With every Spring we wait with anticipation the blooming of the trees and flowers.  But few of us take notice of the variety of birds that arrive in Nebraska in late winter and early Spring.  Some come to spend the summer and raise their young.  Others are here for only hours or days on their way North.  Each day brings new opportunities to enjoy the bright colors of the males and the melodic mating melodies.  The lake offers a refuge for the migrating water fowl.  Almost every night in the Spring a new flock arrives, only to leave the next morning to continue their journey.  The trees around the lake are alive with activities of mating calls and nest building by a variety of perching birds.

Each year the Life Sciences and Biology classes are introduced to 64 avian species that spend time in Nebraska every year.  Each student records in their science notebook a set of Bird Notes and observes pictures of the male and female of each species.  Recognition with the aid of their Bird Notes are checked weekly in the classroom.  As time and weather permits in the Spring, the students are give the opportunity to test their bird recognition skills during bird walks around town.

Students are encouraged to investigate birds on their own and involve other members of their family in their activities such as setting up bird feeders in the Winter and nesting boxes in the Spring.  Opportunities are available daily during the school year for students to report to the class of their bird sightings.

This is a life-long learning classroom activity.  It is hoped that the students will continue to observe and learn about the many species of birds that make Nebraska their home.