Migratory Bird Lesson: Getting to Know You

This lesson is designed to serve as an introduction to New England’s migratory birds as well as to familiarize students with research methods used to study these birds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Four species that can be found in our region are highlighted: American Redstart, Bicknell’s Thrush, Black‐throated Blue Warbler, and Blackpoll Warbler. Although it may be hard to spot each of these species in your schoolyard, they are important species that represent a diversity of life and habitat characteristics typical of New England’s migratory songbirds. One of these species, Bicknell’s Thrush, is globally rare and is restricted to high elevation spruce‐fir forests – habitat that is expected to shrink as global climate warms. All four species are well‐studied and a wealth of information exists about these species on the internet and in other published sources.