Dates: All year

Not every lover of the outdoors lives on a ranch in the countryside. Most of us live in cities, and that’s why there’s PigeonWatch.

Perfect for kids, PigeonWatch is a Cornell Lab of Ornithology program that’s nine parts education to every one part science. It’s a good way for city kids to become familiar with a common — and surprisingly beautiful (really, give these “flying rats” a second chance!) — birds, and learn about scientific observation in the process.

Another of the lab’s programs, Celebrate Urban Birds, goes further, asking participants to spend 10 minutes observing 16 urban birds and reporting their observations. It’s a good way to get to know local crows, robins, orioles, swallows, and even more exotic species, like the black-crowned night heron and the peregrine falcon.

For more information, visit Project PigeonWatch or Celebrate Urban Birds.