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Ep. 64 Birding & Bird Watching with Launne Kolla

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Ep. 64 Birding & Bird Watching with Launne Kolla
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Whether you can already name countless birds, or you simply enjoy hearing the birds singing around you, there are so many ways to appreciate birds even more and make them a bigger part of your outdoor adventures! Your kids may surpass you in their birding-skills, but today’s guest, Launne Kolla, who is a Wildlife and Marine Biologist, has so many ways to making birding fun for the whole family!

Launne Kolla grew up on a cattle and grain farm near Melfort, SK, Canada. She attended the University of Saskatchewan and Dalhousie University to further her education. She works as a wildlife biologist for EDI Environmental Dynamics, a consulting company with offices across Western Canada. Most of Launne’s work deals with bird species at risk, identifying where they are, where they nest and how to protect those species. Launne lives with her husband Dillon and two daughters, Ruby (4) and Polly (1) in Saskatoon.

Birding Resources Mentioned: 

  • App: Sibley
  • App: Song Sleuth
  • Book: Sibley
  • Cornel Ornithology Lab
  • Allaboutbirds.org

How To Include Kids in Birding/Bird-Watching: 

  • Make it a game: “How many birds will we see today?”
  • Make a scavenger hunt of lists of birds to find (Tip: Start with bigger birds)
  • Listen for birds everywhere; mimic their sounds, and identify direction of sound

Practice Mnemonics: 

  • Try saying out loud what they are saying; Some examples:
  • Chickadee says “chickadee-dee-dee”
  • Olive Sided Fly Catcher says “drink three beer”
  • Yellow Worbler says “sweet sweet sweet I’m so sweet”
  • Barred Owl says “who cooks for you who cooks for you all”
  • Google these! OR sometimes you will find them in their bios on Sibley, OR you can simply try listen and figure out what you hear

How to Protect Birds: 

  • Don’t “call them” from Sibley too much, but one call to listen for a call back is fine
  • Don’t feed them
  • Don’t touch nests, unless you are helping put an egg back that fell
  • Get out of the way of birds aggressively squawking/chirping
  • Be cautious considering birds as pets that don’t get to fly freely

Migratory birds come back in the spring, breed all summer, and leave to somewhere warm in the fall. Best time to see all the birds is May-August usually.  

Launne’s Favourite Birds:  

  • Maribou Storks (in Africa)
  • Great Blue Herons (locally)
  • Crows (they are really smart!)

Recommendations: 

  • Lint Scraper for dog hair from Lint Rolled – https://lintrolled.com/
  • Book: Nightingale  and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Find Launne:  

IG: @do.more.good (goal of sustainability)

 

Check out KWE’s #patch4apurpose to support 1, or all 8, charities:
https://kidswhoexplore.com/product/original-explorer-patch4apurpose/

Today’s Host: @adriannaadventures & @laurenrodycheberle from @kidswhoexplore
Production: @kpmediaproductions. Music: @michaelferraro_music

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