745 Mission Drive in Solvang tomorrow, July 13th, at 2 PM.

This is an event for adults and children, so bring your family if you are in the area! I hope to see you there!

More information on the flier: NatureTrack Connecting to Birds Jul 2013

Birdeez Adventure – Tree Swallows at Lake Los Carneros June 16th

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Conservation will not happen unless there are people taking a hands on approach to the natural world. This is just one of the reasons why we at Birdeez have been volunteering with several bird projects conservation projects in the Santa Barbara area.

Today, you can see the first video in our series on the Tree Swallows of Lake Los Carneros. Tree swallows were locally extinct when the Santa Barbara Audubon Society put up their bird boxes. Now they are back, and we get to watch them grow! Check it out.

Keep reading for a full summary of the day’s events. Continue reading →

Meet the Birds of Eyes in the Sky

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I got to meet up with the Eyes in the Sky program at Santa Barbara Natural History Museum last week. Here are four of their educational birds and docents.

Here are the birds by name, species and handler!

  1. Kanati, a Male American Kestrel. Handler Chris.
  2. Athena, a Barn Owl. Oops! I forgot her handlers name! Sorry.
  3. Ivan, a Red-tailed Hawk. Handler David.
  4. Kisa, a Peregrine Falcon. Handler Carolyn.

We’ve got a project in the works with Eyes in the Sky. More info on that to come.

Birdeez Bird Father of the Year: The Great-Horned Owl

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Not all bird fathers invest in their family, but this Father’s Day we’d like to take a look at one HOO does.

Great-Horned Owl Mom and Chick waiting for Dad to Return

Great-Horned Owl Mom and Chick waiting for Dad to return with food. Photo by Ken Bosma

The Great-Horned Owl dad puts in an epic effort every nesting season. Great-Horned Owls are one of the earliest breeding birds in North America. They start nesting in January or February, meaning that in many places the eggs could freeze if left unattended. Mom needs to stay on the nest and Dad needs to bring home the squirrel, or mouse, or rat, or even skunk! Great-Horned Owls are the only bird that regularly feeds on skunks. Yum!

But it doesn’t stop there…

Continue reading →

Slate is WRONG – Bird Apps are great for kids and birds!

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A Slate article posted yesterday “Birding Applications: Great For Kids, Bad for Birds?” has a title that is misleading at best, and at worst an outright lie. Strong words, I know, but I think warranted because getting children outside and learning is an imperative for society and a focus of ours at Birdeez.

Jason Bittel begins with a sentiment we can agree with:

Getting kids into nature is a tough sell today. Inside, we have computers, televisions, video games, and climate control. Outside, there are mosquitoes, sunburn, and poison ivy. Of course, these two worlds are not inherently incompatible, and smartphones are starting to provide a link between them.

After that point, children completely fall out of the article. There are no children with smartphones running amok destroying birds with their apps. Continue reading →