Young Cultivator Merit Badge: Gone to the Birds, Beginner Level

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 7,420 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—10,782 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! ~MaryJane 

For this week’s Garden Gate/Gone to the Birds Beginner Level Merit Badge, I read aloud to Piper the requirements for earning her Beginner Level Merit Badge:

“Keep a diary (of words or pictures) of the birds that visit your yard or park. Watch them for two weeks, keeping notes of which ones come and go.”

Pipes was all about this badge. She loves her feathered friends, and she’s a sucker for a new journal. She also has a pair of binoculars she loves to wear around her neck (it’s an adventure keeping them separate from her strands of beads and charm necklaces and boas, but she manages somehow). She spent the next two weeks, sometimes perched on her window-seat, sometimes disguised as a giant sunflower in her yard, sometimes up in a tree wearing her brother’s camouflage britches, carefully spying and eyeing and drawing and writing. Then she allowed me to read her findings before I handed over her badge …

Piper’s Birdies:

Day One: Two lovebirds spotted in willow tree. Well, I thought they were lovebirds, but they seemed mad at each other, so maybe not. Also, one robin, hopping. Thought he had a broken foot, but I think he was only doing bird yoga or something, cuz he flew off when I tried to rescue him.

Days Two and Three: Yoga Robin, and three hummingbirds! They like the red drink Mom gave them, so I made them more. I mixed ketchup with water. It didn’t turn out like I hoped (I tried it. It was DISGUSTING!), but they seemed to like it okay.

Days Four and Five and Six: One suspicious-looking pigeon. Note to self: Follow this pigeon. See what he’s up to.

Days Seven and Eight: Followed pigeon to his lair. I mean, nest. Shared my sandwich with him. Think I’ll call him Fred.

Days Nine and Ten: Hummingbirds came back. I was out of ketchup, so I used mustard. Pretty color. Hummingbirds don’t like it though. Trying dill relish next.

Days Eleven and Twelve: One penguin, two ostriches, and four toucans. Hahaha! Just kidding, Aunty. Just making sure you’re still reading.

Days Thirteen and Fourteen: Hey, fourteen is two weeks! I’m going to keep this journal going, though. Today, I saw Fred and the two bickering lovebirds again. There was also a bunch of crows that flew overheard. Mom said that’s a murder. But I think she’s exaggerating. I didn’t see any murder.

Piper’s journal was quite entertaining, as I’m sure you will agree, and she had illustrations, to boot. However, she wouldn’t let me include them here.

“Royalties, Aunty,” she explained. “And I don’t want anyone stealing my artistic style, don’tchaknow?”

I agreed to her demands (no illustrations and a piece of cake), but you can imagine how delightful the sketchings were. Except for the murderous crows … that was a tad bit disturbing.