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Bird Spotting

Activity

Identify Local and Migratory Birds!

Use binoculars or simply observe with your eyes. Keep track of the birds you see and try to identify the species! Are they a year round or migratory species? Using a local guide, or an app like Merlin, record your observations and include any features that stand out to you.

Science Seed

The Rio Grande Valley is home to many birds, both migratory and year-round residents. It’s one of the largest bird migrations in the world! Birds like the northern cardinal are common in the valley and prefer brushy areas, where they eat seeds and insects. Great-tailed grackles often form large flocks in urban areas and feed on small animals and scraps. Migratory birds, like the sandhill crane and whooping crane, stop in the valley during their long journey along the Central Flyway. The region’s mesquite trees, cacti, and grasslands provide food and nesting sites, while birds’ behaviors, like the mockingbird’s songs, show how they adapt to the environment.

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earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

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join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.

This project was made possible by HEB.