Ever want to catch a glimpse of a red shouldered hawk or learn more about the cardinal? Well, thanks to a generous donation from the Roanoke Valley Bird Club, our Botetourt County Libraries now have Birding Backpacks for checkout!
The packs are chock full of birding materials, including the National Geographic Birds of Eastern North America field guide, Vortex Crossfire 8×42 binoculars with case, straps, and lens cleaning cloth, Sibley’s Backyard Birds of the Mid-Atlantic laminated foldout, as well as information about getting started in birding, local birding hotspots, birding apps, and more! Each of our library branches has 2 backpacks available for checkout (1 per user). This is a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy our beautiful county all while learning more about our feathered friends.
You can explore the world of birds from your backyard, but maybe you’d like to get out to a new location where you can find even more birds farther away from houses and roads. State parks are the perfect place to go, and guess what – thanks to our Nature Backpacks, you can visit any Virginia state park for free! These backpacks are provided courtesy of the Library of Virginia, through partnerships with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Science Museum of Virginia.
Aside from the free parking pass/entrance to state parks, each Nature Backpack contains equipment and guides to help you explore beyond just birds. It includes Pocket Naturalist Guides to birds, mammals, bugs and slugs, animal tracks, trees and wildflowers, and geology (like rocks). The port-a-bug observation container gives you an easy way to keep bugs in range as you examine them with the magnifying lens (please let the bugs go afterward!). Use the dip net to pull stuff out of the water, and plastic forceps to handle stuff without damaging anything. You can measure what you found with a 6-inch metal ruler. Like the Birding Backpack, this backpack includes binoculars as well. Got disoriented? Grab the compass to get your bearings.
Wondering what else you can do outside? The Nature Backpack includes discovery activities you can try, as well as a trail quest and tips for your visit to state parks. “Leave no trace” cards remind you to pack out what you pack in so the park will stay as natural as possible for critters and visitors.
Libraries also offer other fun, educational activity packs for checkout! You can browse them at https://www.botetourtva.gov/629/Educational-Activity-kits or stop by one of our branches. Let’s get outside and explore this fascinating world we live in!
