Recently I had a 100ft tree removed from my garden, unfortunatley it was blocking light into the back of the house also it was far too close to the house and could cause foundation problems so we had no choice but to have it removed.
However we did keep one branch, for the intention of building a Bird tree/house.
And here it is
Apart from sitting in the garden relaxing watching the bird come down to feed, Birds are also very useful for your garden, as they love to eat pests that love to eat your plants.
Bird Watching with Kids
If you have been thinking what to do with the kids, here is a fun family way you could spend a weekend and have a break from the activities that can tire you.
Turn to nature and go bird watching, you could start slowly by watching the birds in your garden, if you feel creative you could build a bird table or hang some bird feeders around your garden to encourage the birds into your garden so the your children can learn about the local species..
Go to your local library or bookshop if you prefer and grab yourself a good bird guide, try to find a book that is easy to read and contains colourful pictures to help keep your children interested.
Take the kids out to your nearest natural trail, not only will they have fun looking for different bird you will be gently strolling giving you exercise and fresh air, also it may inspire your children to have more interest in the environment,inspire them to care more for the environment.
If you feel you need help looking and naming the birds, at most natural reserves you should be able to find a guide who will know exactly where to go to discover these amazing flying creatures.
A good guide will also teach children what they should or should not do in different situations like when they find a bird’s nest, bird’s eggs and even newly hatched chicks. Part of the guide’s responsibility is to spur interest on birds and nature, if possible. A challenging job for a guide, but as parents you have a share to that responsibility as well.
The second important thing that you will need would be a good pair of binoculars. You can find binoculars for kids in the market. You might want to think of settling for those kinds so your child can properly hold them. They might find it difficult to hold the big ones. Another option would be to position the binoculars to focus on the bird feeders and then mount it on a tripod so your child doesn’t need to hold it.
You could make it more interesting by taking photos of the birds and keeping a journey or a scrap book of your weekend bird watching, when winter comes it will be a nice way to sit down and chat about memories of your fun Bird watching weekend.
Bird watching is a great way to bond with your children, its hard to chat with your child when riding on the Big Dipper in a theme park, it will also help your child to develope new skills, not forgetting the healthy aspect of exercise and clean fresh air.
