Little Birders, Big Lessons

BirdNote^®
Little Birders, Big Lessons
Written by Brianna Amingwa

This is BirdNote.

I’m Brianna Amingwa, a birder, environmental educator, and mom of two little bird-loving boys.

Ayden: A bird right there. Right, 
Brianna: You’re right. I see him too. What’s he doing?
Ayden: What? See what he doing?

I’ve heard people say that little kids and birding do not mix. But as a parent and educator, I’ve seen how watching birds can teach kids to observe closely, to stretch their attention span, and to build empathy for the natural world.  

         [Blue Jay]

Alan: I love the Blue Jays and because they're my favorite color… my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite birds in the whole city. 
Brianna: Nice… how do you know that's a blue jay when you see it? 
Alan: Because it's a jay and it's, and it's blue.

My kids remind me to appreciate the little things, like the birds right outside our window. And when we bird together, we all get to practice the most important birding skill of all… patience!

Alan: Waiting, waiting, waiting. 
Brianna: Mm-hmm. Watching birds… 
Alan: It's all about waiting.

         [Blue Jay]

This is Black Birders Week! To learn how to participate, follow the hashtag #BlackBirdersWeek on social media and visit BirdNote.org. I’m Brianna Amingwa.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Blue Jay ML43998451 recorded by Matthew D. Medler.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2026 BirdNote May 2026
Narrator: Brianna Amingwa

ID# AmingwaB-01-2026-05-29    AmingwaB-01