Learning Lab: For The Birds

Our first Learning Lab was for the birds!

Students spent an afternoon learning about birds, nature’s amazing engineers, during our very first Learning Lab.

University of Delaware Environmental Engineering student Matthew Whisner joined us to talk about local bird species and how to recognize their calls. Students also got an up-close look at four bird nests and compared their shapes, materials, and construction.

This led to lots of questions: What are nests made of? What are the different parts of a nest? What happens to a nest when it is no longer being used? And why are birds important to our ecosystem?

Students learned that birds play an important role in our local environment, including helping control insect populations. To encourage more birds to visit NCCL, students made two different kinds of bird feeders and placed them in our front garden.

It was a fun afternoon of looking closely, asking questions, making things, and learning more about the birds right in our own backyard. We’re excited to see what our next Learning Lab brings!