By paying attention to the sounds and behaviors of birds, students are introduced to a whole new way to experience and observe what’s happening in their surroundings, both during their field experience and back home. In this Focused Exploration activity, students pay attention to the birds around them. After listening as a group, students imitate calls and notice differences between them. Students think about and discuss the different messages birds might communicate, then they individually watch and listen to birds from a Sit Spot. When the group gathers again, students compare their observations and make a large map of the bird vocalizations and behaviors they observed.

This variation on the classic bird beak activity demonstrates variation of beak size within a population and shows how the proportion of big-, medium-, and small-beaked birds changes in response to the available types of food. The “birds” with binder clip “beaks” live in Clipland where the large population becomes divided into two smaller populations by a mountain range. Popcorn, lima beans and marbles are the three types of food available in the two areas. Food is spread out for the birds to eat and then after 15 seconds it is counted to see whether birds have gathered enough food to survive. The big billed birds need to eat more than the medium and small billed birds to survive and each bird needs to eat more than the minimum amount of food for survival to be able to reproduce. Four years pass during the simulation and students are asked to describe what happened to the Clipbird populations and what they think caused the changes. A link to Rosemary and Peter Grant’s research on finch populations in the Galapagos is identified for those teachers who want to connect the simulation to a real life example.

The significance of -- Bear River Bird Refuge -- is discussed in this media item extracted from the 22-part video series THE GEOGRAPHY OF UTAH, conceived and written by Albert L. Fisher, PhD (University of Utah). The series encompasses the political, cultural, historical and sociological geography of the state of Utah. It describes the activities, the land and the people. Much of the video material was videotaped on location throughout the state of Utah, giving the student and interested viewer valuable field trip experiences. === The Great Salt Lake is a primary link in the migratory flyway between Canada and Mexico. The lake shore provides resting and feeding grounds for millions of migratory birds, including blue herons, cormorants, geese, and many duck species. Most birds land in one of the five bird sanctuaries that border the lake. The largest, the Bear River Refuge, is located at the mouth of the Bear River. During late summer, as many as two million birds may be found at the Bear River refuge alone, including the largest Whistler Swan population in the United States. Lake levels are important to the bird refuges. When the lake rises above the 4,202-foot level, brackish water invades the sanctuaries and upsets the food chain. When the lake drops below the 4,196-foot level, the marshes dry out and small animals can prey upon the birds. ===

Child(ren) will read the book Mel Fell with an adult for the first time. Story will be re-read several times during the week.

This video aims to provide an illustrative lesson about the respiratory system in birds and how the adaptations of that system over time have made it different than that of other living creatures, especially mammals. Birds are omnipresent in our lives, and students will come to understand and appreciate the fascinating inner workings of these beautiful creatures. This lesson discusses avian features and differences for 20 to 25 minutes, with approximately 20 minutes of in-class student activities.