Wild Bird Centers: Research Resource

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Meet Our Owners

John & Freddy Howell started the Wild Bird Center of Los Gatos, CA in October 1995. Freddy operated the store for the first few years while John continued with his employment. Once the store was running full-steam, John came in full-time. Now, 12 years later, their store is the consistent top performer in the franchise. Asked about Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc., they say:

“The idea of a Wild Bird Center matched our interest in birds and gave us the opportunity to give back to the community. Because we had no experience running a business, the franchise provided wisdom, guidance and experience that gave us confidence.”

Young Birder's Classroom

Most Wild Bird Center stores operate as a "retail nature center" with active community education programs that often involve children and schools. Some stores assist schools with setting up a "bird garden" in a school yard; work with science teachers to present programs such as:

Bird House Building Workshop: Before they build their bird houses, children learn about bird nesting habits and how bird houses can meet their needs. For couts, building bird or bat houses can be a fun way to meet badge requirements. These workshops are also enjoyed by children in environmental clubs or at summer camps, and by families gathered for community events.

"Birds of Our Neighborhood": This program is ideal for classroom situations. Many teachers invite Wild Bird Center educators back year after year to teach their students about birds. They've found that our two-part program (combining presentation and application) fosters an immediate enthusiasm for birds, and an enduring sense of connection with the natural world. The program begins with a 20-30 minute presentation involving puppets, bird calls, color pictures and audio tapes. We teach children to identify common area birds, and to apprciate special feeding and nesting habits.. To apply what they have learned, children observe birds at a feeder outside their classroom. By referring to charts and posters, they identify feeder visitors and learn to recognize common patterns of behavior.

Kids are quickly inspired when learning more about wild birds in their neighborhood and Wild Bird Center owners are especially keen to inspire this next generation of wild bird watchers and feeders.

As a key sponsor of "Project Feederwatch" through Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology, Wild Bird Center stores also maintain a supply of colorful posters with pictures and descriptions of wild birds most commonly seen at feeders during the winter season. There is a poster for "Eastern Birds" and "Western Birds" to help youngsters identify and track the birds they see at their feeders at home with parents or at school with their teachers.