Great Backyard Bird Count – Nygren Wetlands
February 17, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Birding is important on many levels and on Saturday it provided a great escape from the terrible happenings at NIU on Valentine’s Day. We were signed up to lead visitors around the roads of Nygren Wetlands, a spectacular natural area in the northern part of Winnebago County. The Natural Land Institute was holding a Winter Festival to coincide with the Great Backyard Bird Count, so our “backyard” was over 700 acres of some fine habitat.
The weather was cold but the sun was out and despite a general lack of birds, it was a fun time. Only a handful of people showed up but to be out at Nygren in the winter provided a unique look of a place normally teeming with wildlife. The water was mostly frozen and the prairie was snow-packed, but the clean snow provided great opportunities to track the various animals passing through – coyotes, foxes, mice, rabbits, deer, and pheasants.
We found the remains of a Ring-necked Pheasant
The top birds we found were two that we never see in our own backyard – a Rough-legged Hawk and a 1st year Bald Eagle.
Rough-legged Hawk
Bald Eagle
Citizen Science – Winter Raptor Surveys
February 16, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
The Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) is a membership-based organization committed to the conservation of raptors through the scientific study, enjoyment, and appreciation of raptor migration.
The first HMANA North American Winter Raptor Survey started in February of 2007 in the Northeastern and Midwestern parts of North America. The Birdfreak Team checked on locations nearby, but found none within Illinois. (New project time!) The surveys can be done from late November through early March, anywhere in North America.
The purpose of the HMANA Winter Raptor Survey is to get birders/raptor enthusiasts out in the field during the winter looking for diurnal raptors, and to provide those surveyors with a set of guidelines enabling them to record their observations in a standardized format.
If you are thinking of starting your own winter raptor survey, don’t delay! It sounds like a lot of fun.
This is a great method to collect wintering raptor information and can be useful to various researchers and regional birding organizations.
Phriday Photo – A Prayer for NIU
February 15, 2008
Article in: Birding
A horrible tragedy fell upon our school yesterday, affecting us greatly. The Birdfreak Team consists of alumni and current students of Northern Illinois University and our hearts are broken. We are receiving incredible support from family, friends, and other universities, which we appreciate immensely.
This photo came from a support group consisting of Virginia Tech students who immediately posted prayers for all NIU students through the networking site Facebook.
Citizen Science – Nest boxes for Prothonotary Warblers
February 14, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Prothonotary Warblers, or Golden Swamp Warblers as they are sometimes called, are the only eastern wood warbler that nests in cavities. Lucy’s Warbler in the west is the only other.
Natural cavities abandoned by woodpeckers over or near water is their preference, but they will use nest boxes in shaded areas near standing water. This makes it possible for us to help them re-establish within restored habitats and putting up artificial boxes has proven to be helpful.
Photo by hart_curt
Preserving the National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) is an important key to saving many endangered bird species, including the Prothonotary Warbler. Buying duck stamps helps save NWR habitats.
We can also help the Prothonotary Warbler by coordinating nest box projects. Because their habitat is so localized, they are very vulnerable to habitat destruction.
The Birdfreak Team is hoping to bring a project such as this to Winnebago County through our own bird club, the North Central Illinois Ornithological Society.
Two organizations currently involved in Prothonotary Warbler Projects are The Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers Association and Richmond Audubon Society, both in Virginia.
Related Information
- NOAA Chesapeake Bay Nesting Box Project
- Heard Nature Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary Webcam photos
- Prothonotary Warbler Nest Box Plans
Prothonotary Warbler male – Photo by c-eight
Citizen Science – Magpie Monitors
February 13, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Sometimes, not seeing a bird (and reporting it) can greatly help bird population studies. The Yellow-billed Magpie is at possible risk due to the West Nile Virus and habitat loss. Citizen scientists can help if they live near the range of this California endemic.
Although the Yellow-billed Magpie is common and conspicuous in the open oak woodlands of central and southern California, it is found nowhere else in the world. – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Magpie Monitors (also known as Bicycle Bird Biologists) are dedicated to helping better understand the relationship between Yellow-billed Magpie populations and the West Nile Virus after a decline was noticed.
Helpful projects through Magpie Monitors include Point Counts four times a year, Adopting and monitoring a nest, and collecting feathers for DNA studies.
With the help of local birders, citizen science can preserve and protect this unique bird species.
Citizen Science – Project Feeder Watch
February 12, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Anyone can sign up to be part of this scientific research, which is used to study trends in bird distribution and abundance.
The small fee for Project Feeder Watch covers a materials kit including instructions, a bird identification poster, a wall calendar, a resource guide to bird feeding, and data forms. The survey starts November 10 and runs for 21 weeks, through early April. You can sign up after November up until February 28th, and you can sign up for the following year starting on March 1st.
This is a popular citizen science project that can be done quite easily from home. The project was discussed on Martha Stewart’s television show in October, 2007, further popularizing it.
Join the fun and help monitor our fine feathered friends this winter!
Related Posts
Birdwatch Radio
February 9, 2008
Article in: Birding
Steve Moore, a broadcaster and long-time birder, has launched a new online radio program called Birdwatch Radio. The program is freely available at BirdWatchRadio.com and offers information on birdwatching events, birding gear, and new happenings in the birding world. The show’s episodes can be downloaded through iTunes as a free Podcast as well.
The first episode reviews the Birdwatch America nature products trade show in Atlanta. Especially interesting is an interview with Clay Taylor at our favorite binocular company, Swarovski. The current plan is for once-a-month shows although we hope it will be more often than that, preferably at least once a week.
“My long-term plan is to actually schedule some live call-in programs that will allow you to join in the conversation with some of the personalities and experts we plan to host. Also, I want to have a section for some news updates from the world of birding, and perhaps a schedule of events, reviews of birding festivals, etc.” – Steve Moore
Birdwatch Radio, especially when live call-in programming takes place, will be great for passing on bird information to birders. So
check out BirdwatchRadio.com and you will love it!
Citizen Science – Tricolored Blackbirds
February 9, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Far away in a distant land, miles away from Illinois, live small colonies of wondrous birds never seen by a Birdfreak.
Although they might look like our oh-so-common Red-wing Blackbirds, Tricolored Blackbirds are a localized species of small numbers occurring mainly in California.
Tricolored Blackbirds near Drake’s Beach at Pt. Reyes, California
Photo courtesy of Doug Greenberg
An effort to monitor the annual distribution and abundance of the Tricolored Blackbird population was initiated in 1994 by the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and other state and federal organizations.
California eBird will be looking for volunteers for a Citizen Science project to track the colony locations and numbers of Tricolored Blackbirds. We decided that perhaps we could help out by spreading the word. The survey will take place over one full day between April 25th and 27th, 2008. Additional survey data will also be welcome.
Almost all (95-99%) Tricolored Blackbirds live within California and they are hard to track as their colonies move from year-to-year. A statewide survey is necessary to study their numbers. As of 1997 approximately 233,000 Tricolored Blackbirds remained, a decline of nearly 34% since a previous survey only three years earlier, in 1994. They are on Audubon’s WatchList as their numbers have declined so rapidly.
A one day count and a few caring birders will make tracking the Tricolored Blackbird much easier, and knowing their status helps conservation efforts for the bird immensely.
California Partners In Flight -Species Range Maps and Habitat Maps, 2004
