Leap into Nature 'Twitchathon' @ Westerfolds Park

We kicked off our school holiday 'twitchathon' today at Westerfolds Park in Templestowe. It was a great start with lots of enthusiastic kids and parents! We first learnt how to use our binoculars to get a closer look at birds and then we were off on our bird hunt. We had a great look at many common birds that frequent Westerfolds Park, including a boy and girl Australian Wood Duck, Australian Magpie, Rainbow Lorikeet, and the Laughing Kookaburra (which we observed on the ground trying to pry out some lunch from a log), a couple of Eastern Rosellas and four or five King Parrots came and checked us out and let us get a great view of the colour differences between the bright red boys and green girls - what a treat!
We then made a bird feeder (which is only a 'treat' for the birds), we explained that it's better to plant indigenous plants in your garden and allow birds to come in naturally, rather than regularly feeding them food that isn't part of their natural diet. It was also a good fine-motor skill for the kids too! We each made a 'nest' out of recycled materials and natural materials we could find around us. There was some great nature play and risk taking on some large old logs and many new friendships were made.
We are now re-setting our gear and getting ready for our next birding session at Green Point in Brighton on Friday 3 July at 9:30 am - still spots available so book in now: mailto:info@leapintonature.com.au