The children were first amazed with Blue Jays that displayed for them. Woodpeckers, goldfinches, cardinals, and cowbirds are also favorites of students at North Street Elementary School in Geneva, New York.

Congratulations to teacher Tonya Luna and her students at North Street Elementary School in Geneva, New York! Tonya’s students come from a diverse range of backgrounds, and she shared that some students had no background knowledge or experience with their local birds. Through their participation in Project FeederWatch, she’s happy to report that her fifth grade students have been able to see and identify 15 different species of birds, and added that “Birds have become our overall classroom theme.”

Tonya started birding when her daughter was in third grade, and now both of them share an enthusiastic interest in birds, and they are celebrating their sixth year participating in FeederWatch at home. In fact, Tonya’s daughter is studying to become an ornithologist. Tonya saw her enthusiasm for birds and realized how easily it could be shared with the children in her fifth grade classroom through Project FeederWatch. This is the second year her classes have participated in and benefitted from the FeederWatch experience.

“Birds have become our overall classroom theme from our welcome letter, to bird-themed name tags for lockers, to door decorations,” Tonya said. “We include mini-lessons about birds every chance we get, whether it’s through reading about John James Audubon, comparing and writing about different feathers and birds, or learning about the role of birds in our ecosystems. Birds have become so central in our classroom that the students share their observations with anyone who visits. They can see a bird outside, quietly tally it on the board, and return to their work. Our observation window includes Common Feeder Bird posters and individual bird tally boards. We count and record our bird sightings every day for the entire school year.”

“The children were first amazed with Blue Jays, who put on many displays for them,” Tonya explained. “Then came the bright goldfinches. Some students really like cardinals, whereas others enjoy seeing woodpeckers. One or two have even been fond of the Brown-headed Cowbirds. They have also been able to observe a Red-tailed Hawk that perches in the evergreens nearby.”

When asked if she had any tips for other teachers about how to get their students excited about birds, Tonya’s advice was to just dive in. She suggests putting up a feeder and showing the children how to observe the birds. Helping guide students to be aware of the birds around them, and giving them opportunities to share what they see and learn can be a big help. She added: “With time and consistency, the awe takes over and soon the students will be teaching you.”

Thanks to Tonya, her class, and all of the teachers, students, and schools who have entered the contest this year! Tonya’s class and other “FeederWatch in the Classroom” winners received bird-oriented prizes from the Cornell Lab and a gift card from the sponsoring company, Wild Birds Unlimited.

This season’s BirdSpotter contest is celebrating teachers and students who enjoy birds, and (just in case you missed The Birding Wire’s earlier coverage of the previous two “FeederWatch in the Classroom” winners) you can learn about all three winning teachers and their student this winter at https://feederwatch.org/category/schools/?post_type=blog