Entries from April 2008 ↓

Definition: The Bird Conservation Movement (BCM) is the accumulation of efforts from birders, educators, parents, students, farmers, policy makers, businesses, and the community as a whole to increase efforts and results in bird conservation.

We will be featuring more detailed articles about how to enhance the BCM, but here are some introductory ideas to get started. We’d love to have feedback on this and will hopefully be having an ongoing dialog on this movement, since it effects everyone, not just birders.

1. Promote the right organizations and companies (large and small)
There are many organizations out there that focus on the environment but not as many with a strong focus on bird conservation. We wish to support those like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, American Bird Conservancy, etc. and companies with solid environmental plans and/or products that are good for birds.

2. How to help birds by using your money (smartly)
The organizations listed above always appreciate donations but there are other ways to help birds with cold hard cash: purchase Duck Stamps, pledge for birding events like Big Days, or even buy a child or classroom a bird guide.

3. How to help birds without using money
Citizen Science is the new way to volunteer! You can Join various bird counts, lead a bird hike, or take a child birding with little cost. Often spreading the word about birds and conservation is also free of charge!

Continue reading →

When it rains it pours and when it pours, American Robins are happy. This was a couple weeks ago when the rain turned our yard into a lake.

American Robin - CNP from birdfreak on Vimeo.

This is our ninth Deer Run Bird Survey and the best “migrationally” speaking.

Sparrows (eight kinds) and warblers (four) were the main attraction. Deer Run is an excellent place for sparrows due to all the grasses in the restored prairie.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Savanna Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

A huge surprise was one of our favorite birds, a Prothonotary Warbler

Not a surprise was this Palm Warbler

Despite cloudy weather, the birds were quite photogenic, including this Eastern Towhee.

Total species sighted: 40 [a new high count]
Total birds counted: 194 (a bit low but the mini flocks of sparrows were hard to count)
New for the survey, 12 species:

1. Chipping Sparrow
2. Gray Catbird
3. Lark Sparrow
4. Lincoln’s Sparrow
5. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
6. Ovenbird
7. Palm Warbler
8. Prothonotary Warbler
9. Savannah Sparrow
10. Spotted Sandpiper
11. Barn Swallow
12. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Survey numbers up to this point:
Total Species: 74
Total Birds: 3,142

Next up, May and more migrants!!

If you’ve spent much time at a birding festival, belong to a bird club, or just page through a birding magazine you’ll notice something: nearly all birders are White. Considering how diverse bird species are, it is a shame that more minorities are not part of this fun, energizing hobby. Not only that, the lack of minority groups in birding means less bird conservationists, something that is truly a shame.

John C. Robinson decided this was a shame too, and his book Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers, he lays out the groundwork to help increase the ranks of minority birdwatchers.

Mr. Robinson, himself Black, explains how he became a birder and how he went birding in West Virginia with two White birders who had “never met a Black birdwatcher before.” We can understand where they are coming from, having never had the pleasure to bird with a Black person and rarely with any other minority group except Hispanics in southern Texas.

Birding for Everyone is a pioneer work that helps to explain some reasons why this hobby is predominantly White. There is data from research conducted by the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment. Unfortunately, the sample size is small - which is understandable otherwise we wouldn’t need this book - so some of the results might not be as statistically accurate as we’d like.

However, Mr. Robinson’s research goes further with detailed interviews with six minority birders (arguably another small amount) who explain how they became involved in birding and ways they’d increase birding’s appeal to minority groups. The information they provide is vital to help us better understand where to begin in promoting birding to minorities.

Birding for Everyone is full of important information about the role parents and teachers play, the importance of community and advertising (promotion), and the necessity of role models and mentors to help welcome minority groups into the world of birding.

“The National Science Teachers Association has a membership of over 55,000. Imagine the impact this organization could have if they embraced teaching their students about the environment for future generations. Such a strategy is consistent with the mission of the NSTA, which is ‘…to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.’”

The book expounds on the ways we can help enhance birding for all people, but it doesn’t end there. We must all be up for the challenge, so check out this book and then get to action. Birding truly is for everyone and anyone can be a birder.

9 out of 10 feathers

Birders tend to also be readers, and sometimes writers. If you enjoy reading literature about birds, you might want to check out LBJ, a new publication that has a unique concept. Instead of publishing articles about birding, this publication focuses on literature about birds.

Following is a press release from LBJ:

“The LBJ is a biannual publication dedicated to birds and creative writing. Its title is drawn from the acronym for “little brown job,” used by birders to describe those difficult-to-identify species, such as many sparrows. While there are popular magazines (Audubon), scientific journals (The Auk), and other newsletters about birds, The LBJ is a uniquely literary venue, publishing new creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, narrative scholarship, and literary journalism of the feathered variety. In its pages, The LBJ hopes to encourage an appreciation and practice of environmental literature, and increasing collaboration between scientists, conservationists, and artists. It seeks innovative creative writing and literary reportage—the best writing about birds to be found.”

For information about subscribing or to find out how you can submit your own writing to LBJ, visit
http://www.literarybirdjournal.org. For their inaugural issue, they are holding a contest for original unpublished poetry and prose about birds, with cash prizes. The first issue will be out in July 2008.

At 1:35 PM on Friday, April 25th, 2008 our backyard willow tree made a fantastic display of what happens when a dead tree mixes with wind and gravity. With a loud rumble, 80% of the tree came crashing down, taking power lines and part of our fence with it but missing every living thing in the yard save a Cupplant or two.

The willow has been near-dead for several years before it collapsed

The willow tree was in our city preserve for our entire lives and was host to many wonderful animal sightings. While not native, this tree grew well in our overly wet yard. Numerous bird species used the tree for stashing seeds, perching, and even attempts at nesting.

Red-headed Woodpecker that tried to nest but left after a few weeks

Red-breasted Nuthatch that stored seeds in the willow

Other birds that used the willow include: Downy, Red-bellied, and Hairy Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Baltimore Oriole, Yellow-bellied and Great Crested Flycatchers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and many other birds as well.

Besides birds, one of the coolest animals to use the willow was a Northern Flying Squirrel

The collapse of the willow tree left many squirrels in a quandary, their “aerial highway” severed. Many of the logs will be placed throughout the yard to add to the natural setting we are trying to create. But the snag will stay and the birds continue to use what’s left.

Two hundred and twenty-three years ago today John James Audubon was born and perhaps bird conservation itself. Audubon’s namesake lives on most notably with the National Audubon Society but also in the hearts of birders everywhere.

Although John James Audubon was never part of the organization, “George Bird Grinnell, one of the founders of the early Audubon Society in the late 1800s, was tutored by Lucy Audubon, John James’s widow. Knowing Audubon’s reputation, Grinnell chose his name as the inspiration for the organization’s earliest work to protect birds and their habitats.”

Audubon’s journey to paint the birds of North America seems romantic and far-fetched in today’s era but each time we as birders go out, in a sense we are following in Audubon’s footsteps. While he collected birds (shot them), he also enjoyed them and knew of the importance of conserving bird habitat.

Eastern Phoebe

He even conducted an experiment with Eastern Phoebes, tying strings on their legs and discovered the same birds returned to the same spot year after year. This is the first known bird-banding to have taken place.

John James Audubon’s life story is the epitome of the American way: he never gave up on his dream and his hard work and dedication is why he succeeded.

Have a happy Audubon Day and if you aren’t a member, consider joining the National Audubon Society.