Birding Expert visits NPH-DR

Below is an article that I wrote for NPH publications... just thought I would share it with you!

Birding Expert visits NPH-DR

This week, numerous children here at the NPH home in the Dominican Republic had the opportunity to learn a little more about the birds around the property on which our home lies. As a part of the Naturalismo y El Medio Ambiente (Naturalism and the Environment) course taught to students fourth grade and down, each class spent an hour attempting to quietly walk through less developed areas of the property, taking notice of the perches, flight, and sounds of nearby birds.

It all began with a visit from bird expert and owner of Tody Tours (a bird tour company here in the DR), Kate Wallace. Kate led bird walks around our property this Monday for both the second and fourth grade classes, lovingly sharing her knowledge of Dominican birds with the children. At one point, she even had all of the children laying in the grass playing dead to see if the vulture above would believe they were food!

Kate also lead an early morning bird walk for some of the older children with specific interest in the topic. As the sun was rising and the tropical air was still brisk, the group was able to see and hear many more of the property´s numerous bird species. From this walk has stemmed the start of a bird club here at the home, who will be creating posters to help teach the rest of the children to identify our many birds, and sharing their excitement with fellow pequeños!

The events of the week were organized by Project Green volunteers Christina Carson and Ingrid Hannan with help from employee Marijo Rozycki who hope it will spark continued interest in appreciation for the wild birds and animals of our home.