Fun and Education in a Great Backyard Bird Count

weather-appropriate days.

This weekend, from Feb. 17 through 20, I want to invite you to join “The Great Backyard Bird Count.” You can go online and simply type in “Great Backyard Bird Count” and it will come up. This free activity, that will help broaden your understanding of bird populations, is held all over the world. The Great Backyard Bird Count’s website provides very clear instructions on how to participate: children appropriately in winter clothing — coats, hats, thin layers, etc. — as well as stay indoors when the temperatures are very low or there is a severe wind chill. This is why it is so important for young children to run, walk and have free play in their own backyards and neighborhoods when the winter weather and temperatures allow. How fun and refreshing it is for early childhood classes to be able to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine on pretty,

• Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.

• Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once every four days from Feb. 17 to 20.

• Step 3: Identify all the birds you see with your choice of a bird guide. Suggestions are to take pictures of the birds, jot down descriptions of the birds you see, then use a bird guide on how to identify the different birds.

This activity can be done alone or with other people. When my son was young, living in Daphne, hard. Like I said, we’re a really talented team and I’m really proud of them.”

Auburn has put the nation on notice of its talent as the Tigers are ranked No. 2 in all three major polls.

“Expectations to me are very result driven and result oriented,” Clinard said on his expectations for the team. “I don’t really get involved with that too much, we talk about standards a lot. What are our standards academically, athletically, socially and spiritually? We just try to keep our standards very high with our work ethic, our character and our integrity. Control the stuff that we can control. We fall in love with the process and results will come with that.”

With last year’s team achieving the third-highest finish in school history, there

Alabama, he would do the Great Backyard Bird Count with his grandfather, the late Frank Jones Sr. who lived in Opelika. He would count the birds he would see in South Alabama, and his grandfather would count the different birds he would see in Opelika. It was truly a great intergenerational project in which my son and his grandfather worked together and shared their results. Both beginning and seasoned bird watchers can participate from their home, backyard or anywhere in the world. The checklists that are submitted during the event help researchers at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, how to protect them and the environment we share.

Infants and toddlers are very observant of their surroundings. Put up a bird-feeder outside a window in your home so that your child can watch the birds fly back and forth. I have thrown out will be a lot of pressure to top it in 2023.

“I think it helps when you have that nucleus of guys coming back that have experienced it and tasted it,” Clinard said on what it will take to achieve another high finish. “We had a young team last year and having everybody back, we just kind of keep doing what we do and we just kind of chip away and try to get better every month and every week. Then hopefully at the end of the year, we’re playing some of our best golf.”

Auburn will be hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament which will be beneficial to the team as they compete with some of the nation’s best.

“It’s huge,” Clinard said. “Anytime you sleep in your own bed and [get] be in your own environment. The little stuff matters like knowing where the breadcrumbs, stepped back and observed with my class of young children the different birds that come up and feed.

Senior adults in facilities or in their homes can participate in the Greater Backyard Bird Count as well. Many senior facilities hang bird feeders year round outside the windows of bedridden patients’ rooms. Observing and counting the different birds keeps their minds active and engaged.

Also, young children love to go on nature walks and on scavenger hunts for different nature items they find each season. Stress to the young nature hunters not to eat or put any of their finds into their mouths. In the winter, they can look for leaves and seeds, or look at buds on trees that are still encased and growing until springtime. Different colors of grass, berries and slices of bark can also be found on the ground after winter winds. Parents, you will be so surprised at all the different items you and your locker room is, the food and the whole deal. It’s just different when you travel versus competing at home. Then obviously the knowledge with the golf course helps them feel more comfortable on the tee boxes and certain puts than other teams will.”

As talented as this team appears to be, even more talent is on the way as Auburn has signed the No. 3 recruiting class for next season, including No. 1 recruit Jackson Koivun.

“It’s great,” Clinard said. “I mean, you got three guys coming in that are ultra-talented and have a high drive for the game. Obviously, Jackson (Koivun) kind of headlines the class, he is the best player in the country and he’s dynamic, he’s a difference maker. I think he’s an instant All-American type player. Then obviously you know, Cayden (Pope) and Josiah (Gilbert) are child will find. They get so excited to show you the different items they have found.

Ask them about the color, shape, texture, etc. of these items they find on their nature hunts. This is good for language development.

As an early childhood teacher, I keep bubbles at my fingertips year round.

In cool, winter temperatures, blowing bubbles is a young child’s favorite activity to do. The bubbles seem to hold together and freeze a little bit.

After bird watching this week, or going on winter nature hunts, why not enjoy a warm s’more treat and a warm cup of cocoa? This is a great way to celebrate warm family togetherness in the winter.

I hope you have a wonderful week, and happy bird watching.

Matthew 6:26 — “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet their Heavenly Father feeds them.”

Beth Pinyerd, Classroom Observer

very, very good players as well and they’ll be pushing hard for playing time because they can compete at a high level too.”

Auburn is hosting the Tiger Invitational at Grand National in Opelika on March 5 through March 7. This is one of the biggest events of the season for the Tigers.

“Yeah, we’re looking forward to it,” Clinard said. “It’s just an opportunity to play at home. You know, you get to play in front of your donors and your fans and your families. We don’t get to do that a lot in our sport, so it’s nice to have a home tournament and we look forward to getting out there and competing and hopefully coming out on top.”

There is a lot of potential for 2023 to be a season to remember for the Auburn Tigers golf team. The talent is there and so is the coaching.