Life Without Students
Written by Mary Britton-Simmons
The past year has been a quiet one for the Youth Education Committee. With schools online, libraries closed, and fairs and nature celebrations postponed, our volunteers are left without children to introduce to the amazing world of birds. We miss the excitement of kids at Juanita Bay Park seeing an eagle soar overhead, a Kingfisher dive to catch an unlucky fish, a Red-breasted Sapsucker drill holes in the tree at the corner of the board walk. April and May are always our busiest months as the weather warms, and teachers look beyond their classrooms for adventures with students.
Some of those occur within their own classrooms as our volunteers bring the world of birds inside. We haul mounts of woodpeckers, owls, hummers and song birds into schools. Our suitcases on wheels are filled with eggs, feathers, magnifying glasses and nests. Students listen to the calls of Red-tailed Hawks, Black-capped Chickadees and Barn Owls and then make bird feeders or kites or bird masks. Check out the EAS website and the list of workshops provided by the Youth Education Committee, each accompanied by a PowerPoint filled with information and beautiful birds. We perusing the site, keep note that the applications for our college scholarships will be due March 31st for those interested.
We look forward to a time when we can return to doing what we love—teaching children. In the meantime, I sit at my computer taking notes from my Cornell University class on owls, information I will add to our workshops—knowing I would much rather be leading a group of children at Juanita Bay or examining intricate feathers with them in a classroom. Our time will come.