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Backyard Birding: Urban Birding Guide for Seattle-Area Kids and Families

Expert tips for enjoying birds in your yard and your neighborhood

Bryony Angell
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Published on: May 04, 2020

Backyard Birding: Urban Birding Guide for Seattle-Area Kids and Families

Girl-with-binoculars-birding-backyard-birding-guide-seattle-kids-families-northwest

Bird city

My two-and-a-half-year-old son and I heard a “chip, chip” as we did yard work one morning. “Can you tell me what bird that is?” I asked him, pointing to the bobbing black head of a small bird flicking leaf debris on the path.

“Junco!” he shouted.

The dark-eyed junco is a ground-feeding bird, commonly seen in Seattle-area yards. Juncos, along with many other local resident and migrant birds, find food and shelter in the rich ground cover and forest canopy in our region.

Birding is a visible, engaging and natural way to connect with wildlife right in your own backyard, while engaging a child’s senses.

Your family can try backyard or neighborhood birding. Use the arrows above the image to find four tips for getting started.

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