Mr Kingston showed the children a variety of nests and eggs belonging to birds such as the red-browed finch or firetail, the Eastern yellow robin and the Australian magpie.

The preschoolers began their exploration into bird watching by building a native animal nest box, which incorporated the children’s keen interest in woodwork.

“After we finished building the nest box we wanted to find out how to go about bringing birds into the yard to hopefully nest inside,” early childhood teacher Daryl Kelland said.

“I contacted the Far South Coast Birdwatcher club who were great, they gave some really good advice about which birds to look for in Bega and sent the children a copy of their book.”

Mr Kelland said the children, together with the educators, have documented the different bird species they have seen at the preschool and day care centre as well as at home on an impressive wall chart, using the Far South Coast Birdwatcher’s book to identify which bird they have spotted.

“It’s been amazing how each day the children are excited to share their findings with the whole class,” Mr Kelland said.

Mr Kelland said building these types of connections with the community is important to help children understand who they are and who they can become and is important for their confidence and sense of being.

The children were able to access the centre’s smart board provided by the University of Wollongong to research and watch videos of birds creating nests.

Mr Kingston suggested using native flowering shrubs and fresh water as a way to attract native birds to Bega gardens.

Far South Coast Birdwatchers group has bird watching walks twice a month and meets six times a year.

They can be contacted on 6495 7390 or 6495 6592 or via the club’s email fscbirds@bigpond.com.