My children love birds. My love of birds has probably helped that along. While I have never tested them, my guess is that all three (aged 3, 4 and 6) know many more than your average adult. It actually surprises me how many times they can spot something on the wing, and how often they can identify it.
One of our favorite stops at our local park is the rehabbed Red-tailed Hawk that lives there. Ranger, the hawk, gives the kids a chance to get up close and personal with a bird of prey and examine it is a way they wouldn’t normally in the wild. The kids love to sit and talk to Ranger. They also talk about Ranger the Red-tailed Hawk for days after we see him.
Ranger the Red-tailed Hawk is an individual. That is something I think many people miss when they see wild animals. Even if they can identify the animal, they only see a species. We know there are other Red-tailed Hawks, but he is the friend at the park. Ranger is our reference.
Ranger has also opened up many conversations. It is also a chance to talk to the kids about why we have to watch out for cars. And a great chance to talk about how humans can help animals. They all want to do what they can to help animals.
