Birding Benefits for Canadian Students

Birding isn’t just a hobby, or for Scientists or just for a career!  Taking up birding can be a huge benefit to students across the spectrum from Elementary and High School classrooms through to College and University!

For Elementary School students, birding gets them outdoors, and helps them develop a relationship with nature.  Bird watching keeps students outside and active, it promotes their curiosity; it develops their practical skills and fosters creativity and innovation. All of which have indirect benefits for a range of other academic subjects.  In addition, birding and Citizen Science projects such as Feederwatch, the Great Backyard Bird Count, and CBC4Kids serve to focus the online time of young students leading to a more balanced means of personal development between nature, online activities, textbook learning, and practical experiences.

For High School students Birding continues to be a means to stay active, to ensure a healthy lifestyle, and to develop practical skills.  Experiential learning in nature gives students and young adults the chance to be Citizen Scientists by spending just a few moments each day on their phones or laptops entering what they see in nature throughout their communities. Birding, Citizen Science initiatives, conservation projects and data entry also provide wonderful opportunities for students in many communities to fulfill their required volunteer hours or to get a summer job in the outdoors!  Put another way, involvement in Birding and Citizen Science projects offers students the chance to fill in the first lines of their resume with valuable experience while helping your community, scientists around the country, and protecting the environment!

For College and University students, an interest in nature, the outdoors, Ornithology and Conservation can lead you to a range of degrees and careers. As the eminent scientist EO Wilson points out – in the 21^st century both the Scientific and Technological fields will continue to grow and produce a demand for those who are curious, who discoverer, who want to explorer, research the world, and be scientific scholars.  This means that anyone with an interest in Birding or experience in field research has a number of great opportunities open to them.  Certification and degrees in fields such as Tourism, Outdoor Education, Biology, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Geology, and of course Ornithology (to list just a few) are available to those with a passion for the outdoors and nature.  In addition employment as a field researcher, a data analyst, a scientific researcher, or outdoor adventure guide are all opportunities in high demand. 

 

For Graduate Students in particular, institutions like Bird Studies Canada offer the possibility to access a vast amount of professionally collected data ready to be analyzed and published.  All of this means that an appreciation for nature through birding is perfect for students of all ages to develop themselves, build their resumes, or to foster future career choices. 

To learn more about the benefits of including Birding and Ornithology in your classrooms please feel free to contact us at Come Walk With Us or Bird Studies Canada Education programs.

 

See you on the trail!

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