Get ready to explore the world of birds!
With the lockdown lifting, we are looking forward to facilitating more frequent interactions with children who want to learn about birds, or get started with birdwatching. We are launching a series of walks in Bangalore which will cover a host of themes to get children excited about birds.
These walks will offer holistic understanding of birds, going beyond just spotting and identification. They will be a combination of bird walks and nature-related activities or games in an outdoor setting such as a lake or a trail.
They will take place once a month. The details will be announced on our social media handles as well as updated on this blog post. These sessions are specifically designed for children, they will specify an age group and will require registration to attend. Since there will be limited seats at each event, we will accept participants on a first come first serve basis with a preference for the desired age group mentioned in the details.
The walks will be free of cost but a Rs. 107 fee (per child) will be charged for the educational materials (pocket guide, games, stickers) provided as part of the activities. This will have to be done at the time of registration. Adults accompanying the child need not pay the fee.
We will post details of the upcoming session soon. Here are the details of the previous sessions.
Bird Walk at JP Park, Mathikere
10 September 2023
We went on a bird walk filled with excitement and curiosity. We spotted Spot-billed Ducks, herons, and peafowls. Through the spotting scope, the kids got up close to observe the eye colours of birds. During the walk, the children keenly observed the birds, focusing not on their names but on the vibrant colours, distinctive bill shapes, and unique characteristics. Our day was complete with fun games like the sound map, bird bingo, and memory game that added an extra dash of learning and fun.
Bird Walk at Yelahanka Lake
30 July 2023
This walk explored how different birds use the Yelahanka Lake habitats differently. We observed cormorants carrying nesting materials to build their nests, moorhen and swamphen parents caring for their babies, a sunbird nest, darters preening, ibises feeding and many other birds going about their business. We learned about Yelahanka Lake’s diverse habitats through a map activity that encouraged participants to observe the water, reeds, marshes and built up structures in the lake. As a result, they gained a deeper understanding of how birds adapt to different habitats.
Habitat Huntdown at Cubbon Park
14 May 2023
The walk began with drawing the different components of the Cubbon Park habitat. Then, we explored different birds in the habitat. We were witnesses to a bird crime in action – a black kite stealing twigs from another kite’s nest. The other group, on the other hand, saw an instance of cooperation among black kites where three individuals were creating one single nest together! We then discussed how the different birds that we observed use Cubbon Park to thrive – mainly discussing their sources of food, water, shelter and places to nest.
Birds on the Move at Lalbagh
16 April 2023
This was focussed on all things related to how birds move and why they move the way they do. We started the session with observing the different lake birds in Lalbagh, discussing their behaviour. Then, each participant chose one bird that they observed in detail and made notes about it in their journal. We then grouped the different behaviours they observed into categories like nesting behaviour, feeding behaviour, social behaviour and self care.
Move ‘n’ Groove with Birds at Sultanpur National Park, NCR
22 January 2023
This walk was hosted in NCR as opposed to our usual location, Bangalore. The walk happened on a foggy day with almost no visibility. We started with an energiser called “Act like a …” where we acted like different organisms in the natural world. We then talked about the different kinds of behaviours birds exhibit and went on a bird walk that focussed on not the names but the movements of birds. This was followed by the ‘All in a Bird’s Life’ game. We concluded the walk with a reflection circle where everyone shared something new that they learned during the session.
A Morning with Birds at Cubbon Park
4 December 2022
Under the shade of a huge fig tree, we began this session with a Fact or Fiction game and uncovered cool facts about birds. This was followed by a Bird Bingo game to make the participants familiar with the surroundings. We then did an exploration of the habitat where each participant picked one bird and observed it for 15 minutes. They noted down its behaviour, how it looked and what it sounded like. The session was concluded with a game called ‘All in a Bird’s Life’ where we talked about the different challenges birds face on a daily basis.
Games Galore at Courtyard Koota
27 November 2022
This session was full of fun games about birds to help kids understand bird behaviour and habitats. We started off with a movement activity where the kids acted like different things they see in nature. This was followed by the Fact or Fiction game and a bird walk where kids focussed on what birds were doing instead of just finding their names. We also played a Memory Game with our flashcards, and concluded the session with a sharing circle.
Birdy Conversations at Cubbon Park
25 September 2022
25 September 2022
In this walk, the participants opened their eyes and ears to observe Cubbon Park as a bird habitat. We first trained our ears to listen to different sounds in the milieu using a sound map activity. Then we moved on to learning about a bird’s relationship with its habitat, and discovered the different components of a habitat that a bird uses to thrive.
Habitat Huntdown at Yelahanka Lake
27 August 2022
27 August 2022
We kicked off with understanding what a habitat is and capturing the lay of the land in a map. We talked about all the living things that the Yelahanka Lake habitat might support and what they need to survive. Zooming in and across the landscape using a spotting scope and binoculars, we were on a mission to find as many microhabitats as we could.
Birdwalk at Dodabommasandra Lake
24 July 2022
24 July 2022
We kick started the walk with our Bird Detectives Bingo, and then watched the water birds at the lake. The participants searched for bird names using our pocket guides along with noticing all the quirky behaivours the birds displayed.
Here are some snippets from the sessions…
Can my kid aged 5+ join.. She is interested in birds
Yes, she can join as long as you keep in mind that the walk is designed for an older age group. She might miss out on some concepts.
I have registered my daughter 10 year old, can you please send me link to join the whatsapp group?
What kind of materials are given ? nm
Materials provided are Early Bird pocket guides, games, stickers and bookmarks.
can a 3 year old join with guardian please?
Thanks for showing interest in the walk.
The concepts and activities are designed keeping older children in mind and a 3 year old will not be able to follow.
Please check this blog for regular birding events – https://birdcount.in/events/regular-birding-events/
When is the next walk scheduled for?
Hello!
We are taking a break this month but will resume in November.
We usually conduct walks in the 3rd or 4th week of the month so please keep an eye on the blog during that time.
Please keep us posted for future walks
Can we not organise a bordwalk in Agara lake for children or for that matter Iblur lake?
Hello! Thank you for showing interest in Early Bird’s walks. We have noted your interest and will consider these venues in the future.
Could you help on the duration of the walk? As my kids have class @ 9:45a.
Hello. The duration of these walks is ~2 hours
Hi. This is Mahesh Muthane from Hosachiguru. we are a managed farmland company with an ethos of sustainability. was looking forward to a call to discuss how we could collaborate / work together. pl reach me on 9886004785