4kb title graphic: Education Programs

8kb image of child w/birdhouse Our aim is to foster appreciation for nature among people of all ages, and particularly to help children enjoy their neighborhood birds.
To further this goal, our stores offer a variety of educational programs for children and adults.

These programs are presented by our store owners and special guests who are experts in areas such as raptors, organic gardening, bird-friendly landscaping, and bird identification. Some programs take place in our stores, and others in places like schools, community centers, and parks. Supplementary materials such as study guides, birdhouse kits, or identification charts are available with many programs for a nominal fee.

Some of our most popular programs are summarized below. Please note, however, that there are many more programs than we list here. Program directors routinely adapt presentations to the ages and specific interests of each group. If you are interested in a program, just call your local Wild Bird Center or Wild Bird Crossing for more information. (See our store list for the location nearest you.)


We are often invited to make presentations for community organizations. Our slide shows are ideal for gardening groups, luncheon meeting groups, civic organizations, and senior citizens' clubs. Here are two examples of the types of community programs we offer:

Introduction to Backyard Birding
This slide program introduces common neighborhood birds and describes ways to meet their four basic needs. It may also include a discussion of bird feeding methods.

The Plight of Neotropical Migrants
This audiovisual program was produced by Partners in Flight---Aves de las Americas, an international coalition of conservation organizations. Neotropical migrants are songbirds that summer here and migrate to Central and South America each winter. Through the slide show, you will find out how loss of habitat has caused population declines, and learn how you can participate in conservation efforts.


If you have a parent or a friend in a retirement community or nursing home, you may want to sponsor a bird viewing station. We'll help you select the right feeder and spot within viewing range of the home, or perhaps a suitable window feeder. After installing the feeder, we can provide a presentation to help residents enjoy the birds they will attract.


Bird House Building Workshop
Before they build their bird houses, children learn about bird nesting habits and how bird houses can meet their needs. For scouts, building bird or bat houses can be a fun way to meet badge requirements. These workshops are also enjoyed by children in schools, environmental clubs, summer camps, and by families gathered for community events.

Birds of Our Neighborhood
This program is ideal for classroom situations. Many teachers invite Wild Bird Center educators back year after year to teach their students about birds. They've found that our two-part program (combining presentation and application) fosters an immediate enthusiasm for birds, and an enduring sense of connection with the natural world.

The Birds of Our Neighborhood program begins with a 20-30 minute presentation involving puppets, bird calls, color pictures, and audio tapes. We teach children to identify common area birds, and to appreciate special feeding and nesting habits. To apply what they have learned, children observe birds at a feeder outside their classroom. By referring to charts and posters, they identify feeder visitors and learn to recognize common patterns of behavior.