April 22, 2006Shorebird Festival
While the birds are already hear, the official Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival begins next week. Read more about my neck of the words and this magnificent event! March 20, 2006Sandhill Cranes - 500,000 of them are waiting for you!Right now, until the first part of April, you can visit the Rowe Sanctuary in Nebraska from the comfort of your computer and see first hand 500,000 Sandhill Cranes! You can watch them, listen to them, and interact with others on the forum. Who’s doing this…National Geographic of course. Here are the best viewing times: March 21-March 27 March 28-April 3 April 4-April 10 Where: CraneCam Cost: Priceless! Don’t miss it! March 19, 2006Spring migration has begunThough spring starts next week, it’s already here! This morning I woke to the Canda Geese flying overhead as they have begun their migration north. Robins have returned and yesterday I noted several killdeer, seemingly looking for nesting grounds. On the west coast here we are on what is called the Pacific Flyway. Literally millions of birds will pass over the roof of my house (or very near by) on their annual migration. Just a few hours north of here is beautiful British Columbia. They have incredibly wonderful areas for watching this migration happen…here is one article on just that. March 9, 2006Survivors - the birdsWhen one things of Los Angeles, CA one does not think of biriding in that city. I know…I’ve spent enough time there. You have traffic, smog, people, more traffic, noise and traffic. So imagine my surprise to find people birding in LA…right in the middle of the city! I’d class these birds survivors! Read on….. Flights of fancy ‘DO you hear that?’ Bob Shanman asks fervently as he leads a dozen bird-watchers toward a clump of shrubs in the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve in Torrance. ‘That’s them!’ His followers, mostly middle-aged birding enthusiasts, rub the sleep out of their eyes as they traipse through one of Southern California’s last vernal marshlands, a 50-acre enclosure of marshes and grasslands, ringed by urban sprawl.” Continue…..Flights of fancy - Los Angeles Times February 27, 2006Bird Watching in TorontoAre you looking for information on bird watching in Toronto? Having spent some time in the region, I know there is lots to see there - especially around the lakes where I tend to hang out. Here is a site that may interest those of you in the North. February 8, 20062,000-mile birding trail awaits tourists - OrlandoSentinel.com: Tourism2,000-mile birding trail awaits tourists - OrlandoSentinel.com: Tourism Wow…rare hummingbirds; endangered wood storkes, burrowing owls. What a treat. If you are in the Florida, or heading in that direction, it would be worth it to check out this new trail. Happy Birding! Get Ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count!Greetings Bird Lovers! The Great Backyard Bird Count returns for its ninth season February 17-20, 2006. The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology encourage everyone to COUNT BIRDS WITH A BUDDY! Bird enthusiasts of all ages can share their love of birds with a friend, a child, a scout troop, a class or a co-worker — opening new eyes to the joy of birding and fun of creating a unique snapshot of winter bird abundance and distribution across the continent. Every pair of eyes is needed and ever birdy counts, whether in a backyard, on a high-rise balcony, in a park or on any of the 730 million acres of public lands. Anyone with Internet access can see the results in maps and charts as the sightings pour in. In 2005, participants sent in more than 52,000 checklists with a record-breaking 613 species and more than 6 million birds counted! In 2006, for the first time, the Lab of Ornithology and Audubon are launching an element of friendly competition. Awards will be given to localities that submit the most checklists, record the greatest number species or count the highest number of birds. Photos are also encouraged. Everyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to seasoned experts. During the count bird watchers tally up birds for as little as 15 minutes or for as long as they like, keeping track of the highest number of each bird species they see together at one time. Participants enter their numbers online at The Great Backyard Bird Count. This is the site to visit for details on exactly how to participate. We hope that you will share this information with others and get as many participants as possible. This would be a great project for a scout troop or classroom. It’s helpful to have a bird feeder out as soon as possible in advance of the event, so you will have an opportunity to identify ahead of time the birds that you will likely see during the count. Visit WildBirdGoodies.com to order feeders now so you’ll have them as quickly as possible. We will process orders as soon as they are received. We are excited about participating and can’t wait to watch the stats as they come in. Happy Birding! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Janet Winter is a web designer, travel agent and writer on many topics. She loves her wild birds and delights in providing helpful resources and unique products for feathered friends at WildBirdGoodies.com. Backyard Bird FeedingBackyard bird feeding is a convenient way to enjoy wildlife. More than 65 million Americans of all ages watch, feed and landscape for birds. It doesn’t matter where you live - in an apartment, townhouse or single family dwelling, in the city, suburbs or country. Just stand still and you’ll hear them: wild birds. It is hard to imagine life without them. Bird watching is one of the fastest growing forms of outdoor recreation in the country. Each year millions of people discover for the first time the joys of birdwatching. It’s easy to understand why. Birds are fun to watch. And you can watch them just about everywhere. The most convenient place to start is right in your own backyard. All it takes to get their attention is food or water, a place to build a nest and appropriate vegetation. |
I love the area I live in…especially this time of year. We are on the Pacific Flyway…and each year at this time we get tens of thousands of shorebirds migrating through. It’s spectacular to watch.