Not Just for the Birds

Science teacher and students have gained real world experiences while documenting 100 different bird species on campus

Abby Vickers
January 15, 2021

Chestnut-sided+Warbler
Gallery • 2 Photos
Lenny Beck, used with permission
Science teacher Lenny Beck took this photo of a chestnut-sided warbler at Boone's outdoor classroom near the softball field. The bird is one of more than 100 different species Beck and his students have spotted on campus.

In a little section of Boone County High School, there lies a little garden called the “outdoor classroom.” Recently, science teacher Lenny Beck and his students accomplished a feat of documenting the 100th different bird species found at Boone.

Beck explained that the inspiration for the outdoor classroom came from trying to find an effective way to teach his students with real world experiences, and the outdoor classroom has benefitted both the birds and his students. He said that these types of learning experiences end up being the most “meaningful” and “engaging” ones.

Mr. Beck’s Top 5 Interesting Birds

  • The Ovenbird: The reason the ovenbird got its name is because of the way they build their nest. People say it looks like a Dutch oven.
  • Cerulean Warbler: These birds are very rare with a population decline of 26% every decade since 1980. They are typically found in mature forests and these types of habitats are becoming harder to find, but luckily there are some nesting in Boone County along Middle Creek Road.
  • Golden-Winged Warbler: This bird is listed as near threatened with extinction because of loss of habitat like the Cerulean Warbler. They rely on open scrubland, and interestingly, their population increased from deforestation, but they are losing their habitat because of reforestation of abandoned farms and other areas.
  • Great Blue Heron: These birds are mostly found in wetlands, and most people know they like fish. What people don’t know though, is that they will eat many other things and swallow them whole. Some examples are snakes, rats, crabs, and even squirrels. They have been known to swallow prey that is so big they end up choking.
  • Prothonotary Warbler: These birds nest in tree holes along waterways. A few years ago, Beck found one stunned after a window strike on campus.  He picked him up and held him until he safely recovered. He was also able to bring him into the building to show students.

Beck teaches classes such as environmental science and zoology; both of which can be difficult to apply real world experiences to in a traditional classroom. As a solution to this problem, he decided to create a place his students could learn outdoors where they would be able to get those experiences.

Even though Boone County is a suburban area with little open nature, Beck provided a detailed, scientific explanation for why so many birds would want to stop at Boone. Basically, many large mixed flocks of birds migrate during spring and fall to places that will have more food during the winter.

When the birds take breaks during their long journey, if the area they stop in has a very little suitable habitat like Florence, they will typically prefer to congregate in a smaller habitat with mostly native vegetation. The reason the birds want native vegetation is because it attracts more native insects, which means that the birds get an insect buffet to fuel up on before heading off again.

Therefore, the secret to getting so many birds to stop by the outdoor classroom was having the students remove non-native species from it and replace them with native species, something Beck said his classes have been doing for years. Doing so has “led to a lot of insect activity and hiding places for birds” Beck said.

Beck and the students try to plant as many native plants as possible, which has helped increase the diversity of the plant and animal life, including the varied birds.

Beck also tries to apply the class’ findings about the different birds into his traditional classes like zoology and environmental science. 

“My students and I will go outside to survey birds on campus to see what is there, to learn behavior, and to learn identification,” Beck said. “We also monitor biodiversity on campus in environmental science.”

Beck and his students don’t stop there.

“Finally, we study the outdoor classroom ecosystems in environmental science. Bird species are often critical to understanding the overall function of the ecosystem.” 

Beck said that he believes that the outdoor classroom and documenting the different bird species has helped his students in more ways than one. He said it allows them to investigate the real world, see science on a smaller scale, and discover and learn more about local plants and animals.

The 100 Species of Birds Spotted on Campus

  1. American Goldfinch
  2. Canada Goose
  3. American Tree Sparrow
  4. Turkey Vulture
  5. Cooper’s Hawk
  6. House Finch
  7. Northern Cardinal
  8. Carolina Wren
  9. Chimney Swift
  10. House Wren
  11. Hermit Thrush
  12. Great Crested Flycatcher
  13. Gray Catbird
  14. Chipping Sparrow
  15. American Crow
  16. Carolina Chickadee
  17. Brown-headed Cowbird
  18. Northern Flicker
  19. Rock Pigeon
  20. European Starling
  21. Song Sparrow
  22. Northern Mockingbird
  23. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  24. Dark-eyed Junco
  25. Red-winged Blackbird
  26. Mourning Dove
  27. Red-tailed Hawk
  28. Red-shouldered Hawk
  29. Grackle
  30. Indigo Bunting
  31. Pileated Woodpecker
  32. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  33. Downy Woodpecker
  34. Tufted Titmouse
  35. White-breasted Nuthatch
  36. House Sparrow
  37. White-throated Sparrow
  38. Cedar Waxwing
  39. Blue Jay
  40. Brown Thrasher
  41. American Robin
  42. Cerulean Warbler
  43. Common Yellowthroat
  44. Chestnut-sided Warbler
  45. Sharp Shinned Hawk
  46. Barn Swallow
  47. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  48. Eastern Kingbird
  49. Eastern Phoebe
  50. Killdeer
  51. Lincoln’s Sparrow
  52. Vesper Sparrow
  53. Wilson’s Warbler
  54. Nashville Warbler
  55. Swamp Sparrow
  56. Black-throated Blue Warbler
  57. Palm Warbler
  58. Tennessee Warbler
  59. Magnolia Warbler
  60. Cape May Warbler
  61. Blackpoll Warbler
  62. Black-throated Green Warbler
  63. Northern Parula
  64. Common Nighthawk
  65. Gold-winged Warbler
  66. Wood Thrush
  67. American Redstart
  68. Eastern Wood Pewee
  69. Philadelphia Vireo
  70. Red-headed Woodpecker
  71. Marsh Wren
  72. White-eyed Vireo
  73. Great Blue Heron
  74. Hooded Warbler
  75. Least Flycatcher
  76. Yellow-rumped Warbler
  77. Black Vulture
  78. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  79. Eastern Towhee
  80. Connecticut Warbler
  81. Field Sparrow
  82. White-crowned Sparrow
  83. Warbling Vireo
  84. Orchard Oriole
  85. Yellow Warbler
  86. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  87. Prothonotary Warbler
  88. Mourning Warbler
  89. Yellow-throated Vireo
  90. Ovenbird
  91. Prairie Warbler
  92. Swainson’s Thrush
  93. Black and White Warbler
  94. Yellow-throated Warbler
  95. Scarlet Tanager
  96. Orange-crowned Warbler
  97. Summer Tanager
  98. Mallard
  99. Blue-grey Gnatcatcher
  100. Blackburnian Warbler

He also said that he’s had multiple former students he’s talked to who still remember the experiences they had and learned from having the outdoor classroom, and some even go on to participate in citizen science efforts like bird counts.

“People often take birds for granted, but they are extremely important to the overall health and functioning of our planet,” Beck said.

He explained that there is a net population loss of 3 billion birds in North America in the last 50 years, and it still keeps declining.

“Loss of habitat, pollution, invasive species like domesticated cats, and window strikes are some of the main reasons for their decline,” Beck said. “Little things like conserving small pieces of habitat, like our outdoor classrooms, can make a difference.”

For information on the rapid decline of birds, Beck provided a link from AllAboutBirds.org.