SPRING is in the air – time for more outdoor activities, including more time birding. It’s wonderful!
It’s also time for backyard and gardening opportunities. As most bird enthusiasts know, backyard stewardship means creating places for birds and other wildlife to feed, hide, nest, and find water. Removing invasive plants and planting native vegetation in the yard is especially vital.
And so is removing the lawn. Cookie-cutter-styled yards with manicured lawns of bluegrass and fescue don’t provide much in the way of useful bird habitat.
So here’s our tip of the month: Now is the best time to reduce your lawn to a minimum size, eliminate the use of chemicals, and even save some money! Plan to use that extra lawn space for planting a variety of species and types of plants, flowers, vines, shrubs, and bushes that are attractive to birds. Swap a monoculture of grass with a diversity of bird-attracting plant species. Minimize lawn size; maximize plant diversity.
Paul J. Baicich Editor Birding Conmunity E-Bulletin
THE TALLEST BIRD in North America is alarmingly short in number this year.
As a result, wildlife officials would like the public to report sightings as the flock migrates north.
Endangered whooping crane numbers dipped for the first time since
2001. This winter killed 21 birds, more than during any winter on
record, further straining the last wild flock's population. Experts say a poor, dry South Texas habitat is to blame. Low 2008
rainfall resulted in saltier bays and fewer blue crabs, the bird's
primary food source.
Last fall, the flock grew to 270 birds. Deaths this winter, and 34
birds that failed to return to Texas last season, dwindled the flock by
20 percent during the last year.
Whoopers spend summers in Canada and winters in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport. Migrating cranes usually depart the Texas coast in late March and early April.
To report sightings of the flock and to
help wildlife experts track the birds, call 1-800-792-1112. Enter "9"
to exit voice mail, then enter extension "4644."
You also may e-mail Lee Ann Linam, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist, at leeann.linam@tpwd.state.tx.us.
NATURE provides us with both enjoyment and challenge. For those of us who enjoy the natural elements and seek to preserve or conserve them for the future use of generations of people and wildlife to come, I invite you to begin a journey with a nature journal.
You don't need any fancy supplies or location to go to, just a few basic tools can get you and your family started on a new activity that teaches respect and appreciation of nature.
You can begin with a simple plain papered notebook and pencil or ink pen. Or, you can create a nature journaling/field sketching bag for you to carry with you. For our children we began with just the plain paper and pencil, but the more interested they became, I wanted a way to keep the work in a notebook.
This is when I found Nature Log Kids published by Adventure Publications. It is printed and bound in the United States on recycled paper. Each page offers a place for the child to draw a sketch from their observation, to write about what they saw, when they saw it, and what they learned from it.
This is valuable for our homeschool studies as it often provokes further study about a subject we have observed. There are places to add photos if you bring a camera along for an additional way to capture your subject.
One of our favorite entries is of a Turkey Vulture that visited our neighborhood carrion it spotted from the sky. The nature log is a comfortable size for a child's hands and will fit nicely in a small back pack.
For an adult or older child I encourage you to put together a special sketch bag. You may want to include the following items: A sketch pad, a water color notebook (if you use watercolor pencils), a pencil case with technical drawing pencils (thin and thick lead), an eraser, pocket knife for making small cuttings of leaves or to open mast, several ink pens of different sizes and a ball point pen, binoculars for careful viewing, field guide books of birds, flowers, trees, etc (this helps in identification, a magnifying lens, a set of watercolor pencils (they are water soluable and great for coloring with and then adding water with a small brush later), if you have the time a small bottle of water with a cap, and lastly a ruler for measurements.
You can vary this equipment according to your preferences and knowledge of use. Some people I have met prefer to sketch in the field and then write the colors and size of the subject as a side note and wait until they get home to add color.
The purpose of the nature journal is not a work of art, rather it is a field study. Keeping a nature journal will bring you up close to many things in nature you may not otherwise notice. It creates a time of reflection, silence and shared family experiences. Even if you journal by yourself, you can share it with others afterwards.
The seasons bring us many opportunites to field sketch. You can pick a spot in your yard and sketch the same area or subject in each season: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn will show the many faces of a subject. Your sketches will change along with the natural elements around you. Much knowledge can be gained by the direct observation involved in nature journaling. Write about what you observe, the season, temperature and weather, smells and sounds around you. Make use of your senses and enjoy what you discover.
For additional interest I have both used and recommend the following books by Clare Walker Leslie:
* Nature Journal --A guided journal for illustrating and recording your observations of the natural world.
* The Art of Field Sketching
* Keeping a Nature Journal-- Discover a whole new way of seeing the world around you.
WASHINGTON, DC--Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats.
At the same time, the report highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl, where habitat restoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, offering hope that it is not too late to take action to save declining populations.
“Just as they were when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring nearly 50 years ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems,” Salazar said. “From shorebirds in New England to warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trends that should set off environmental alarm bells. We must work together now to ensure we never hear the deafening silence in our forests, fields and backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about.”
The report, The U.S. State of the Birds, synthesizes data from three long-running bird censuses conducted by thousands of citizen scientists and professional biologists.
In particular, it calls attention to the crisis in Hawaii, where more birds are in danger of extinction than anywhere else in the United States. In addition, the report indicates a 40 percent decline in grassland birds over the past 40 years, a 30 percent decline in birds of aridlands, and high concern for many coastal shorebirds. Furthermore, 39 percent of species dependent on U.S. oceans have declined.
However, the report also reveals convincing evidence that birds can respond quickly and positively to conservation action. The data show dramatic increases in many wetland birds such as pelicans, herons, egrets, osprey, and ducks, a testament to numerous cooperative conservation partnerships that have resulted in protection, enhancement and management of more than 30 million wetland acres.
“These results emphasize that investment in wetlands conservation has paid huge dividends,” said Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Now we need to invest similarly in other neglected habitats where birds are undergoing the steepest declines.”
“Habitats such as those in Hawaii are on the verge of losing entire suites of unique bird species,” said Dr. David Pashley, American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President for Conservation Programs. “In addition to habitat loss, birds also face many other man-made threats such as pesticides, predation by cats, and collisions with windows, towers and buildings. By solving these challenges we can preserve a growing economic engine – the popular pastime of birdwatching that involves millions of Americans – and improve our quality of life.”
“While some bird species are holding their own, many once common species are declining sharply in population. Habitat availability and quality is the key to healthy, thriving bird populations,” said Dave Mehlman of The Nature Conservancy.
Surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, including the annual Breeding Bird Survey, combined with data gathered through volunteer citizen science program such as the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, show once abundant birds such as the northern bobwhite and marbled murrelet are declining significantly. The possibility of extinction also remains a cold reality for many endangered birds.
“Citizen science plays a critical role in monitoring and understanding the threats to these birds and their habitats, and only citizen involvement can help address them,” said National Audubon Society’s Bird Conservation Director, Greg Butcher. “Conservation action can only make a real difference when concerned people support the kind of vital habitat restoration and protection measures this report explores.”
Birds are beautiful, as well as economically important and a priceless part of America's natural heritage. Birds are also highly sensitive to environmental pollution and climate change, making them critical indicators of the health of the environment on which we all depend.
The United States is home to a tremendous diversity of native birds, with more than 800 species inhabiting terrestrial, coastal, and ocean habitats, including Hawaii. Among these species, 67 are Federally-listed as endangered or threatened. In addition, more than 184 species are designated as species of conservation concern due to a small distribution, high-level of threats, or declining populations.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated creation of the new report as part of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, which includes partners from American Bird Conservancy, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird Observatory, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey. The report is available at www.stateofthebirds.org.
I AM HAVING a problem with my viburnum's in Towson, MD. I have noted that many of the larger branches have been pecked and almost girthed in bands about one eighth inch width. It appears that the bands were done over time .i.e. the eighth inch holes were connected to form the band . I have a garden with many different shrubs and trees. The viburnum's are the only shrub that have these holes and bands. I have sugar maples that have woodpecker damage but the trees will survive.. However, the viburnum's branches will not since they have completely been girthed. I am surrounded by woods and woodpeckers but I can not understand that if this damage is being done by a woodpecker--they only work on the viburnum's. Thank you for any answers.
AS A NESTWATCHER, you already understand the importance of monitoring the birds to uncover changes in their numbers and distribution. The annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a quick, easy, four-day snapshot of how the birds are faring in winter across all of North America. The 12th edition of the GBBC takes place February 13 through 16 and we invite you to add your observations to this ever-growing database of observations via the GBBC website. Explore reports coming in from across the continent, take the GBBC survey, even upload images for the photo contest. Just by participating in the GBBC you’ll be entered into a drawing for great prizes donated by the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Droll Yankees. Join the Great Backyard Bird Count this year and Count for Fun, Count for the Future!
MICHIGAN'S Department of Natural Resources plans to deal with growing bear population. It calls for:
Allowing bruins to move naturally into southern Michigan to the extent that citizens are comfortable.
Increasing efforts to educate citizens and law enforcement officials about bears
Gauging social tolerance for bears.
Improving the state's response to farmers and beekeepers who suffer damage from bears.
Maintaining large tracts of contiguous forestfor bears, along with travel corridors
Changing 2009 season regulations for bear hunters who bait or run hounds.
Michigan has an estimated 18,000 Black Bears and more than 90% of those are in the upper peninsula. Michigan's DNR says the population has doubled in the past decade. That increase is a sign that the population is healthy, but it puts Michigan's black bears on a collision course with humans (never a good thing).
Road kill is becoming a familiar sight here in Michigan. Last summer my wife and I spotted a dead cub along I75. Now, Black Bears are turning up dead on Michigan roads in the southern half of the lower peninsula. A young bear was killed by a car south of Grand Rapids in 2008. Another was killed on the outskirts of Grand Rapids in 2007. Another was killed on the road in Flint the year before and the list continues to grow. Bear crossing signs are becoming more common on Michigan highways.
Bears are moving into southern Michigan, the region south of a line from Saginaw to Muskegon. State wildlife officials believe some might be breeding.
More people are building northern homes in bear country. Often, that does not bode well for bears who are viewed as pests or nuisances by former city dwellers. People in the north country know what to expect of bears. In the south, no one knows what to expect. People like the idea that bear are around, but they are not sure they want them in their neighborhood.
Other parts of the plan address the need to get the word out to citizens and law enforcement agencies who might have encounters with Black Bears. The DNR hopes to avoid incidents where lethal force is used as the first line of defense.
A 250-pound Black Bear was killed in 2008 by Battle Creek police officers after it wandered into town. The bear was shot four times, hit by a police cruiser and eventually found in a tree where it was shot and killed. Officers reported acting with concern for public safety, but citizens complained that no attempt was made to tranquilize the bear and relocate it.
Roughly 60 miles west of Detroit may of 2008 there was yet another bear sighting "There was a big bear, chewing on the feeder and busting up the plastic. I was just in shock, really." the 66 year old gentleman said. No one was hurt and the bear wondered off.
Another bear was sighted by Lansing police yast year as the were responding to a domestic violence call. This bear was never found.
Bears have turned up South of Grand Rapids in Barry, Allegan and Ionia counties. At least once a year, a bear has been reported in Kent County (Grand Rapids area) every year from 2002 to 2007. The management plan would allow bears to move south naturally to the extent that southern Michigan residents are comfortable. The plan also reserves the option of hunting to control southern populations if their numbers get too high.
Chance meetings with people and bears are becoming more common in Southern Michigan. Once believed to be a lost bear every now and then, Michigan's DNR is asking for volunteers to help locate and report bear and den sightings.
Education is an important tool and in some ways we are winning the war, if not a few battles. However, people need to get aquatinted with the fact that there are bear here in The southern half of the lower peninsula and that there will be more and more in northern Michigan.
There is picture and living proof of a Wolverine in Michigan's thumb area since 2004, now if the DNR will admit to the several Cougar sightings.
Ronald Patterson Kentwood, MI WindStar Wildlife Master Naturalist www.gardening-for-wildlife.com
SOME wonderful events happen every now and then...it's what keeps us delighted with life. It could be a square dance or a sea food dinner, a concert or a national gathering of folks who love birds.
Last Fall, Tom Patrick (WindStar Wildlife Institute President) and I had a wonderful experience when we went to Cornell University to wallow ( and I do mean wallow) at a conference at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. That beautiful place, in Ithaca, NY, is the Mecca of every person who ever had a warm feeling about birds. We learned about urban birds. Neither of us live in an urban area...in fact, we both live in very rural areas. But there was a lot to learn and the speakers were gracious and informative. We were delighted to tour the fabled "Sapsucker Woods."
One afternoon Tom and I were privileged to take a "behind the scenes" tour of the Cornell Lab of Natural Sounds. Greg Budney, whom I had met at the Hog Island Audubon Ornithology Camp, arranged for Tom and I to tour the largest collection of bird recordings that exists. Greg Budney told me at Hog Island that his goal was to record every bird on the planet. This guy travels around with parabolic microphones and has accomplished about half of what he set out to do. He is a young and talented man. I don't have any doubt that he will succeed in his goal.
Next month I will be traveling to Jeckyll Island, GA to a conference entitled, "Bird Conservation Though Education." (Sadly, Tom Patrick has other commitments.) The Conference is being held at the Jeckyll Island Club Hotel and is being hosted by the Council for Environmental Education (CEE), Flying Wild and the Bird Education Network. Tom has asked that I post daily experiences on the WindStar American Wildlife Blog...and I'll be happy to do that.
I thought I might give everyone an outline of what's happening. I do have to mention that I am just a little bit excited about this conference! I'll leave Baltimore (BWI) at 10:25 AM on Sunday morning Feb. 22. I'll arrive in Jacksonville, FL at 12:40 PM. Simple, quick flight. Here's where the conference attendees get together. Jeckyll Island is an hour north of the Jacksonville airport and a shuttle is required.
So here is my plan: IF I can manage to get the first shuttle to Jeckyll Island...check in at the Jeckyll Island Club Hotel and race over to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center...quarter mile jog... I'll get some sea turtle thrills. Then I'll head back to the Jeckyll Island Club Hotel for food...from one of the four restaurants in the hotel then head to the conference room for an "ice cream social."
Every morning there is a bird walk and every evening there is an owl prowl......I plan to do all of them. Monday's schedule is all meetings and conferences. Tuesday I have a canoe trip planed into the Okefenokee Swamp. The schedule is filled with presentations by bird experts--Kenn Kaufman and his wife, Kim, Don and Lillian Stokes and many, many others.
Wednesday, my schedule says that I'm kayaking around St. Simon's Island in the morning and comferences later. We will do some roll-playing...sharing ideas about bird education. In case I get called upon, I have some of my favorite "Take your breath away" bird education ideas ready . There is a "Seafood boil" planned for Wednesday night.
I'll be be representing Calvert County Division of Natural Resources......and , of course, WindStar Wildlife Institute. If you have questions or suggestions, click on "Comments" at the end of this article.
Jack Lewnes WindStar National Master Naturalist Port Republic, MD
"THE WINTER is so bad in Spokane, Moose are falling into basements."
That's the way my colleague Jim Kershner is describing the weeks of record snow accumulation to friends calling from out of town. He's not exaggerating, not in an eastern Washington dumping ground that endured 5 ft. above the average snowfall.
The Moose calf fell through a window into a basement bedroom of a Spokane home recently. We're still waiting word on whether the Moose will be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for the amount of No. 1 and No. 2 it purged during the two hours before wildlife officials could get it tranquilized and hauled out. The evidence was liberally deposited on the bedroom's new rug.
But that's just one of countless weird winter wildlife stories filtering out of the region. In Republic, WA the Mule Deer are getting so comfortable panhandling for food, they've taken to hitchhiking.
Pam Taylor, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department enforcement officer, snapped photographic proof of a bold deer in the back of a pickup parked along a paved road recently. Traces of hay from feeding livestock lured the doe aboard.
At Liberty Lake, WA three deer that had been crossing the ice-capped lake regularly found themselves stranded at the public boat launch area last weekend when the warm weather quickly melted the ice along the shoreline. The locked gate and high fence that helps bar vandals from entering the launch site during the off-season prevented the deer from getting out.
"The rocky shore drops to deep water, so the deer couldn't go in the lake and get around the fence, and they couldn't jump out onto the ice because it was too thin around the edges," said Jim Lashbrook, who lives next to the launch site. "Once they realized they were trapped, they got real antsy."
Lashbrook had a plan. After calling the WA Fish and Wildlife Department for permission to unlock the gate, he walked through the deep snow into the access area and then retreated, leaving a trail of apples as he went right on out through the open gate.
"It took them a day or so to get their confidence," Lashbrook said. "But soon enough they just ate themselves out of trouble and left. Then I closed the gate."
Wildlife isn't coming out of all these winter-related predicaments unscathed:
-- A Cougar that had been spotted making a pretty good living for a couple of weeks in the foothills of Mount Spokane feeding on deer concentrated by the deep snow was killed in a collision with a vehicle. By the time wildlife officers were called to investigate on Monday morning, somebody had picked up the Cougar carcass. Incidentally, that's illegal.
-- Several deer apparently confined by snow to a road near the Spokane-Pend Oreille county line were likely shot by a motorist using a shotgun at close range. Three deer were dead at the scene and wildlife officers said blood trails indicated other deer were wounded. Officers are still looking for leads in the case.
-- At least three deer have been killed in collisions with vehicles within Spokane. Somebody dumping food for the deer in an open area off the road apparently filled their tummies but lured them to their bitter end, wildlife officials said.
-- Six wild Elk perished in Pend Oreille County after they had taken refuge from deep snow and a storm under an old hay storage barn that collapsed under the weight of snow.
-- Priest Lake residents slid boats out on the frozen lake to lasso and rescue a Moose that had broken through the ice.
Meantime, Bald Eagles, some of which may have been feeding on kokanee at Lake Coeur d'Alene last month, have turned to bigger game. They are common sights along area highways as they feed on the bounty of bumper-tenderized deer carcasses littering the area's roadsides and railways.
But even the Mule Deer and Moose aren't as hungry as they appear while dealing with the hardships of winter, wildlife officials say. Proof is littering all the trenches through the snow and other routes big game have been traversing around town in this period of winter confinement.
As the snowpack melts and consolidates, it's reassuring to see these routes are virtually paved with deer and moose droppings. They've clearly been finding plenty to eat.
RECENTLY I read a short article in “Birds and Blooms” magazine that explored the reasons why people feed birds. Of course, there was some variation from one person to another, but the general consensus seemed to be twofold: both to assist the birds through the winter and to attract them to the yard.
I suppose that my purpose in putting out food probably falls into those general categories, but the real truth is that I just love seeing the birds. Since I offer seed year around, I can’t truly say that I’m only trying to “help them through the winter.” In addition, although I really enjoy having the birds close to my home, that certainly isn’t my only opportunity to see them since I’m perfectly willing to venture pretty far afield to track down some particular species.
I think that I enjoy watching birds because they are so beautiful and so full of life. Probably some portion of my admiration is rooted in envy. How wonderful it must be to stretch your wings and fly up in the sky, to become free of the earth in a single moment. What is it like to have so much energy squeezed into a tiny body that you could withstand the coldest nights? How can a tiny ball of fluff, like a chickadee, be so intensely alive?
WindStar Wildlife Institute Thomas D. Patrick Founder & President
10072 Vista Court
Myersville, MD 21773
Phone: (301) 293-3351 Email Windstar
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About Windstar
WindStar Wildlife Institute is a national non-profit conservation organization established in 1986. WindStar is a leader in "connecting people to nature through education." In 1999 the Board of Directors decided to move the headquarters to an award-winning, passive solar and earth sheltered structure, Terra Vista, near Myersville, MD. And, a new, four-acre demonstration wildlife habitat, containing all the elements and key components, was created for members and others to visit and to get ideas for their own properties. Each year new habitat components are added. The Institute is known for its award-winning environmental education and certification programs, web site, American Wildlife Blog and outstanding use of nature photography.
