C-Notes #10 – Photoblogs
January 31, 2009
Article in: Bird Conservation
CD 1000 Project – photoblog – Clay Taylor of Swarovski Optik has a photo blog and a quest to digiscope a thousand species of birds and other creatures. Called the CD 1000 Project, he has reached 55 species so far, mainly birds. His photos are an excellent promotion of nature’s beauty.
Birdfreak’s Nature, Photography and Art photoblog – In December, the Birdfreaks decided to create a sister blog dedicated to the beauty of nature called Nature, Photography and Art. By working on our own drawings, photos and ideas we are making an attempt to showcase how wonderful the natural world is and perhaps promote the urge to conserve it.
Virtua Gallery – A Photographic Journal – Klaus, a Graphic and Web Designer, has a great photoblog called Virtua Gallery that is full of inspiring photography. From birds and sky to frogs and lakes, it is well worth a daily check.
Phriday Photo – Spotted Towhee Lifer
January 30, 2009
Article in: Photography
We were thrilled to hear about a Spotted Towhee hanging around in an open barn in the county next to ours. Since this is out of the range of this cool bird, it made us doubly happy to get a chance to photograph. Triply happy that it was a lifer!
White-naped Raven: An Example of Bird-of-Mouth
January 29, 2009
Article in: Bird Conservation
bird-of-mouth: spreading information about birds, birding, and bird conservation through various forms of media.
bird-of-mouth marketing: using marketing tools/methods to increase the speed and reach of information about birds, birding, and bird conservation.
We coined these terms based off the well known marketing terms “word-of-mouth” and “word-of-mouth marketing” because spreading thoughts, ideas, and stories about birds is what birders are great at doing. There are thousands of amazing facts, fun anecdotes, and conservation success stories to share. As birders, we have a lot of great tools at our hands to get the bird-of-mouth to spread faster.
We witnessed a good example of how bird-of-mouth can be used with the World Bird Sanctuary’s use of a White-naped Raven to increase donations. This extremely intelligent bird would take money and put it in the donation box, creating a delight to the crowd, a topic to tell others about, and a great deal of greenbacks in the coffers.
World Bird Sanctuary Live Raptor Show – Starved Rock State Park
January 28, 2009
Article in: Birding
This is the third time we’ve watched the World Bird Sanctuary’s live raptor show at the Illinois Audubon Society’s Bald Eagle Weekend, but this was by far the best for photography.
First up was probably our favorite raptor in the world, the Harris’s Hawk. This is Sheldon and he flew over the crowd’s heads, causing an eruption of “oohs” and “ahhs”.
Next up was Turk, the Turkey Vulture. Some people call these fine birds “ugly” and “gross”. They do a lot for the ecosystem by cleaning up dead animals. We think they are just plain cool.
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Illinois Audubon Society Bald Eagle Weekend 2009
January 27, 2009
Article in: Birding
This past Saturday we volunteered to work the booth for our local bird club, North Central Illinois Ornithological Society at the annual Illinois Audubon Society Bald Eagle Weekend. This is a recap of what went down. We’ll have some more detailed information in upcoming posts!
Our booth was centrally located in the large gathering room at the Starved Rock State Park lodge, strategically positioned near the entryway to the meeting room where the live birds of prey show was held. Every two hours, lines would form and crowds would gather. But it wasn’t our bird club that was drawing all the attention; it was Barbara Williams’ taxidermy booth that snagged nearly every passerby.
Bird Photography Weekly #22
January 26, 2009
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
Bird Photography Weekly #21 is complete so join in on the action of the 22nd edition.
Make sure to check out Nature Photography & Art!
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