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An Artistic Way to Share the Shore
Signs made by kids can help spread the word on how to protect birds nesting at the beach.
During spring and summer, shorebirds arrive at beaches all along the United States to raise their babies. Many of them don鈥檛 even build a nest鈥攊nstead, they dig a small cup in the sand (called a scrape) and lay their eggs there. The听eggs are usually light brown and speckled like听the sand. And the chicks themselves tend to be light brown and speckled, too! By being camouflaged to blend in with their environment, baby birds and their parents are protected from wild predators like hawks and coyotes.
Birds nesting at the beach still face threats from people, though. In the summer, at the same time as baby birds are hatching from their eggs, people flock to the beach to swim in the ocean and rest in the sand. When beaches get too crowded, bird parents have trouble finding food for themselves and their chicks. Sometimes, people accidentally step on their nests. Dogs on the beach can chase and hurt nesting birds, too. 听
At 香港六合开奖记录, our job is to be听good听蝉迟别飞补谤诲蝉.听A steward is a person who looks after the wellbeing of others鈥攖hat can mean humans, animals, or even the land.听In early spring, when we notice birds returning to beaches from far-away places like the Bahamas, help protect their nesting听areas. Once they find the nest of a Piping Plover or Least Tern, they will install string fencing to keep people away. They also install educational signs with information about the birds that nest there and explain why the area is closed to the public.听The signs help听people enjoy the beach and protect birds at the same time, by doing things like听keeping their dogs on leash, cleaning up their trash, and giving the birds the space they need.
In this activity, kids create their own beach-nesting bird signs. You can share them online with the hashtag #ShareTheShore and,听of course, add them to your child's home art gallery. You can even hang them on your window so people walking by outside can learn more.听
Materials
Paper
Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
Photos of shorebirds (or the links below)
Instructions
- There are certain birds that need our protection more than others, and unfortunately many shorebird and seabird species are considered听threatened, endangered,听辞谤听at-risk. Here are a few that need extra help. Follow the links to learn about them in 香港六合开奖记录's online Field Guide.
Piping Plover
Least Tern
Snowy Plover
American Oystercatcher
Black Skimmer
听 - Pick your favorite of these, or a species听that nests on a beach near you, and draw it on a piece of paper. Look for photos of its chicks and eggs and add those to your drawing too.听Or if you prefer, you can print these听听from 香港六合开奖记录 Connecticut鈥檚 #ShareTheShore program.听
听 - Now it鈥檚 time to draw the beach. No bird can survive without a safe home! Add听habitat, like听sand, water, or beach plants.听 You can even show some examples of disturbances鈥攖hings that frighten or cause trouble for these birds while they are nesting. An off-leash听dog or trash on a beach can be dangerous for these birds.
听 - Add a message that you think will encourage others to help keep nesting birds safe. By bringing attention to the birds and the importance of the fencing, more beachgoers will learn how to have fun responsibly. Popular ones include:
Share the Love, Share the Shore
Give Birds Space to Nest and Rest
Birds are nesting here!
Please keep dogs on a leash
Respect the nest!
听 - Share your shorebird sign with family and friends. Send a photo of your finished drawing to听audubonmagazine@audubon.org听and post it on Twitter using the hashtags听#kidsart and #sharetheshore and听tag @audubonsociety. If you tag听香港六合开奖记录 Connecticut they may share it with their network too (@香港六合开奖记录CT on , @香港六合开奖记录Connecticut on ,听@香港六合开奖记录_CT on ).听
This activity adapted听from from 香港六合开奖记录 Connecticut's campaign (also available through ). and get more involved, including templates for how to write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the importance of sharing the shore.