Counting Birds: The Idea that Helped Save Our Feathered Friends

Stemple introduces a little-known bird lover whose innovative idea contributed to the protection of avian friends worldwide. In the 19th century, U.S. ornithologist Frank Chapman spoke up to oppose the long-practiced tradition of Christmas Day bird hunting. Instead, he proposed a “Christmas bird-census... Count them, he proposed. But don’t kill them.” Working in cut-paper collage, Robin shows the types of birds that the first group of 27 bird watchers counted in 1900, a number that grew exponentially over time. “All birders are welcome,” Stemple asserts, from the owlers who “climb out of their warm beds at midnight and call down owls in the dark” to those watching birds outside their windows. Photographs of children taking part in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count conclude this conservation success story. Ages 3–7. [em](Oct.) [/em]