RSPB BRILLIANT BIRDS ACTIVITY PACK - GIRLGUIDING LASER
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RSPB
Brilliant Birds
activity pack
In partnership with Girlguiding London
and South East England Region
Funded by the Sussex
Ornithological Society
RSPB
Brilliant Birds
activity pack
Welcome to the RSPB bird pack! This badge pack was designed
by members of The Senior Section working on their Queen’s Guide
Award as part of the Girlguiding London and South East England
Region (LaSER) and RSPB partnership. The activities aim to
encourage Rainbows and Brownies to spend more time in the
great outdoors and connect to nature.
The aim Rainbow units must complete three sections and
Brownie units must complete five.
The aim of this pack is to help Leaders, give girls Each activity is designed to take 30 minutes.
a first-hand experience of nature and learn how to Activities MUST be completed outdoors either at a
record and study wild birds. reserve, Girlguiding campsite or an outdoor space
near where your unit meets. Check each activity to
see where the best place to do it is.
The activities e
How to get the badg
Each section has two activities. You only need
to complete one from each section. Generally Tell us how you got on and what the girls thought of it
activity 1 is geared towards Rainbows and is slightly by completing the order form on the RSPB Girlguiding
easier; activity 2 is geared towards Brownies. It is up LaSER partnership page on the Girlguiding LaSER
to you which activities you choose to do but you MUST website. Badges cost £1 plus postage and packaging.
complete Spot that bird as one of your activities.
Spot
that bird!
Where can you complete the activity?
Activity 1
RSPB reserve, Girlguiding campsite, natural green space
or urban open space.
Find a quiet spot with trees and hedges nearby.
Sit the group down quietly. Look and listen for birds
and use the spotter sheet to work out what the birds
Which season?
are. Tick off birds you see on the sheet.
Autumn, winter or spring.
It is important to spot and count birds all year
round; it can help us understand if birds (and other Activity 2
animals) are struggling to survive. The more we
observe the more we understand and the more we To start take a look at the spotter sheet – can you
can help. Spotting birds is a fun activity to learn. tell the difference between different birds? Go on a
30 minute walk to spot birds. Keep your eyes and
ears open, use the spotter sheet to work out what the
birds are and make a record of what you see.
At the end of your walk as a unit record all of your
findings onto the bird survey form. We will ask you to
Top tips for Leaders tell us what you saw when applying for your badges.
sheet from our
• ownload your spotter
D
Girlguiding
partnership page on the
LaSER website.
u identify birds is
• A great way to help yo
r, beak and legs.
to compare size, colou
d guide book or
Take out an RSPB bir
ntifier.
use the RSPB bird ide
oculars out with
• Why not try taking bin
oculars activity.
you – see the barmy bin
ening skills to
• Practise looking and list
you start looking
calm the group before
the games page.
for birds, take a look at
reserve to spot
• Why not visit an RSPB
Don’t forget to ask
more unfamiliar birds.
otter sheet.
for the site-specific sp
3
Barmy
binoculars
Where can you complete the activity? Activity 1
RSPB reserve, Girlguiding campsite, natural
green space or urban open space.
Stand or sit everyone in a line arm’s length apart from
anyone else. Ask one of the Leaders to stand a couple
of metres away from the group. Ask everyone to stare
Which season? at the Leader and then bring the binoculars up slowly to
Any time of year. their eyes without looking away. Can everyone see the
Leader? Now use the binoculars to spot other interesting
things in the distance, to look for birds in the surrounding
Using binoculars can be great for helping us see
trees, bushes or green spaces.
things far away, but they can be tricky to use. Use this
handy how-to guide to learn how to use these brilliant
binoculars. Always use the safety strap and never
walk whilst looking through binoculars.
Activity 2
Spread the group out in a green space an arm’s
length apart and focus on an object nearby. Continue
Don’t forget to stare at your object and slowly bring the binoculars
gile – be careful not up without looking away. You should still be able to see
• inoculars are very fra
B your object and follow it. Now without looking through
insides are more
to bang them about; the the binoculars can you see any birds in the distance?
outsides.
easily damaged than the Practise your binocular skills to see them up close
y – many have
• Always carry them safel enough to identify them.
t around your wrist
straps that you can pu
n’t drop them.
or neck so that you do
an – blow away any
• Keep them dry and cle
lenses and then
dust and sand from the
cloth.
wipe them with a soft
using binoculars,
• Always stand still when
g through
never walk along lookin
binoculars.
4
Top tips for Leaders
• If practising with the Le
ader, why not stick a • If the image you see in
picture on their front to your binoculars is
see if the girls can spot blurry, gently turn the
what it is. wheel in the centre of
binoculars until the im the
age is sharp. You may
• Before getting the binoc
ulars out, try using your need to refocus if follow
ing a flying bird.
hands as binoculars or
to practise focusing on
a pair of cardboard tub
es • Some binoculars have
adjustable eye cups.
objects. Eye cups should be pu
• When you look through
your binoculars you ne
ed
people who don’t wear
lled or twisted out for
glasses and pushed
to look through both ey right in for people weari
es at once. Ask the gir ng glasses.
how many circles they ls
can see. They should
be able to see one; if only
they see two ask them
push the two eye piece to
s together until they se
just one circle. e
5
Neat
nests
Where can you complete the activity?
Girlguiding campsite or natural green space.
Activity 1
What do you think birds make their nests out of? They
need to make it safe and warm. They don’t have bricks
Which season?
to build houses or blankets to keep warm. Pretend you’re
Any time of year.
a bird and make your own nest. Look around you and
find different materials, like grass, leaves and twigs to
Most birds lay their eggs in nests. It is a safe and make a nest for a bird.
warm place for them to lay their eggs and look after
their young. Discover what it is like for a bird to make
a cosy nest.
Activity 2
What do you think goes into building a nest? Think
about the materials a bird might find to make their
Top tips for Leaders nests. Go out to collect natural material and weave the
materials together in the shape of a bird’s nest only
LY collects natural
• ke sure your unit ON
Ma using two fingers, copying a bird’s beak! Once you have
ground.
objects they find on the built your nest see if you can place it in a tree. You never
ing living from trees
• Do not pick or pull anyth know, you might make a family of birds very happy!
and plants.
nests go for a walk
• Before you make your
es, hedges, on rivers
to spot real nests in tre
or ponds.
ne in pairs.
• This activity is best do
it to build a large
• Why not work as a un
y Eagle eyes
nest and use this to pla
from the games page.
6
Art
attack
Where can you complete the activity?
Activity 1
Girlguiding campsite or natural green space.
Use natural materials such as leaves and twigs to make
Which season? a picture of a bird. It can be a bird you have seen or
Autumn and winter. an imaginary one. Give your bird a name and make
up a story about it. Where does it live? What does it
eat? Leave your picture where it is and let other people
Birds are all different sizes, shapes and colours. be surprised by your art; you might even get a few
Become an artist and use the things around you to
animal admirers!
see if you can make a picture of a bird.
Activity 2
Top tips for Leaders
Pick a bird on your spot sheet and make it out of natural
• efore creating your na
B
tural artworks check materials. Think about colours and textures to make it
the area for, and remov as accurate as possible. When you have finished, make
e, litter and hazards.
• Encourage the group
to think about the an outdoor gallery and visit each other’s pictures. Can
different features and you guess the type of birds other Rainbows or Brownies
body parts of the birds
.
• Why not take a picture
and share it with us,
have made?
email info@girlguiding
laser.org.uk and put
“Feedback for RSPB”
in subject line.
7
Land
to air
Where can you complete the activity? Activity 1
RSPB reserve, Girlguiding campsite, natural green space
or urban open space.
How long does it take for a bird to get from land to the
air? Using a stop watch, find out! Keep your eyes open
Which season? for a bird taking off; as soon as they do hit the start
Any time of year. button. Stop timing when the bird is in clear sky. How
long did it take? Try timing different birds. Are some birds
faster than others? Pair up with a friend. Each pick a
Many of a bird’s bones are hollow which makes their bird that looks like it’s going to take off and have a race.
bodies very light, and they have strong chest muscles Which bird will win the race?
that move their wings. These are the things that help
birds fly. Taking off uses a lot of energy; smaller birds can
do this by jumping up while larger ones take a run up.
Activity 2
Get spotting or use binoculars to watch birds taking
flight then try this activity! You can identify a bird by the way that it flies. Most
birds fly in a straight line but some have distinctive flight
patterns. For example finches fly in a bouncy rollercoaster
Top tips for Leaders way; a kestrel hovers in one place moving its wings
quickly. Some birds like gulls and buzzards circle up
rk well together.
• These two activities wo high, gliding and soaring, moving their wings slowly, while
e the girls to sit very others such as blackbirds fly fast, flapping their wings
• These activities requir
action; why not do an
still to see the birds in over short distances. Find a quiet place to sit and spot
ed by a tuning-in game
active game first follow the different ways birds fly, then look closely to spot any
from the games page. differences in wing shape and how they hold them.
related to saving
• Bird flight patterns are
is short bursts of
energy, bouncing flight
ir wings in, soaring
flapping and folding the
rm air currents.
flight makes use of wa
8
Bird
homes
Where can you complete the activity?
Girlguiding campsite, natural green space or urban
Activity 1
open space.
Go on a walk to look for nests to see what they are
made from. Look for and collect natural materials such
as leaves, grass, moss and small twigs to make a
Which season? nesting ball for a bird. Use a piece of netting such as
Spring. a net from a bag of oranges or a piece of wire and fill
with your bedding material. Tie a knot in the top and tie
the bedding ball to a tree. Birds will then be able to take
Birds all live in different places and use different
natural material and make a new nest. Over the next few
material as bedding. We can help birds by giving
weeks watch out to see who visits.
them nesting material and safe places to make nests
such as bird boxes. Why don’t you help out your local
birds by making nesting balls and bird boxes?
Activity 2
To encourage birds to nest in your green space make
Top tips for Leaders a nest box. This is a straightforward activity using
one plank of wood which you measure and saw into
• ctivity 2 should be do
A
ne in small groups pieces then nail together, following the RSPB nest box
such as Sixes with a su instructions. Once the box is built, choose a suitable
itable number of
adults supervising; wh place for it to go. You need to be able to reach it to check
y not complete over
several weeks so every and clean it, away from cats and other predators and
one gets to make one.
• See the RSPB website
to work out where to
direct sunlight. Also make sure the birds have a clear
flight path into it!
site and how to clean
your bird box.
9
Bird
tunes
Activity 1
Where can you complete the activity?
RSPB reserve, Girlguiding campsite, natural green space Sit down quietly to listen to the different bird sounds.
or urban open space. Can you imagine what the different birds look like based
on their sound and can you spot the bird making the
sound? Try getting everyone to work together listening to
Which season? the bird and pointing to where the sound is coming from.
Spring, autumn and winter. Pick your favourite sound and listen carefully. Can you
repeat the sound and add your own actions?
Birds all make different sounds. If you are quiet, you
can pick out the different sounds they make. How many
different birds can you hear? Sometimes it is easier to
Activity 2
hear birds than to spot them.
Sit quietly to listen out for different bird calls. Try to
concentrate on one bird at a time. Working out the
Top tips for Leaders
difference between bird calls can be tricky but some
songs sound like words which can help you identify
es rather than their
• umans rely on their ey
H them. How many on the list can you hear in your
to hear birds than see
ears, it is often easier green space?
ity try some listening
them. Before the activ
and Listening Circle to
games like Deer Ears
ds; see the games
help tune in to bird soun
page.
calls from the RSPB
• Why not listen to bird
out; choose five
website before you go
have all heard of.
common birds the girls
g
u have learnt by playin
• Practise the songs yo ge .
games pa
Find Your Flock from the
Blue tit “tsee, tsee, tsee, chu,
chu, chu”, very high pit
Robin song is ched
soft and sad in autum
n, the rest of the year
oo, tweedle-eedee, tw it sounds like this “twee
eedle-oo tweedle”, its dle-
Blackbird is beau wa rni ng call is “pip, pip, pip”
tiful and tuneful like a
flute, its warning call is
“chook, chook, chook” short and high pitched
Sparrow “cheap, cheap, cheap,
cheap”
Chiffchaff “chiff chaff, chiff chaff”
Great tit ”teacher, teacher”
Coal tit “titchew, titchew” it soun
ds like it’s sneezing
Collar dove “I dooo
on’t know, I doooon’t kn
ow”
10 Woodpigeon “my TO
E hurts mummy, my TO
E hurts mummy”Bird track ing
detectives
Where can you complete the activity?
Activity 1
RSPB reserve, Girlguiding campsite or natural
green space.
Explore the local area looking for signs birds leave
Which season? behind. Look for feathers, bird poo, footprints, nests,
broken egg shells, bones, holes in trees, and signs of
Any time of year, best after wet weather.
feeding. Take out paper and pencils to draw and label
what you have found.
It’s time to use your detective skills and track down
some birds.
Activity 2
Top tips for Leaders Although birds can fly they still have to walk sometimes,
s; make sure girls just like us! And just like us they sometimes leave tracks.
• Birds can carry disease Go for a walk in your green space. Look closely in
y handle any bird
wash their hands if the muddy places for bird prints. Most birds have four toes,
objects they find. usually three facing forward and one facing backwards.
tracks sheet to help
• Use the RSPB animal See if you can follow the tracks and see where they
ns you have found.
identify tracks and sig went. Are birds the only animals that leave tracks? Can
ing glasses to look
• Take out some magnify you find any other tracks? Who might they belong to?
s and objects you find.
more closely at footprint
11Games
“Tuning-in” games Active games
If your girls are new to outdoor activities or you want Eagle eyes
some activities to help them to calm down, focus This game is like hide and seek with an eagle (the
and tune-in to nature before you start, try some of spotter) and the prey (the hiders). The aim is to get as
these activities. close to the eagle as you can without being spotted.
The last one to be spotted is the winner.
Deer ears
1. The eagle has a small space which is marked out as
Cup your hands behind your ears, this makes it easier a “nest”.
to hear; move your hands about to direct where you want
2. A
nnounce how long the eagle will count for. Around
to hear. If your group feels comfortable enough ask them
40–60 seconds. The eagle covers their eyes and
to close their eyes and listen for two minutes; closing
starts to count and the prey go and hide.
your eyes helps to “tune-in” to the sounds. Try this in
different locations. 3. Announce you’re opening your eyes by saying “The
eagle’s eyes are open.” You then look to see if you
Listening circle can spot any prey. You can walk around your nest but
Stand everyone in a circle and ask them to make their cannot leave it. Any prey that is spotted must come
hands into fists and close their eyes. Tell the group that and sit by the nest.
they are covered with a blanket of silence so must make 4. When you can no longer see any prey, close your
no noise. Ask them to listen and raise a finger each time eyes and start counting. This time count 5 or 10
they hear a new sound. Raise the blanket of silence and seconds less. The girls need to find a new hiding spot
ask them what they heard. If you prefer you could just at least five steps closer to you.
listen for different birdsong. 5. Repeat, counting less each time until there is only
one prey left. They are the winner. Pick a new eagle,
Silent walking or start again.
Stand still in a space and close your eyes. What can the
girls hear? Then get everyone to open their eyes and
look around them, what can they see? Ask everyone to
wander around the area, quietly and slowly, to see what Find your flock
ds from the bird tunes
they can spot. Then sit or stand in a circle and calmly Choose 4–6 of the bir
me of one bird to each
talk about what everyone saw. activity, whisper the na
nk about (but not say)
girl. Ask the group to thi
that their bird makes.
what sounds they learnt their
dy, ask them to make
When everyone is rea
eryone making their
sound. Can they find ev
e has found their
sound? Once everyon
all the same bird.
flock – check if they are
12Recapping games
Owls and crows
This is a simple running game to reinforce what has
been learnt.
1. Put the girls in two lines facing each other. One line
are crows and the other are owls.
2. Give a true or false statement for example: blackbirds
have yellow beaks – you might want to have created
a list of statements of things you have learnt that you
want to recap.
3. If the statement is true the owls chase the crows if the
statement is false the crows chase the owls.
4. If the owls chase the crows and one gets tagged she
becomes an owl and vice versa. The game finishes
when all the players end up on one side of the line.
13What is this
all about?
RSPB and Girlguiding LaSER
partnership
The partnership was formed through a mutual passion The partnership will:
to help connect more young people to nature. We
aim to inspire thousands of girls about wildlife and the
• upport Girlguiding LaSER volunteers to develop
S
their skills and confidence in connecting young
natural environment, by supporting Girlguiding LaSER people with nature and show that they have
volunteers to develop their skills and confidence in increased in that confidence.
connecting young people with nature through:
• ive Girlguiding LaSER’s young members an
G
• Programmes of events for girls. increased number of connections to nature
• eveloping and improving self-led resources and
D experiences and through that provide evidence of an
infrastructure at Girlguiding LaSER campsites. increased emotional affinity.
• eveloping relationships with local units and reserves
D • reate a legacy of improved resources for connecting
C
through events, led and self-led activities. girls to nature, including enhancements to sites that
• Developing training and resources for Leaders. Girlguiding LaSER own or manage.
• Increase the number of nature-based sessions
led by Girlguiding LaSER Leaders each year at
unit meetings.
girlguidinglaser.org.uk
14 rspb.org.ukWhy is this important? Sussex Ornithological Society
The recent RSPB State of Nature report shows that The Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) has kindly
nature in the UK is disappearing – 60% of species donated the funds to produce this bird activity pack and
assessed have declined over recent decades. People’s a set of binoculars for Girlguiding LaSER members to
growing disconnection from nature is a significant borrow at Pulborough Brooks nature reserve whilst using
strategic threat to nature conservation and with fewer the activity pack.
children developing their connection to nature, this will The Sussex Ornithological Society was formed in 1962
translate into fewer champions of the natural world in by a small group of young people, and the charity has
the future. grown to become one of the largest county bird clubs in
We need to work to restore and strengthen that Great Britain with current membership exceeding 2000.
connection to nature, and provide opportunities to Members receive quarterly newsletters and a copy of the
connect and empower young people to take action to award-winning annual Sussex Bird Report.
save nature. The SOS exists to:
The RSPB’s vision is that young people are a more
powerful force for conservation, becoming the
• Record and study wild birds in Sussex.
generations that deliver a world richer in nature. The • ssist in the conservation of wild birds
A
of Great Britain.
RSPB believes that connecting with nature should
be a part of every child’s life. Getting all children • ncourage by the use of meetings, books, outings
E
connected with nature develops deeply-held feelings and other ways for:
and attitudes towards wildlife and the world we all live – The study of birds in the field and ornithological
in. We have developed a methodology to measure science in general.
connection to nature in children by counting connection
– The education of its members and the general
to nature experiences.
public in ornithological science and the need for
A “connection to nature experience” is one child having the protection of wild birds and their habitats.
an active first-hand experience of nature (this is a
To find out more visit their website: sos.org.uk
physical interaction with the environment) of a minimum
of 30 minutes, where they learn something and have fun.
Did you know
and the evaluation
By completing this pack
us with connections
form you are providing
get of creating two
to help reach our tar
nature experiences
million connection to
2021.
for young people by
15What
next...
It’s not just about the birds!
Wild challenge Whilst you are there
Nature is an adventure waiting to be had. Register Please respect other people using the reserve at the
for free for our RSPB Wild Challenge and work your same time. Never pick anything off living plants and
way towards awards through a heap of wild activities. do not touch any wildlife. Please stick to the paths and
This award scheme is all about investigating wildlife follow any signs that may be there. Remember plants
and doing practical things to give nature a safe and are food or homes for wildlife so don’t step on them.
welcoming home.
When you leave
Visit an RSPB reserve Leave the reserve as you found it and take any rubbish
RSPB reserves are wonderful places to get closer home with you.
to the natural world.
Growing Up Wild with birds
Before you go Feeling inspired, why not try some more bird activities?
If you’re planning to travel to a reserve to complete this Take a look at the Girlguiding LaSER Growing Up Wild
badge, please contact the reserve to book your visit. Paw Prints and discover loads of ideas of how to get
your unit out and about in nature.
When you get there
Talk to the reserve staff and volunteers and tell them you How do I get my badge?
are using the bird pack. They might have some great
Thank you for taking part in this activity – we hope you
advice about where to do certain activities and will be
enjoyed it. To order your badge please complete the
able to answer any questions about nature or the wildlife
evaluation on the RSPB Girlguiding LaSER partnership
you might see.
webpage to tell us what you thought about the badge
and enter your bird survey results.
The RSPB is a registered charity in England & Wales 207076, in Scotland SC037654. Front cover: Girlguiding members by Steve Wicks and Bob Butler; girls with
binoculars, make and do by RSPB, house sparrow by Andrew Parkinson, family exploring by Eleanor Bentall, bird watching by David Tipling (all rspb-images.com);
goldfinch by Utopia_88, birds nest by richcano, barn owl by GlobalP, blue tit by Andyworks (all iStockphoto.com); blackbird by cmnaumann (Fotolia) PBR-1908-16-17You can also read
