Entries from March 2008 ↓

Continuing our Deer Run Bird Survey, we made our second survey for March today.

The weather was much better than earlier in the week when it snowed 4+ inches and we added four new species to our survey list. Our grand total is 46 species and 2,295 individuals.

New birds:

1. Hooded Merganser
2. Cooper’s Hawk
3. Eastern Meadowlark
4. Brown-headed Cowbird

We plan on picking up the pace for our surveys and doing at least three a month in April, May, and June.

You can view more information about what we are trying to accomplish with the Deer Run Bird Survey.

This photo is from last year as we are now covered with snow again.

It’s either Sprinter or Wing, take your pick., but I know which sounds better to me! -Vern

Compassplant - Summer 2007

More snow fell on the Callaway Nature Preserve on this Good Friday!

Callaway Nature Preserve in High Dynamic Range

Arizona enjoying the snow. This photo was an attempt at High Dynamic Range (HDR)

We were tagged by Birdchick for a 6 word meme describing your inner birder. Here is what we came up with:

To continue the fun, we must tag five others:

1. Iowa Voice
2. Teach Me About Birdwatching!!!
3. Hondubirding
4. Sandpiper’s Place
5. Sycamore Canyon

Here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere

4 .Tag five more blogs with links

5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

A great way to promote bird conservation is to celebrate and encourage the future generation of great birders. What better way to discuss young birders than by finding out what they personally think and feel? In this Who’s Who we interviewed a young birder and wanted to share his story with you.

Non-birders often think of Nebraska as a state you drive through to get to “better” states. But in the birding world, we know better. The state holds numerous hotspots for birding. Nebraska Tim is a couple states west of us in, you got it, Nebraska! He is the second young birder that we’ve had the honor of interviewing.

Here is our interview, along with some of his fantastic photos!

American Robin

1. What age were you when you started birding? What is your current age?

It is difficult to say what exact age I was when I started birding, but when I was about 10 years old, I became seriously passionate about all things bird-related. I am 13 years old now.

Clay-colored Sparrow

2. How did you get started in birding?

I have always been interested in nature and animals, and when I was about 8 years old, I became very interested in botany, especially trees. I was purchasing a guide to trees, and I randomly decided to get the Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Birds, too. I dug out my Dad’s “ancient” binoculars, which I quickly decided would not do. So, I bought some enormous Bushnell 16×56 porro-prisms, thinking that magnification was all that mattered. With my new binoculars and field guide, I began to casually observe the common bird species around my house. After 5 years of many optic and field guide updates, and many learning experiences, here I am today!
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Emu

Australia’s national bird, the Emu is the world’s second-largest living member of the ratite (ra-tight) family of flightless birds. Most Ratites are now extinct; only the emu, ostrich, cassowary, kiwi and rhea are alive today.

The Emu was designated in 1960 by the Australian government to be their national bird, although some sources say this is not official. Either way, the Emu is a perfect choice as it is a native endemic species and important to the country ecologically and as a resource.

Photo Courtesy of CmdrGravy (Joe)

Emus can be six feet tall and weigh as much as 140 pounds. They are strong, fast runners with a long stride. They live in most of the less-populated areas of the continent and although they can survive in most regions, they avoid dense forest and severe desert.

The Emu is on the Coat of Arms of Australia

The Callaway Nature Preserve is our own yard, our personal sanctuary to watch birds from our windows and patio chairs. We have been working hard to replace grass with native plants, and have installed water-drippers, bird feeders, bird houses, and even a bat house (which has yet to have any visitors).

The National Wildlife Federation provides a Certified Wildlife Habitat Certification for a small fee if you have the basics for a good wildlife habitat such as water, food, and cover.

Yellow Warbler during migration

As a bonus for certifying your yard, we received a year’s membership with NWF including their magazine. But most important to us is being able to show our neighbors and friends just how great it is to have a yard that is welcoming to wildlife. Anyone can create their own nature preserve and the cost is more in the time and effort than monetary. (Although you can still end up spending a lot if you aspire to have water features, etc.).

Swainson’s Thrush - can’t wait for them to arrive!

We have sighted 96 species of birds in our preserve and hope to break 100 this spring!