Project, poem, and verse

Be a Bird Scout

Just like the chickadee that we learned about, birds are fun to watch and teach us many lessons. You can find a bird guide in the library or get one from a bookstore. Take that, and along with binoculars (or keen eyesight), and you can begin your scouting adventures.

Learn to recognize the birds by their habits—

swallows glide around, catching bugs in the air
nuthatches and creepers cling to tree trunks
ducks stay in or around the water
robins, doves, and starlings eat on the ground
goldfinches and flickers fly in short swoops

Or look for colors—

blue = jays, bluebirds, and swallows
brown = wrens, sparrows, and thrushes
orange or yellow = oriole, goldfinch, or warbler
greenish = vireo, flycatcher or phoebe
black and white = nutcracker, magpie, or chickadee
black = starlings, crows, and blackbirds

Each bird has its own feather pattern, and also its own song. Learn to listen and watch for the details. Just like children, God made them all different and special in their own way. This year, see how many birds you can discover!

If I can know a bird
By head and tail and wings,
And by the way it struts,
Or tips its head and sings;

If flowers can be told
By place and hue and size,
The fragrance that they give,
And shape that never lies;

If rocks and fish and bears
Have each their certain ways—
So butterflies and trees,
And even mayonnaise;

If now I look at you
And pouts do twist your face
Or angry words are told
I see this word: Disgrace.

Or else it be a smile,
A helpful hand to cheer;
If Jesus you are like,
I’ll gladly call you “Dear.”

—Selected

A verse to hide in your heart:

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”* (Philippians 4:4)