C-Notes #3 – Illinois Land Acquisitions and Awards
September 6, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Farm to Floodplain: For over 80 years, farmland at Emiquon in Illinois has been manipulated to remain dry. In 2007, the Nature Conservancy shut down pumps turning 7100 acres into a wetland that attracts thousands of waterfowl and Bald Eagles.
Read more about this project in Jason’s Journal (Jason is the Deputy Director of the Illinois River Program)
Boone County Illinois conserves new land: The Boone County Conservation District recently acquired 80 acres of new land from two separate adjoining land owners. The site will be called the Piscasaw Fen Conservation Area. The site is along a riparian corridor and contains both woodland and wetland habitats. The acquisition was funded by grants from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the Grand Victoria Foundation and Chum’s Foundation.
Organization of the year: The Nature Conservancy in Illinois has been named Organization of the Year at the 2008 Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet for 50 years of extraordinary contributions.
Musings From a Young Bird Conservationist
September 4, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
We asked Dakota a few questions about bird conservation as we discussed birding on a warm late summer afternoon. This is also our Skywatch Friday post for this week.
Why do you like birds?
Because they are cool to watch and it is so cool to study them. I love their songs and each bird has a different sound. My favorite birds are Northern Gannets, warblers, and definitely raptors.
Do you feel birds are in trouble?
Yes. People are taking over their habitat, cutting down trees and polluting waterways.
What would happen if bird species started disappearing?
It would be sad and there would be too many bugs. Less plants would be spread by seeds and it would be less fun since there would be less to watch.
What are you doing to help bird conservation?
Participating in Christmas Bird Counts and learning to band birds. I use birds in school projects to help show other kids that birds are great. It is hard to talk to my friends about birds because they don’t understand how fun it is. Some of them do not seem to enjoy being outside as much.
How do you define bird conservation?
Helping birds by donating money to protect them. Volunteering at birding events helps too. Also, protecting them to keep them from declining and especially going extinct.
If you haven’t entered our weekly photo meme, Bird Photography Weekly, you still have time! A new one comes out next Monday.
C-Notes #2 – Lost Scenes, eBird and Wintering Thrushes
September 4, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Lost Scenes of Winged Migration: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library will be archiving some of the 200 hours of film from the spectacular documentary of Winged Migration. Winged Migration helps viewers fall in love with birds, spurring the will to conserve them.
New Flickr photo group for eBird – If you have seen any birds outside their normal range or seasonal occurrence, or exceedingly large numbers of birds you can not only post them on e-bird, but you can now add any photos to the photo-sharing site flickr.
Wintering site for Bicknell’s Thrush – In the Sierra De Bahoruco National Park in southwestern Dominican Republic there is a significant population of wintering Bicknell’s Thrushes. The American Bird Conservancy is working with Grupo Jaragua to strengthen the protection of the park which is also home to the endanged Bay-breasted Cuckoo found no where else in the world.
C-Notes #1 – Kenyan Conservation, A New Bird, and Help for a Wren
August 30, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Welcome to the first edition of C-Notes, an ongoing series designed to pull together 2-3 small tidbits of important bird conservation issues.
Do it for Dominic The Small African Fellowship for Conservation, a project conceived by 10,000 Birds, wants to get the word out about a young Kenyan conservationist named Dominic who is working to promote the importance of conservation in his country. Feel free to donate a few dollars towards this cause.
The Smithsonian Institute discovers a new bird species in Gabon, Africa. The bird was first observed by scientists in 2001, but thought to be a juvenile of a different species. The bird is called the Olive-backed Forest Robin, named for its distinctive coloring on its back and rump, although the male also has a bright orange throat.
Audubon Arkansas and Arkansas State University have developed a project that seeks to survey wrens in Arkansas. This citizen science project is calling on interested individuals to help count wrens in Arkansas. The Bewick’s Wren is in decline in Arkansas. Although rare, this species can be found anywhere in the state. To find out how you can report sightings, check out the Arkansas Wren Survey.
Help Save Our Boreal Birds
April 4, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
There are few places on Earth where large areas of intact ecosystems remain and birds abound. The Boreal Forest is one of those places. The Canadian Boreal Forest encompasses 1.4 billion acres and is responsible for the breeding of billions of birds. BILLIONS of birds!!
Helping the Boreal Forest means helping birds like this Bay-breasted Warbler
Unfortunately, the Boreal is not safe from destruction and many opportunistic companies are attempting to snatch up land for profit. While this natural resource is important for both Canadian and American economies, much of the products produced from this important bird habitat are waste products: junk mail, catalogs, and other paper materials. And of course there are the oil, gas, mining, and hydro industries.
(more…)
