Despite birding every day for the last week, we decided to do our Blogger Bio Blitz at our own preserve, the Callaway Nature Preserve. The C.N.P. is a 1/4 acre in size and is located in Rockford, a city of 150,000+. First of all, our bug expert is only nine and he slacked off a
Month: April 2007
Lazuli Bunting
Our local bird banding station, Sand Bluff Bird Observatory, perhaps the finest in the midwest, had a surprising visitor today. A Lazuli Bunting showed up; the first one banded here! Normally Lazuli Buntings are found west of northern Illinois in places like Nebraska and the Dakotas. Lazuli Bunting Yellow-rumped Warbler Swamp Sparrow (was originally called
birdJam Helps ID Waterthrush
While birding today with our local birding club, NCIOS, a waterthrush was discovered and luckily we brought along our birdJam loaded iPod. We quickly found the song for Louisiana Waterthrush and it was a perfect match! birdJam’s software is great because it removes the voice from the start of each track and also allows for
Birding Videos
It is time once again to hype up the awesome Internet Bird Collection (IBC)! They now have 3590 species and 14118 videos! Amazing! When we posted about the IBC back in January, they had 12,000 videos covering 3,259 species. This is such a fun way to review migratory birds before they arrive. There are quite
Canon EOS and Some Native Plants
The Birdfreak Team’s new camera came in today and I am already pleased. It’s a Canon EOS Rebel XTi. I only had time to shoot for a half hour or so before it was too dark to bother, but it is easy to use and focuses so much better than my old camera. The first
Earth Day 2007
To celebrate Earth Day, Rock Valley College hosted the Community Earth Day Celebration that featured many conservation and wildlife organizations. The Birdfreak team volunteered to organize the booth of our local birding club, the North Central Illinois Ornithological Society (NCIOS). We had never done this before and weren’t sure what to expect. Many of our
The Wisconsin Society of Ornithology
Part of the Bird Conservation Alliance The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology was organized in 1939 to encourage the study of Wisconsin birds. The aims have since expanded to emphasize all of the many enjoyable aspects of birding and to support the research and habitat protection necessary to preserve Wisconsin birdlife. WSO strives to alert members
American Bird Conservancy
Part of the Bird Conservation Alliance American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. It is the only U.S.-based, group dedicated solely to overcoming the greatest threats facing birds in the Western Hemisphere. A growing human population, consuming ever greater resources,
