WELCOME

We've put together these resources to help you with your interest in young birders.  If you have a suggestion or request, please let us know.

About Iowa Young Birders

Learn more about Iowa Young Birders here.

Resources

Here are a few of our favorite young birder resources for parents, educators, mentors and organizations:

All About Birds - Information about North American birds

Alan's Factory Outlet - A great info graphic on the sounds made by each of the state birds in the United States.

American Birding Association Young Birder Program -  Features summer camps for young birders, a young birder blog, and the Young Birder of the Year program

Audubon for Kids - lots of great activities, games, and resources about birds designed specifically for young birders

Bird Education Resource Directory - Includes tons of links to information about camps, activities, educational materials, and more. 

Birder's Guide  - FREE online quarterly magazine from the American Birding Association

Birding News - The American Birding Association's compilation of birding listservs from around the world

BirdSleuth - Helps students learn about how to study birds and contribute to the Cornell Lab citizen-science projects.

Bird Watcher’s Digest Young Birders Page

Bird-watching tips by HomeAdvisor - Great tips on everything from choosing the perfect binoculars to finding birds.

Bird-watching in the playground - great tips and collection of resources for birding during outdoor play.

Children & Nature Network - Offers lots of information about the why and how of encouraging children to get outside and enjoy nature.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology education resources - great educational resources about birds for teachers

Every Kid in a Park - Starting in the Fall of 2015, every 4th-grader in America will get a one-year pass for free admission to all of our public lands for them and their families.

Fledging Birders Institute - Packed full of resources for mentors, educators, and parents.

Fun Facts About Hummingbirds - A neat website found by a young birder with fun facts about hummingbirds and how to attract them to your yard

Iowa Ornithologists' Union - Founded in 1923 to encourage Iowans to study and enjoy birds

Iowa Audubon - Statewide organization dedicated to bird conservation

Race 4 Birds - Provides a blueprint for groups of individuals or organizations to create a bird race of 24 hours (or fewer) for young people.

Take a Kid Birding - Resources for mentors/educators and for young birders from the Cape May Bird Observatory

Young Birders Network - Offers many resources for young birders and for parents and mentors.

Searchable Ornithological Research Archive (SORA) - Free access to articles from North American ornithological journals.

BirdNote Daily

Welcome readers of the May 2015 edition of the American Birding Association Birder's Guide to Conservation and Community.  You're here because you are interested in the resources mentioned in Iowa Young Birders: Story of a Start-Up.  The information is right below under Free Downloads. Just complete the form and you'll get an immediate email with the download links.  We hope you'll also take a moment to answer a few optional questions.  THANKS!

Free Downloads

Iowa Young Birders has benefited the help and example of many young birder programs.  In return, we are pleased to share some of our own materials:

Iowa Young Birders Field Trip Protocol  - our working document that outlines our approach to planning and conducting young birder field trips.

Iowa Young Birders Field Trip Project Survey Data - this is the survey data from 14 field trips in 2013-2014 used to refine our Field Trip Protocol and assess our progress.

To request the download links for these documents, please complete this form.

Attention: Leaders of Young Birder Clubs

We'd love to get some discussion going among leaders/volunteers of young birder clubs and groups.  We've created a Facebook group and invite you to request to join the group.  We're just starting so let's jump in and start sharing:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/youngbirdergroupleaders/

Iowa Young Birders ABA Camp Scholarship

Iowa Young Birders offers scholarships to young Iowans age 13-18 who are attending one of the American Birding Association Summer Camps.  Read more here.

Connect with Local Young Birder Groups

Want to connect with a young birder organization in your area?  Try a Google Search and add your own state or region to narrow the results.

Myrle Burk Scholarship

The Myrle Burk Scholarship was established by funds received from the estate of Myrle Burk, a longtime member of the Iowa Academy of Science who had a strong interest in ornithology. The scholarship is awarded to college or university sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students who have demonstrated an interest in ornithology. The Iowa Academy of Science may present up to 4 awards per year with a maximum of $750 per award. A committee of Iowa Academy of Science members reviews the scholarship applications. The deadline for application is the last Friday in March.

For more information, visit the Iowa Academy of Science.

Tim Schantz Memorial Award

Former Iowa birder, Tim Schantz, died suddenly from coronary artery disease in 2001 at the age of 36 while guiding a  birding trip to St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.  Tim had a consuming passion for birds and spent his life studying them and sharing his love and knowledge with others.

The Tim Schantz Memorial Foundation was established after Tim’s death to honor his passion by promoting interest in birds and birdlife.  With these goals in mind, the foundation annually awards a scholarship trip to the Kachemak Bay Shorebird festival held each May in Homer, Alaska.

For more information, visit the Tim Schantz Memorial Foundation.

Privacy         Contact Us        Sign up for our eNewsletters

(c) Iowa Young Birders 2012-2016  All Rights Reserved
  No content or images may be copied or reproduced without permission
Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software