Youth Birder
Events throughout Freeport and surrounding areas!
Beginning Birder Club
Third Saturday of the Month – September 2024 through April 2025
10:30 to 12:00 p.m.
Led by Juliet Moderow
Registration required – Contact us at [email protected] to register or get on the waitlist for the program.
Freeport Public Library, Meeting Room A/B
100 E Douglas St, Freeport, IL 61032
This will be a fun, educational program for youths to learn about different topics about birds. Lessons will be tailored for ages 6-10, but younger/older children are welcome. An adult must be present during the entire program. All sessions are independent from each other, so you are welcome to attend any that you are able.
Each program will be held at 10:30 am to approximately 12:00 pm on the third Saturday of the month. Sessions will be held at the Freeport Public Library in the Youth Services Program Room, but we will try to end the session outside to look for birds. Please dress appropriately for the weather as well.
Topics:
September 21, 2024
What makes a bird a bird?
We will learn about the unique characteristics of a bird.
October 19, 2024
Finding and naming birds
We will learn about habitats where birds can be found and how to identify local birds that can be found in the area.
November 16, 2024
Bird tools
We will learn about the natural tools that birds use (beaks and feet), especially when it comes to feeding.
December 21, 2024
Bird movement
We will learn more about feathers, how birds fly, why some birds migrate and others do not.
January 18,2025
Birds of prey
We will learn about birds of prey and do an owl pellet dissection.
February 15, 2025
Bird reproduction
We will learn about bird reproduction, egg laying, nest building, etc.
March 15,2025
Bird banter
We will learn about how birds sing and learn songs/calls of common birds in the area.
April 19, 2025
Bird conservation & Being a birder
We will learn about how to protect birds and how to be a birder!
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Pied-billed Grebes
Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebes are a type of aquatic diving bird. Although they look like ducks, coots, or loons, they are most closely related to flamingos. Often described as “part bird, part submarine,” they are known for their amazing diving skills. The genus in their scientific name, Podilymbus, means “feet at the buttocks” because their feet are close to their backside to help them propel through the water. They have lobed feet instead of webbed feet like ducks. They sure do move fast! Grebes have dense and waterproof feathers that they can adjust to change their buoyancy in the water. This allows them submerge most of their body underwater.
Pied-billed Grebes are small and chunky with a compact body and blocky head. They have a short, thick yellow-brown bill during nonbreeding season, but during the breeding season, the bill is white with a vertical black band, giving the descriptor “pied” to their name.
Pied-billed Grebes eat mostly crustaceans and small fish, but will also eat crabs, shrimps, snails, mussels, and aquatic insects and/or their larvae. A unique behavior with grebes is that they eat their own feathers and feed them to their young; the feathers act as sieves the prevent parts of their prey from passing too far into their digestive tract. Like birds of prey, they will regurgitate a pellet.
Look for these birds in freshwater areas but look fast – they dive down and swim away quickly!
* Thanks to allaboutbirds.org.
Many of these books can be found on PrairieCat; many are available for as little as 1 cent or 99 cents from booksellers on Amazon (with $3.99 for postage and handling).
Resources to help you give the children you influence the awe and wonder that only the natural world can inspire
Information on all the Freeport parks
More than books on a shelf…visit the Freeport Public Library
Events located in Freeport and Stephenson County
(The Cornell Lab of Ornithology) Includes bird information, tips, and more for kids and families
Ride or Hike the beautiful Jane Addams Trail
Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots
A program of the Jane Goodall Institute offering a variety of programs and resources
to tell the story of our changing planet through the eyes of NASA missions studying Earth and provides games, activities, and articles that make climate science accessible and engaging for children
provides resources for classroom curriculum, DIY activities, and bird activities for children at home
Many family-friendly articles; Ranger Rick family magazine
Resource Guide Supplement to Last Child in the Woods
Designed for parents, teachers, and community leaders to help them encourage children’s enjoyment of the great outdoors.
Located near Rockford, IL.
The program’s goal is to give every child in America an outdoor experience.
Learn about the importance of migratory birds and how to celebrate birds any day of the year!
