Our Inaugural Winter Bird Count
In a previous post, I described how I used primary sources and picture books to introduce my second-grade students to the history of the Christmas Bird Count, the longest-running citizen science project in the world. Today, I'm finally sharing how this primary source analysis led to our own inaugural Winter Bird Count.
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count, originally the Christmas Bird Census, is the longest-running citizen science project in the world. In 1900, Frank Chapman, an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History, put forth a call in the December issue of his magazine, Bird Lore: instead of the traditional Christmas 'Side Hunts' (where two teams competed to see who could indiscriminately shoot the most game), why not count the birds instead?
