Audubon Adventures
Try It!
Use the information above to start your own explorations. Try different filters, different species, different locations, and different conservation challenges. Click everything that’s clickable! As you do, you’ll discover ways to use the Explorer in your classroom based on your curricular goals and your students’ interests.
If possible, demonstrate the Explorer’s features using a whole-class display so students can follow along. Make sure students understand what each type of map represents. Look at the “Map Layers” key for each type of map. Point out how the Species Migration and Species Conservation Challenges maps change as the display at the bottom of the map moves through time. Review the “Birds on the Move” issue of Audubon Adventures to remind students that migration happens in the spring and fall. Point out the Related Stories feature for individual species.
Let Students Try It!
If students have devices at their desks, encourage them to carry out their own explorations, design their own research projects, and answer their own questions. Here are some assignments that will help them get comfortable with the Explorer’s three basic features.
1. Bird Species
- Use the Taxonomic Group filter to identify the species of Owls whose migration is represented in the Explorer. What are their names? (Burrowing, Elf, Flammulated, Long-eared, Northern Saw-whet, Short-eared, Snowy)
- How many bird species (represented in the Explorer) are found in San Antonio, Texas, in October, with all levels of abundance selected? (205 species)
2. Locations
- Name at least two countries your location is connected to by migratory birds. (Answers will vary. Enter your city or zip code in the Locations landing page. A list of countries appears on the menu on the left side of the map that is generated.)
- How many birds and species are you connected to? (Answers will vary. The Data Providers box will show how many tagged birds of how many species moved through this location. Click the “Search for all Bird Migration Explorer species that occur at this location” for a list of all local species regardless of whether they have tagging data.)
3. Conservation Challenges
- Find three species that are impacted by climate change/sea level rise. (Answers will vary. Be sure to click “Load all species” to see all 165 species.)
- Identify three conservation challenges that the Swainson’s Hawk is impacted by. (Answers will vary. Find the Swainson’s Hawk using the species search, then choose the Conservation Challenges map. Students can choose from among the seven conservation challenges revealed.)