Collections
Collections
A collection is a short route through the guide built around a single task. Instead of reading everything in a row, pick the situation closest to yours and follow a few pages in the suggested order. The label next to each link tells you where it is easiest to start.
A child who once spent a long time watching a tit at the feeder is unlikely ever to raid a nest.
Collections include only published pages of the guide. We do not add links to shops, breeders or paid tours, and we do not rate specific places.
Winter: helping birds
The cold months are a hard time for birds and the best time to get to know them. This collection is about helping them without doing harm.
- The feeder, step by stepStart here
Spot, food, water and cleanliness: everything you need to make winter feeding do good.
- Dos and don'tsStart here
Short answers on which food suits birds and which harms them, and how not to scare off your visitors.
- Observer's vocabularyGo deeper
Migration, feeder and other terms that help explain why some birds stay and others fly away.
Nature with children
Children notice things adults long ago stopped seeing. The adult's job is to teach them to look carefully and to respect someone else's home.
- Your first observation walkStart here
Five steps that are easy to turn into a game: silence, attention, distance and notes in a diary.
- Guide sectionsStart here
Birds, animals nearby, found animals and watching: choose together with your child who to read about first.
- How bears spend the winter (in Russian)Go deeper
A story about dens and hibernation that helps explain to a child why you must never approach a large animal.
The park's night life
After sunset the park changes: hedgehogs come out onto the paths and bats sweep over the pond. You can watch them as long as you do not shine lights in their eyes or make noise.
- Hedgehogs and batsStart here
What to do if you meet a hedgehog in daytime or a bat flies into the house.
- Hibernation, burrows and tracksGo deeper
Terms that help you understand where animals vanish to in winter and how to tell who passed by at night.
- New in the guideStart here
The article feed, where pieces on night-time watching will appear as they are ready.
Read next
- Guides
How to set up a bird feeder without harming birds: preparation, steps with sample scenarios, mistakes and a checklist. Plus our article catalogue.
- Questions
Short answers about birds at the feeder, fledglings, hedgehogs, squirrels, encounters in the woods and bites.
- Sections
Four sections: birds outside the window, animals in the park and garden, found animals, and quiet observation.
- Reference
An observer's glossary: fledgling, nesting season, migration, hibernation, den, burrow, tracks, disturbance distance.
Sources
- Popular zoology and ornithology handbooks for nature lovers (general information)
This guide describes watching animals and birds in general terms as of the date it was prepared. We do not give treatment advice for people or animals: if a wild animal bites or scratches you, see a doctor right away, and leave injured or weakened animals to wildlife rehabilitation specialists.