Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

25 Wildlife Activities You Can Do at Home

Get connected with nature and the Connecticut outdoors by participating in a variety of outdoor and nature education opportunities and resources for individuals and families.

  1. Start a Bird List for your backyard. Listen and look for birds in your yard. Note their color, size, shape, and sound. Visit The Cornell Lab's All About Birds website for help with identification.
  2. Build a nest box for birds. Some birds, such as bluebirds, kestrels, and wood ducks, nest in tree holes. Each of these birds live in a different habitat. Use CT DEEP wildlife fact sheets to learn which bird nest box to build depending on your neighborhood habitat.
  3. Make a bird nest! Gather materials (twigs, grasses, rootlets, moss, mud) and try your hand at building your own bird nest. It may not be easy. Hint: Use a plastic container to use for your nest!
  4. Do a neighborhood count for ducks and geese. Do not feed waterfowl as ducks and geese should not eat human food, like bread, and feeding ducks and geese can make them more likely to catch a disease.
  5. Search the sky on windy days for soaring hawks and vultures.
  6. Start a Bird Life List. Write down the date, location, and names of birds you see anywhere outside for the first time in your life!
  7. Watch the behavior of birds. How do birds communicate with each other? Look for signs, such as nest building (carrying nesting material), feeding young birds (birds carrying insects), and territory marking (singing). People in Connecticut are currently noting which birds nest in the state and compiling the list for the Connecticut Bird Atlas.
  8. Plant a garden for birds and pollinators. Use native plants as these provide the best food for wildlife. Look up information on the best plants for butterfly gardens. Be sure to include some milkweed for monarch butterflies.
  9. Keep a phenology log. Find nature’s “firsts”, such as the first day you see a tulip bloom, a hummingbird, or a monarch butterfly. Visit the Journey North website for more information.
  10. Start a nature journal. Sketch what you see while sitting quietly outside. Add notes about what you have observed.
  11. Catch a spider orb web. First, make sure the spider web is not occupied. Then, collect it on a black sheet of construction paper. Use acrylic clear spray to save your web.
  12. Conduct a butterfly survey in your neighborhood. Write down the name of every butterfly you see! If you don’t know the name, write down information about the butterfly (color, shape, size) and use BugGuide or iNaturalist to help with identification.
  13. Conduct a Bioblitz in your backyard. Use iNaturalist to help identify everything you see in your yard.
  14. Listen to wildlife sounds during the evening and try to identify what you are hearing. Keep a tally of the different animals you hear (peepers, owls, coyotes, and more!)
  15. Create a backyard wildlife plan. Try to attract birds, pollinators, and other wildlife by providing food, water, shelter, and space. (Family-friendly Projects to Improve Backyard Habitat for Wildlife)
  16. Find an invasive plant species in your backyard and design a Wanted, Dead, or Alive poster to show others how invasive species affect habitat for wildlife. More information on invasive plants is available from the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group.
  17. Conduct an experiment. Find an anthill, put different bait nearby. Predict which food the ant will like. Observe the ant’s behavior.
  18. Make your own insect net (for examples, go to YouTube) with simple household materials. Go outside and catch some insects!
  19. Observe the behavior of squirrels and sketch their activity. Do they live in leaf nests or tree holes? What are the squirrels eating? Which trees do squirrels seem to prefer?
  20. Take a trip around your house and note where you find animal signs, such as old mud dauber wasp nests or insect cocoons. Map these on a drawing of your home habitat.
  21. Search your neighborhood for different types of tree cavities. Look for and note evidence of wildlife use. Snags with tree holes are important as wildlife habitat!
  22. Set up a trail cam and view wildlife visiting your backyard.
  23. Hang a white sheet in your yard at night with a lamp (ultraviolet works best!) lighting it. Then, survey for different kinds of insects that might have been attracted by the light.
  24. Survey for and count flying bats during evenings. The CT DEEP Wildlife Division has been studying bats by recording night sounds during survey routes. Learn more about this project in Connecticut Wildlife magazine.
  25. Learn and survey for calling frogs and toads during the evening in your neighborhood. Some amphibians are affected by disease. Research more information on amphibian (and reptile) diseases.

Outdoor Learning Resources

Just for Kids Activities

Family-friendly Projects to Improve Backyard Habitat for Wildlife
With planning, these projects can each be completed in less than 2 hours.

Content last updated in May 2021.