House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) by Ian
In the last few days, the Burgess Bird Book for Children, has been receiving all kinds of birds back to Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures. It has almost been more enjoyable than watching the birds return in the fall. (Other than all the work involved in reactivating these great stories.)
This series of stories were written by Thornton W. Burgess. “The Burgess Bird Book for Children is a zoology book written in the form of a story featuring Peter Rabbit. Peter learns from his friend Jenny Wren all about the birds of North America, and we meet many of them in the Old Orchard, the Green Meadow, and the Green Forest.” (From Loyalbooks) Besides updating the stories with current photos of our avian wonders, I added scripture and questions for the younger (and older readers) to ponder. Also, for each of these stories, there is a public domain recording of the book being read.
Burgess-Bird-Book-for-Children
From the Preface:
“This book was written to supply a definite need. Its preparation was undertaken at the urgent request of booksellers and others who have felt the lack of a satisfactory medium of introduction to bird life for little children. As such, and in no sense whatever as a competitor with the many excellent books on this subject, but rather to supplement these, this volume has been written.
Its primary purpose is to interest the little child in, and to make him acquainted with, those feathered friends he is most likely to see. Because there is no method of approach to the child mind equal to the story, this method of conveying information has been adopted. So far as I am aware the book is unique in this respect. In its preparation an earnest effort has been made to present as far as possible the important facts regarding the appearance, habits and characteristics of our feathered neighbors. It is intended to be at once a story book and an authoritative handbook. While it is intended for little children, it is hoped that children of larger growth may find in it much of both interest and helpfulness.”
Since it has been several years since this series was started, you might enjoy reading through, or listening, to some of these. You might even enjoy sharing these with your children or grand-children. They just might adopt your love for birds and birdwatching.
Enjoy! And stay tuned as more are produced in the future. (These 18 posts were all that were finished. There were 45 written by Burgess in total. Who know, maybe, if the interest is there, they might be extended.)
Here are the 18 stories:
- Jenny Wren Arrives. – Introducing the House Wren
- The Old Orchard Bully. – The English or House Sparrow.
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) by Ray
- Jenny Has a Good Word for Some Sparrows. – The Song, White-throated and Fox Sparrows.
- Chippy, Sweetvoice, and Dotty. – The Chipping, Vesper and Tree Sparrows.
- Peter Learns Something He Hadn’t Guessed. – The Bluebird and the Robin.
Eastern Phoebe on Beautyberry 12-19-19 by Lee
- An Old Friend In a New Home. – The Phoebe and the Least Flycatcher.
- The Watchman of the Old Orchard. – The Kingbird and the Great Crested Flycatcher.
- Old Clothes and Old Houses. – The Wood Peewee and Some Nesting Places.
- Longbill and Teeter. – The Woodcock and the Spotted Sandpiper.
Red-winged Blackbird at Bok Sanctuary by Lee
- Redwing and Yellow Wing. – The Red-winged Blackbird and the Golden-winged Flicker.
- Drummers and Carpenters. – The Downy, Hairy and Red-headed Woodpeckers.
- Some Unlikely Relatives. – The Cowbird and the Baltimore Oriole.
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) by J Fenton
- More of the Blackbird Family. – The Orchard Oriole and the Bobolink.
- Bob White and Carol the Meadow Lark. – The So-called Quail and the Meadow Lark.
- A Swallow and One Who Isn’t. – The Tree Swallow and the Chimney Swift.
Purple Martin (Progne subis) ©USFWS
- A Robber in the Old Orchard. – The Purple Martin and the Barn Swallow.
- More Robbers. – The Crow and the Blue Jay.
- Some Homes in the Green Forest. – The Crow, the Oven Bird and the Red-tailed Hawk.
This verse has to do with teaching children the things of the Lord, but His creation also applies:
“Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,” (Deuteronomy 4:9 NKJV)