Entries from November 2007 ↓

The American Bird Conservancy has recently updated their website and they’ve done quite an excellent job. If you aren’t familiar with ABC, they are a four-star charity not-for-profit with a sole purpose on bird habitat conservation throughout the Americas.

The American Bird Conservancy is a leading force with many campaigns for the “Future of Bird Conservation“:

Despite the complex array of threats facing birds and their habitats, the opportunity to advance bird conservation has never been greater than it is today, thanks to the growth of the birding movement and to technical advances in bird conservation practice—many of which are led by ABC.

To take full advantage of these opportunities, ABC is launching a five-year, $40 million campaign, based on the principles of leadership, program excellence, innovation, and results, to advance the cause of bird conservation across the Americas.

The campaign aims to safeguard the rarest birds, conserve habitat for declining species, and eliminate the worst threats to bird populations. It will also help ABC lead the way in bird conservation science and innovation through a new Institute for Bird Conservation, and supercharge the bird movement through a broad-based Bird Conservation Alliance to leverage maximum conservation results across the hemisphere.

[Full list of all the programs ABC is a part of]

Now would be a good time to join the American Bird Conservancy!!

This photo is from Deer Run Forest Preserve where we will be starting our year-long bird survey. We’ll see what this spot looks like in December!

With the latest Audubon Watchlist released, the troubling truth about how many of our birds are declining can be a definite downer. The list is huge and has some of our favorite birds (particularly some great prairie birds). [View the complete list]

The list includes 178 species of birds in the continental U.S. and another 39 in Hawaii. More than a quarter of the birds found in the U.S. are on this list. Disheartening to say the least.

Most birders are aware of the gross declines so instead of focusing on how many birds are declining, here are some of the ways we can help birds now:

1. Participate in Citizen Science: Much of the data for the declining birds comes from Christmas Bird Counts. CBCs are the best data source for bird populations (besides Breeding Bird Surveys) and are also lots of fun to do. If you already participate in a count, consider adding another.
2. Support Local Conservation: The saying “Think global, act local.” is a great motto. Local conservation is not only the easiest but is one of the most effective. You can eliminate much of the red tape and often times people are much more willing to conserve land they actively use.
3. Promote Farmer-Conservationists: Programs under the Farm Bill have the potential to provide incentives for farmers to be stout conservationists. But many individual farmers are already making money through conservation. By supporting bison products, bison farmers could very well conserve large plots of land, bringing back the old days of vast prairies and the host of wonderful birds found in them.
4. Buy a Duck Stamp: We’ve covered this a lot already but with 98% of the sale price going directly to land conservation, Duck Stamps are a cheap and effective way to help birds.
5. Become an Audubon and American Bird Conservancy Member: [Join Audubon] [Join American Bird Conservancy]
   Already a member, consider giving a subscription as a gift!
6. Spread the Word!: Some people will never care about how many Henslow’s Sparrows there are but most people do care about clean air and water and quiet places to have a picnic.
   Share your insights about conservation to anyone you associate with. Just remember, doom and gloom turns people away faster than a positive attitude about the difference they can make to improve the environment.

The Christmas season is upon us and to help out we’ve constructed the Birdfreak 2007 Christmas Bird Gift Guide.

All of the items listed on the gift guide have been reviewed at some point during the last year and we plan to add a few more items if time permits. If you have an item that you would recommend to birders let us know and we’ll try to add it to the guide.

One of the rail bridges that runs through Deer Run

Starting on December 1st the Birdfreak Team will be conducting monthly birding surveys at one of our local preserves, Deer Run Forest Preserve. Owned by the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District, Deer Run consists of 593 acres, many of which are undergoing prairie restoration. The preserve includes a lot of riparian habitat along the Kishwaukee River and is one of the most natural preserves in our area.

As part of our effort to participate in more citizen science projects, we have decided to create our own bird survey for just this preserve. The goal is to conduct at least two counts each month of the year starting in December. There are over 9 miles of hiking trails so there is a lot of ground to cover. The preserve is somewhat close to home which aids in our efforts of doing multiple counts.

Our goal for this self-supported project is two-fold:

1. Discover the year-long diversity of Deer Run
2. Assist Winnebago County in future conservation easements and purchases in the vicinity of Deer Run {currently, there are other forest preserves in the area but also many farms that could instantly add to the acreage}

We hope to find some nesting Great-horned Owls like this one from July

Conservation International [CI] is not only a leading force in world conservation efforts, but the organization employs several excellent marketing techniques. The CI website is loaded with interactive pages and stylish graphics to not only grab your attention, but keep you browsing their site.

What really caught our attention was this image:

This Philippine Eagle image tugs at your heart and the message attached is heart-wrenching. “Another species lost every 9 to 44 minutes.” However, no matter how disheartening that thought is, it is inspiring to sign the petition to try and help “stop the clock“.

This is what happens when you have that third piece of pumpkin pie (or eat all the seed left out for the juncos)