Kids and Birds—We’re Back!
Kids and Birds—We’re Back!
Christine Middleton and Jackie Mattice
It was the first time since 2019 that Wimberley Outdoor Educators was able to lead their Birding Field Trip for Third Graders to the Patsy Glenn Refuge, which is located behind the Wimberley Community Center. The event had been held annually since 2006. But COVID restrictions meant Wimberley Outdoor Educators had to suspend this and their other programs in both 2020 and 2021.
But Wimberley Outdoor Educators is back up and running. On April 5, 2022, over 160 children passed through the Patsy Glenn Refuge bird sanctuary as they participated at four learning stations. In addition to 8 teachers, they were also accompanied by an estimated 40 parents or grandparents. So this was an educational project that reached a lot of people of all ages.
The learning stations and their Master Naturalist volunteers were as follows:
Station 1: bird nesting at the kiosk
Facilitators Deb Bradshaw (leader), Sarah Carlisle, Jamie Pettit, and Christine Middleton covered these topics:
The Patsy Glenn Refuge Kiosk—The function of the kiosk and its Chimney Swifts
Chimney Swift nesting behavior
Nesting materials, nest building, egg size
Feeding young fledglings
Life cycle of these birds
Protection of nests from predators
Activity: discovering that not all eggs make it to hatching because of predation
Station 2: learning to identify birds in the bird blind
Facilitators Lynne Schaffer (leader), Connie Boltz, and Jackie Mattice covered these topics:
What birds need to survive
How to attract birds
Field marks (size, color, patterns, etc.)
How to use a field guide book (table of contents, index)
Bird songs and calls—Why do they sing?
Station 3: binocular use at field platform
Facilitators Irene Bonde (leader), Becky Denton, Sue Richter, and Christine Byrne covered these topics:
Care of binoculars: dos and don’ts
How to use binoculars and their adjustment
Viewing stable objects; viewing moving objects
Birding etiquette
Activity: a short bird walk
Station 4: bird habitat and adaptations at the meadow
Facilitators Mel Seib (leader), Susan Evans, Louise Baudoin, Suzanne Davis, Laura Lee Harris, and Katherine Senftleber covered these topics, and Jean Richmond was the timekeeper:
Birds need food, water, shelter, and space
Bird adaptations (beaks and feet)
Food sources based on adaptation
Activity: Students use tweezers for beaks, and attempt to forage for food to fill their “stomachs.”
Who Can Join the Wimberley Outdoor Educators?
Although many are Hays County Master Naturalists, any adult may join Wimberley Outdoor Educators (WOE). We have even had a high school student as a guide. The main requirements are an interest in outdoor education, a willingness to learn the material for your station, the commitment to come to the field trip rehearsal, and the stamina to be outdoors all day with the students on the field trip day. WOE will train you, and initially you will help the leaders guide the students. Then, depending on your level of comfort, you can take on as much responsibility as you want.
Wimberley Outdoor Educators holds four annual events:
A plant event for 3rd graders
A Blue Hole visit for 7th graders
A water fair for 5th graders
A birding field trip for 3rd graders
Wimberley Outdoor Educators encourage other Master Naturalists as well as others to join in providing a unique environmental experience to young people in our community. You may join as many or as few of the field trips as you would like. How do you sign up? Just contact WOE project coordinator, Jackie Mattice at texasmattice@gmail.com.