Nate's Story Page 7

  *On behalf of the birds he loves so much, Ray has donated the proceeds from this essay to the Migratory Bird Center based at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC. Find out who the bird of the month is (and more) at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds.

  Stick the BIRD IDENTIFICATION CARD from the back of your book in your back pocket and start looking for birds!

  Keep a Lookout for Birds:

  •in the sky •in the trees •on the pond •in a park

  •on wires •under bridges •on the ground •on rooftops •at the beach

  Fine, Feathered Friends

  Use a felt-tip pen to put a check next to the birds you see on your ID CARD.

  Home Tweet Home

  Make nesting birds welcome by providing short pieces of string, yarn, or rags hanging from branches. They also like dog hair, lint, and dried grass.

  Make a bird bath by filling an upside-down garbage can lid or shallow pail with pebbles and water.

  Make a bird house by hanging a basket or wooden box from a tree or hook.

  Cheep Trills

  Listen for quacks, honks, whistles, chirps, and clicks.

  Try to imitate the bird sounds that you hear.

  Curl your tongue, fill it with spit, and whistle. Hooting owl, right?

  Beaks ’n Bills

  The shape of a bird’s bill tells you what it eats and how it eats it. Try to find birds with beaks and bills that are hooked, cone-shaped, flat and wide, expandable, or tubular.

  Birds of a Feather

  Not all groups of birds are called flocks. Geese gather in gaggles; crows crowd in murders; swans swim in wedges; larks rise in exaltations; jays bond in bands; and owls—well, why don’t you make up a name for a group of owls yourself?