On February 26th, the Audubon Center at Debs Park teamed up with Day One to teach local youth more about our favorite topic – BIRDS! Day One is a local nonprofit organization based out of Pasadena that focuses on youth engagement and fostering healthy habits.  We are excited to partner with Day One in their Youth Advocate/Leadership Program which trains middle school, high school, and college students how to be positive role models, ambassadors for healthy lifestyles, and informed, engaged members of their communities. Each week, the Youth Advocate/Leadership group meets with different local organizations to learn about community engagement and advocacy.

ACDP staff met with 16 local students to talk about all things bird and birding. We started with a quick Birds 101 lesson where we talked about the defining characteristics of birds (all birds have wings, feathers, a beak, a specific bone structure, and lay eggs). We talked to students about “flyways” or the paths birds take during migration, migration and why birds migrate, and we explained the difference between resident birds vs. migrants (year-long inhabitants of a region and birds that migrate during winter/spring).

The students got a short binocular lesson and then we headed outside. Our staff talked about how once we start looking closer, we see that birds really are all around us!  Just in Day One’s yard in Downtown Pasadena, we saw lots of activity including Allen’s Hummingbirds, Mourning Doves, White-throated Swifts, and Yellow-rumped warblers at dusk! It’s important to pay attention to what birds we see because each tells its own story about climate change.

We talked to students about the connections between birds and climate change and the importance of taking action to protect habitat for birds and people. One of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do is planting California native plants in your backyard or local park. These plants crate bird-friendly habitat and mitigate the negative effects of climate change.

We are excited for our partnership with the Day One Youth Advocate/Leadership Program and look forward to connecting with their youth more in the future.

Read more about Day One’s Youth Advocate/Leadership Program here.

Read more about the National Audubon Society’s Plants for Birds Program here.