Chipmunks Can Teach Us Lessons

Bird Feeder

Nice article-click the link at the bottom to read more.

Outside our kitchen window we have a squirrel-proof bird feeder. It not only attracts birds, many species, but it brings in squirrels, chipmunks, even predators like hawks and cats. 

We enjoy our wildlife menagerie because they are not only enjoyable to watch but they also remind us of certain personal responsibilities that cannot be delegated to the community or to the government — like having adequate food supplies on hand in case of natural emergencies. Incidentally, the squirrel-proof feeder drives the squirrel’s nuts — pun intended.

Chipmunks can remind us of our responsibilities

Black-Capped or Carolina Chickadee?

Bird Feeder

“Those are Black Capped Chickadees,” declared the man next to us. Yes, I thought, COSI is north of Interstate 70 but, if that chickadee flies a quarter of a mile south, across the highway, people at the Grange Audubon Center would identify that very same bird as a Carolina Chickadee! Why? Location, location, location, it’s all about location. Melanie Shuter had shared this chickadee I.D. tip with me just weeks earlier. Since then I have been learning all I can about the whimsical little chickadee.

Location, location, location

Hawks Do Watch Your Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Just about everybody with a bird feeder sees them sooner or later: those clumps of feathers strewn nearby like leftovers from an old-fashioned pillow fight.

The response is to cringe in recognition: A hawk must have nailed a small bird while it was trying to grab a meal on a cold winter's day.

The cringe is typically accompanied by a twinge: You are somehow complicit in this carnage. After all, you're the one who put out the feeder in the first place.

How to prevent a massacre at the bird feeder

Bird House Artists Can Apply Now

Bird Feeder

If you are an artist-check out the link below for information on decorating a bird house.

"Artists are being asked to creatively paint the feeders as part of a fun way to educate the community about birds, their habitat and nature.

Potential artists will be required to submit a short summary and sketch of their intended design for a bird feeder. Wilderness Center staff will choose the artists."

Artists sought for bird house project at Wilderness Center

Cooper's Hawk Vs. Squirrel At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

When a pair of the squirrels scooted up a nearby tree, things got testy, in an adversarial kind of way. Perched on a thin limb that gave it a great vantage point to observe the goings-on at the feeder was a meat-eater, a predator, a Cooper's hawk.

Backyard standoff ends in peaceful parting

Tales of Bird Watching From Yesteryear

Your Bird Feeder

I can remember my grandmother telling me stories about all the different birds that used to visit her feeders and the ones that would actually eat out of her hand. Click the link below for some more musing by a fellow birder.

Sometimes, when I listen to the stories of longtime birdwatchers, it sounds like they’re telling fairy tales. Once upon a time, the warblers were so abundant during spring migration that you would find a tree filled with an entire flock of black-throated blue warblers, and another tree with dozens of scarlet tanagers.

Birder's Eye View: Ah, the birds of yesteryear, the birds of bygone days

Ornithologists Depend On The Great Backyard Bird Count For Important Data

Bird Feeder

There is still time to get involved in the 2012 Great Backyard Bird count. Click the link below to read more about one birdwatchers experience.

But she insists birdwatching is not an expensive hobby. She figured she spends about $15 a month on seed. (She lives in a subdivision without mature trees, so pilfering squirrels aren’t an issue.)

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/18/2157594/backyard-bird-count-to-help-ornith...

Backyard Bird Count to help ornithologists

Foresters For The Birds Program Protects Bird Habitats

Bird Feeder

"The veery singing and flitting through the understory of Vermont’s forests may have caught Nancy Patch’s ear or eye in the past, but these days when she sees the bird she thinks about how the surrounding habitat is meeting its needs. Patch, a forester with the Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation Department, credits a novel program called Foresters for the Birds with changing her perspective. The three-year-old effort combines Audubon Vermont’s bird expertise and land managers’ know-how to conserve forests that are important to avian species."

Managing Forests for the Birds

Birds That Mate For Life

Bird Feeder

Interesting article. Click the bottom link for more information.

"Love is in the air. This Valentine’s Day, take inspiration from some of the great bird species that mate for life. Here are just a few examples of the many winged wonders that fall into this category." 

Till Death Do Us Part: Birds that Mate for Life

Rules For The 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count

Your Bird Feeder

Here are the rules for the 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count. Click the link at the bottom for more details.

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.

2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful to print out your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February. You could take note of the highest number of each species you see on this checklist.

3. When you're finished, enter your results through our web page. You'll see a button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count. It will remain active until the deadline for data submission.

How to Participate

Help With The British Columbia Coastal Waterbirds Survey

Bird Feeder

"The BC Coastal Waterbird Survey aims to coordinate the efforts of people who care about waterbirds in British Columbia. Anyone who can identify coastal waterbird species in their area can participate in the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey! The goal of such coordinated collective efforts is the conservation of coastal waterbird populations in British Columbia."

British Columbia Coastal Waterbirds Survey

US Forest Service Program-Wings Across The America's

Bird Feeder

To read more about the Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative click the link at the bottom to get to their home page.

"It is complex to protect thousands of acres of habitat which cross jurisdictions—from private to state ownership, across state and even national boundaries. An effective way to conserve this critical habitat is by creating partnerships. The good news is that scientists, land owners, state and federal government agencies, environmental non-governmental organizations are working together. The Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative (CRIMBI) is an example of a successful partnership."

Wings Across The America's

Bird Count Helps Conserve Canada's Birds

Bird Feeder

Join us for the 2012 Baillie Birdathon, the oldest sponsored bird count in North America, raising money for bird research and conservation. The challenge is to identify as many bird species as possible within a 24-hour period, during the month of May. The money raised benefits Bird Studies Canada, the James L. Baillie Memorial Fund, and participating migration monitoring stations and conservation organizations (designated by participants to receive a portion of funds raised).

Conserving Canada's Birds Coast To Coast

Report On North American Raptors

Bird Feeder

Good report about North American raptors. Click the link at the bottom for more information.

How are raptors doing? Most North American species are doing well. A stark exception is the tiny American Kestrel. Unfortunately this colorful falcon continues to raise alarm among conservationists. The new RPI analysis shows kestrels continuing the long-term decline reported in previous RPI analyses. “Conservation concern remains high for this species” says Laurie Goodrich, Senior Monitoring Biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, “and warrants increased efforts to monitor populations and identify causes of the decline.”

Good news for birds of prey

Check Out The Painted Buntings At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Click the link at the bottom to see some great photos of the Painted Bunting.

While Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, and American Goldfinches will all show up at bird feeders here in the northeast and share their brilliant blue, red, and yellow visages, we have no bird at our feeders to compare to the Painted Bunting. While I have mentioned their technicolor dreamcoats before it never hurts to mention again that a bird made of blue, yellow, red and green is absurd and proof that nature is awesome.

Painted Buntings at the Bird Feeder

Great Backyard Bird Count 2012

Your Bird Feeder

This looks like a great new feature for the Bird Count. Click the link at the bottom for more details.

During this year's Great Backyard  Bird Count, February 17-20, you’re going to see something new in the corner of the website home page where the map is located. As each checklist is entered online, it will show up as a bright dot on the map. As the tens of thousands of reports come in, the map should light up like mini-fireworks! You’ll be able to click on the map to make it larger so you get the full impact of all those bird watchers reporting their tallies. Watch for it! 

Great Backyard Bird Count

 

American Coot Being Hunted By Bald Eagles

Your Bird Feeder

Check out this short video:

An adult Bald Eagle preying on American Coots at Long Point, Ontario, Canada.

Bald Eagle Hunting American Coots 

Nocturnal Owl Surveys

Your Bird Feeder

Representatives from the main volunteer surveys in Canada met in September 1999 to develop a set of standards for owl monitoring. The outcome of that meeting was agreement on a set of standard components that should be incorporated into roadside surveys for breeding owls. These meetings, with subsequent discussions, have led to development of guidelines for survey protocols that we hope will be adopted by all organizations running nocturnal roadside surveys for owls.

National Nocturnal Owl Surveys  

Doug Tarry Young Ornithologist Workshop Applications

Your Bird Feeder

The Doug Tarry Bird Study Awards foster the development of ornithological interests in Canadian teenagers. Recipients of the awards attend a week-long workshop/natural history camp or a month-long student internship at Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO).

The Doug Tarry Young Ornithologists' Workshop

Birding Job Opportunities In Canada

Your Bird Feeder

If you are interested in any of these positions please click the Job Opportunites link below.

1. NSERC Industrial Undergraduate Summer Student Research Positions
2. Long Point Bird Observatory Assistant Coordinator
3. Long Point Bird Observatory Internship
4. Wetland Bird and Amphibian Survey Technicians - Ontario
5. Marsh Bird Research Technicians - Saskatchewan
6. Long Point Bird Observatory Volunteer Field Biologists - Migration Monitoring Program
7. Long Point Bird Observatory Volunteer Breeding Bird Census Assistants
8. Bird Studies  Canada - Long Point Bird Observatory - University of Guelph - Volunteer Field Assistants
9. Volunteer Field Positions

Job Opportunities

Applications For Ornithological Research By Students Available

Bird Feeder

Applications for the various Student Research Awards offered annually by Bird Studies Canada (BSC) and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists (SCO) are due by February 15, 2012. Awards sponsored in whole or in part by BSC include the James L. Baillie Student Research Award (funded by proceeds of the Baillie Birdathon), and the Fred Cooke Student Research Award (offered jointly by BSC and SCO). These awards are open to students conducting ornithological research at a Canadian university. 

Call for Applications – Student Awards for Ornithological Research 

Learn About The Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program

Bird Feeder

"The program is designed to collect information about the presence and abundance of bird and amphibian species in Great Lakes coastal and inland marshes, to contribute to our understanding of these species and their habitat needs." 

Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program