Illinois is the proud home of 11 National Wildlife Refuges, protecting land along the mighty Mississippi River down to cypress swamps in the southern part of the state. These refuges provide habitat for millions of migrating birds including the endangered Piping Plover. Unfortunately, Illinois’ NWRs are facing a $47 million budget deficit, reducing the ability
Category: Bird Conservation
Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC)
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) was created in 1929 by the passage of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act. The purpose of the MBCC is to consider and approve land and/or water areas recommended by the Secretary of the Interior for purchase or rental by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Act. Forster’s
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Michigan NWR Buget Issues
Two things remain certain with regard to Michigan’s National Wildlife Refuges: they provide critical habitat for an amazing diversity of bird species and they are seriously underfunded. Kirtland’s Warbler Perhaps the best known bird of Michigan is the Kirtland’s Warbler. An endangered species, the Kirtland’s is a bird that mostly breeds in Michigan but because
Birdfreak Partners With NWRs
Well, it isn’t an official partnership, but the Birdfreak Team has made it a top priority to promote the National Wildlife Refuge System. We will be highlighting the problems the NWRs face and potential solutions to these problems. We have birded on numerous NWRs and they are some of the best places to bird. Common
Duck Stamps – More Birds For Your Buck
After attending the Midwest Birding Symposium, it was made even more clear just how important Duck Stamps are to conservation. We were fortunate to hear a wonderful talk given by Paul Baicich about the route birders need to take to be active conservationists and support the National Wildlife Refuge System. The following are some points
Can Birding Ever Become “Mainstream”?
There are some activities that nearly everyone takes part in: backyard grilling, New Year’s Eve parties, politics, photography, music, sports, etc. Some might call these mainstream – activities that the majority of people partake in year after year no matter what their demographical makeup is. Arguably, birding is popular – there are several bird-only focused
Feral Cats
We just found a recent article about the famed incident between Texan Jim Stevenson and a feral cat. The Wall Street Journal retells the happenings of when Mr. Stevenson shot and killed a feral cat, a cat stalking endangered Piping Plovers. Now, if you are a birder, you know how bad feral cats are for
Mexico’s Collection of Thrushes
The Birdfreak Team has a fascination with thrushes, evident in the use of Veery as Jennie’s online name and the posts we’ve done previously on the blog. Illinois Migratory Thrushes Eastern Wire-Thrush Mexico has a fine selection of thrushes, birds that fall into the family Turdidae. Some of these are well-known here in the U.S.,
