I and the Bird, #54; Assignment: Write about Birds

Good morning, Class!

Good morning, Ms Miller.

As you know, Class, your papers on birds have been graded and will be handed back today. Class, I was very impressed with your work on this assignment. We had papers that covered birds from around the world, birds that are common and birds that are familiar. Grades were based upon the way in which you addressed the topic, your writing style, and, of course, spelling. As I call your name, please come to pick up your paper and then you may go out to recess. The Ravens are already waiting on the playground.

Duncan @ Ben Cruachan Blog. Duncan gets a bonus point for being the first person to turn in his assignment. Duncan’s piece was about birds he’s seen recently in Australia. Good use of descriptive language — such as Superb Blue Wren. Duncan’s piece is well-written, shows good research and knowledge of topic. Grade: A

Jeff @ Ecobirder. Jeff wrote a surprising story about the linkage between birds and politics. His inclusion of photographs was wonderful. While there were minor spelling errors, they did not distract from the overall quality of his writing. Grade: A

James @ Birdman. James wrote a submission about birding in East Africa. His included photographs are excellent. He tied in recent math lessons by including metric measurements. His topic might have seemed mundane — starlings — but James brought us a world of startlins beyond imagining. Grade: A

The Ridger @ The Greenbelt. The Ridger did an excellent job of bringing the large topic of birding to a personal level. Her photo essay shows hard-working House Sparrow parents struggling to feed their youngsters in a city that seems to ignore their presence. The Ridger’s piece incorporates marvelous photography but is short on text. This was a writing assignment, The Ridger! However, you clearly grasped the topic. Grade: A

GrrlScientist @ Living the Scientific Life. GrrlScientist’s report is a fascinating report on rare, newly discovered birds. The photos are fantastic. She uses many quotes and cited the sources very nicely. GrrlScientist got bonus points for adding a multi-media touch by incorporating a sound file. The only fault with this piece was a lack of original material to add her own perspective to the quoted information. Grade: A

Patrick @ The Hawk Owl’s Nest. Patrick took a wholly unique approach to the topic and created a summary of podcasts on birding. He cites several podcasts that approach the topic of birding and gives a brief review of each one. While, there are no photographs, there is a lively international discussion in the comments section on the tastiness of fish-eating birds. Grade: A

John @ A DC Birding Blog. John’s story is lovely. He shares his experiences on a bird walk at Kenilworth Gardens. The bird count was 33 birds. John’s photographs are gorgeous but off-topic — water lilies instead of water birds! Still, a wonderful job, John. Grade: A

David @ Search and Serendipity. David writes a article about a visit to the shore in Texas. He describes a beached gannet as well as elegant shorebirds. The photographs are lovely and illustrate his points beautifully. At the end, he added interest by showing photographs of flowers seen the same day. Grade: A

The Team @ BirdFreak. The Team writes a three-part essay {1, 2, 3} on a visit they made to Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin. While, it is clear they geared their assignment to please the teacher — Egrets play a prominent role in the piece — their writing and use of photography is excellent. They saw some amazing birds. Their report was well organized into Big Birds, Little Birds, and dangers of birding at that location. Great job. Grade: A

Lynne @ Hasty Brook. Now, a teacher shouldn’t have favorites but sometimes a student simply hits the mark. Lynne’s piece has it all: humor, nature, bird behavior and best of all, a dippy goldfinch. Grade: A

Trevor @ Trevor’s Birding. Trevor writes a wonderful post about the Adelaide Rosella. He includes wonderful details about the appearance of this lovely bird. Additionally, he added a cross-curricular approach by adding in some geography. Nice touch, Trevor. Grade: A

Susannah @ Wanderin’ Weeta. As Lynne’s piece touched with humor and delight, Susannah’s rememberance touched a melancholy, nostalgic tone. Susannah writes about the joy that birds brought to her mother late in life and shares a photo of her mother and a bird. Extremely well written, Susannah! Grade: A

Lisa at The BirdNerd. Lisa writes about the birds she saw on a trip along the John Muir Trail in the High Sierra. Three lifebirds along with amazing views of the mountains. Well-written, well-illustrated with photographs — although woefully (but understandably) lacking in bird photographs — this is an excellent piece. Grade: A

Aydin @ Snail’s Tails. Fortunately for Aydin, I don’t deduct points for late papers. Aydin writes about a nest of robins at his mailbox. Another overachieving student — anything with baby birds is guaranteed success! Good piece. Lovely, sweet picture of featherless robin baby! Grade: A

Will @ The Nightjar. Will turned his piece in late as well but it was well worth the late. Will wrote about his first bird identification at a tender age — and included historical documentation to prove it. Well researched, Will, and well written! Grade: A

Mike @ 10,000 Birds. Mike turned in his assignment and the teacher lost it. I think that’s akin to giving the principal’s child a bad grade or something. I know there’s a big faux pas in here somewhere. Mike wrote a lovely piece about a visit to Bolsa Chica in Southern California. Mike’s paper is an easy A — it has everything — well written description, many birds, photos of birds, and even name-dropping of birding celebrity Amy Hooper. Well done! Grade: A

As for the rest of you, students, your assignments are still due! You can turn them in next time when i and the bird is being hosted by BirdFreak! Until then, you have a grade of Incomplete . . . I hope you will get that changed to an A right away! Obviously, this class is an easy A! 🙂

Class dismissed! Go play with the Ravens!

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