Ornithologists Take Kids Under Their Wings

by Alexei Lugovoi

One promising method of environmental education is to allow youth to reach ecological conclusions based on their own personal observations. The focus could be plant life, the insect world or the world of birds, but the main thing is that the child develop an enthusiasm for the natural world.

The number of amateur ornithologists, entomologists, etc. in the countries of the former Soviet Union is very small in comparison with Western Europe and North America. Therefore, starting in 1992, we decided to actively introduce the children of Uzhgorod, Ukraine to amateur ornithology through our organization, the Uzhgorod Ornithology Club. Other local NGOs have joined us in our work.

We decided to organize summer ornithology camps for school-aged children, the first such camps in Ukraine. Over the past several years we have acquired so much experience in running camps that we wrote a booklet and produced a video tape to help others who want to do similar work.

Immediately after school ends in mid-June, the campers, usually around 30 kids ranging in age from 12 to 16, leave for the Uzh River valley, 15 kilometers from Uzhgorod. Conducting studies on birds in the wild with large groups is not easy, so the campers are divided into groups of five to seven students each. These groups are supervised by three to four specialists from the Club and employees and graduate students from the local university. Each group takes on the name of a local bird species.

An instructional day at camp goes something like this: while the Sparrows go on an excursion to study the composition of bird species in the river valley, the Plovers, led by other ornithologists, spread out nets to catch, measure and band birds. At the same time, the Orioles conduct stationary inventories of birds in various biotopes, and the Larks observe the feeding habit of fledglings in the nest. Finally, the Kingfishers on that day are in charge of preparing food and gathering firewood for the rest of the camp. The next day the groups change places so that everyone experiences the different educational and work-related aspects of camp life. By the end of camp, students are familiar with 50-60 bird species, many of which they can distinguish by call, and know a considerable amount about the biology of birds.

Financial and material assistance for the camp is provided by various organizations, both civic and governmental. Local NGOs supply sleeping bags, binoculars and color field guides. Although we used to receive financial support for food from the state education department budget, in 1996 this source dried up. Ukraine's difficult economic situation makes further organization of our camps problematic. The ornithologists who lead the educational part of the camps are volunteers. However, enthusiasm runs dry with time. New measures need to be taken so that the work which has been started does not lose momentum.

We are by no means certain that the "graduates" of our ornithology camps will become active amateur ornithologists in the future. During Ukraine's economic recession, people are more concerned with their own well-being and lack both the time and the resources for hobbies such as bird-watching. However, one thing is certain: having been immersed in an environment of bird enthusiasts and nature lovers, children are not likely to become poachers or gather river stones for building where terns and plovers make their nests.

Alexei Lugovoi is chairman of the Uzhgorod Ornithology Club. Translated by Amy McVey.

Uzhgorod Ornithology Club, Bachinskogo Street 25/2, Uzhgorod 294000, Ukraine; phone: (03122) 3-03-75; fax: (03122) 2-36-07