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Citizen Science Through Nest Watching
Now that Spring is officially here, the birds are actively beginning to nest. Even if you have no nests in your backyard, you can observe nests of many different species through nest cams online. But watch out - it can become addictive!
Some of the sites may be a series of still photos, while others are live cams, including sound. Here are a few you can start with, and a quick Google search will find many more.
Cornell University - NestCam
Wildlife Forever - many different species to choose from
Xcel Engery Company - eagle, falcon, kestrel, osprey, owl
KEEP - Ed Ray's osprey project in Western Kentucky
NestWatch Cornell Univsersity - monitor and log your own nest watching activies
If you have access to watch a nest closely, Cornell University's Nestwatch is a site to learn about nest monitoring (first and foremost we don't want to endanger the birds), and then to record what you've seen. Study the Nestwatching Code of Conduct and take their short quiz to become a certified nest monitor. Pinpoint your nest location through Google Earth maps on their site.
Backyard Birding
For beginning birders, or folks who just enjoy the comfort of their own kitchen, backyard birding is the best way to begin an fascinating activity. All you need is some place to put a feeder, some water and a hiding place for them. If you build it, they will come to you! You will see many of the same birds every day, with an opportunity to observe their behavior closely.
Food:
Provide a variety of foods to attract different kinds of birds. You can buy bird feeders or make your own. To attract the greatest variety of birds, keep your feeders stocked all year round and position them at different heights.
Place feeders in places that aren’t too windy, have good cover nearby, and minimize other hazards.
Fill feeders with the amount of food that can be eaten in 2-3 days.
Keep feeders and feeding area clean by raking up spilled seed on the ground. Eliminate food that the birds aren’t eating.
Experiment to find out which foods the birds prefer. Here are some
to try: black oil sunflower seeds, Niger thistle seeds, cracked corn, white millet, and seed mixtures (sold as “wild bird food”). For additional bird feeding tips visit Audubon At Home.
THANKS to Feeders Supply for generously
marketing our mixes donating a portion
of sales to Louisville Audubon Society.
Available at all area Feeders Supply stores, our
Louisville Audubon bird seed comes in two mixes:
Original (blue-striped bag) for ground feeding
Gourmet Cardinal (red-striped bag)for hanging feeder
Each mix is packaged in 20# and 40# bags
Competitively priced, triple-cleaned and fresh stock
Water:
If there isn’t a natural source of fresh water nearby, you can buy or make a simple birdbath or water dish. Place the water source on a tree stump or even right on the ground. Keep the water container clean and filled with fresh water.
Nesting and Resting:
Birds need places where they can rest in safety from predators, as well as places to build their nests. If you have space, you and your family can plant native bushes and trees that give birds good hiding and nesting places. (Some also provide food!) Check with a local Audubon Center or other nature center for help choosing the right things to plant.
For more information on bird feeding, read Project Feederwatch from Cornell University. Click the Feeder Birds of Kentucky at left to download the entire brochure about the birds which might come to your Kentucky feeders.
Binoculars
For a close look at your backyard visitors, a set of binoculars comes in handy. Many people have questions about buying and using binoculars, and The Audubon Society can answer all your questions. Read this article by Wayne Mones from the Audubon Magazine to find out why you have always had trouble trying to see through binoculars, and what to do about it. Click the Audubon Guide to Binoculars icon on this page to read/download or print a handy guide.
If you’re considering a new pair of binoculars, it doesn’t mean you should toss the old ones or stick them in a closet and forget about them. Consider contacting the Birders Exchange Program at the American Birding Association, which takes old, waterproof pairs in good working condition.
Backyard Bird of the Month
Ounce for ounce, the Carolina Wren is one of the loudest singers in the backyard or the woods. This shy bird can be hard to see, but it delivers an amazing number of decibels for its size. Follow its teakettle-teakettle! and other piercing exclamations through backyard or forest, and you may be rewarded with glimpses of this bird's rich cinnamon plumage, white eyebrow stripe, and long, upward-cocked tail. This hardy bird has been wintering farther and farther north in recent decades. A single, captive male Carolina wren reportedly sang some 3,000 times in one day, so you aren't imagining things they seem to sing more than any other bird in the yard.
Carolina Wrens frequent vegetated habitats such as brushy thickets, lowland cypress swamps, bottomland woods, and ravines choked with hemlock and rhododendron. They gravitate toward shrubby, wooded residential areas, overgrown farmland, dilapidated buildings, and brushy suburban yards. These large wrens feed on insects, larvae, and spiders but also eat berries and fruit, and even like peanuts when available! They forage on or near the ground and hop along far more often than they fly. They use their bills to poke about and search for hidden meals and try to remain close to brush in which they can hide.
Carolina Wrens nest in open cavities 3–6 feet off the ground, in trees, overhangs and stumps. The first nest is sometimes built on vegetation-shaded ground. Near homes, they're versatile nesters, making use of discarded flowerpots, mailboxes, propane-tank covers, and a variety of other items. Their nests have even been found in old coat pockets and boots. Males often build multiple nests before the pair makes a final selection.
Audubon Adventures
Audubon's award-winning environmental education program about the natural world and how to protect it can be implemented in any classroom or after-school program. All it takes is an interest in exploring, learning about, and enjoying the natural world around you.
Audubon Adventures gives teachers many ways to help students meet required educational performance and content standards in science and language arts. Audubon Adventures fosters in children a stewardship ethic to last a lifetime.
Help Local Habitat ... Build a Bird Feeder from a recycled milk carton
Putting up feeders attracts birds to a place where you can enjoy watching them, and makes sure they have enough food, especially in winter.
You will need:
- A used paper milk carton, any size
- Scissors
- Strong twine (jute or sisal twine is best…and natural!)
- Field guide to local birds (printed or online)
- Birdseed for wild birds
- Instruction sheet: “How to Make a Bird Feeder” (download the PDF)
Suggested time:
About 30 minutes to make one bird feeder
Tips for Teaching Outdoors
One of the most exciting ways to teach your students about the natural world is to take them outdoors. Digging in the soil, scooping up handfuls of stream water, and observing animals in their natural habitat are all stimulating activities sure to tap into your students’ natural curiosity. But some teachers are intimidated by the idea of leaving the classroom and venturing into less familiar territory. Some don’t consider themselves well trained enough to lead outdoor activities. Others are concerned about the safety of their students in less predictable environments. The good news, though, is that a few simple steps can make all the difference in ensuring your degree of comfort and the benefits your students reap.
- Start small. You don’t have to schedule an all-day field trip to a wildlife refuge to begin learning about nature. Start with a visit to a small corner of your schoolyard. Look at the plants that thrive in asphalt cracks or the insects crawling on schoolyard plantings. Even just sitting on the sidewalk, your students can make observations about weather, vegetation, stormwater runoff, and more.
- Get help. You may be surprised to know how many basic outdoor activities can be facilitated by someone with no scientific expertise. You don’t need to know the names of plants or birds, for example, for your students to begin describing them in nature journals. Still, if you want to ease your transition to the outdoors, consider beginning with help from someone with more experience. Another teacher in your school, a knowledgeable parent, or a visiting naturalist can all help you begin exploring the outdoors with your class. Learn by their example, then ask for their guidance in devising strategies and plans for future explorations when you’re on your own.
- Plan ahead. You can minimize many of the challenges of outdoor explorations by planning ahead. Make a visit to the site you wish to explore a day or two in advance. Determine the exact area your students will explore. Make a sketch of the site. Decide what activity you will do, what materials you will need, and how long you will spend outdoors.
- Prepare your students. Let your students know ahead of time that they will be spending part of a class period outdoors. Show them a sketch of the site and point out the places they can and cannot go. Encourage them to dress in casual clothes and comfortable shoes, and to bring a jacket in case of rain or cold. Remind them again the day before the outdoor class period and give them a weather forecast.
- Be flexible. No matter how well you plan, things probably won’t go exactly as you expect. Be prepared to adjust your plans to suit the needs of your students, the weather, and other unpredictable elements. At the same time, be open to unexpected opportunities that might come your way. Maybe one of the students has found a bird that has fallen from its nest. Maybe the school grounds have just flooded. Perhaps someone from the city has come to plant new trees by the parking lot. You probably won’t regret scrapping your lesson plans to take advantage of such rich real-life learning opportunities.
- Have fun. As much as possible, try to relax and have fun outdoors. If you’re having a good time teaching, your students will have a good time learning. And hopefully, the fun will come naturally!
Tell Washington to REJECT Weakening Protections for Eagles!
The federal government wants to gut an important rule that protects eagles, which will result in more of these iconic birds being killed at wind energy projects throughout the United States.
It wasn’t that long ago that Bald Eagle numbers plummeted to just 800 breeding birds, placing them on the Endangered Species List and putting their very existence in doubt. Majestic Golden Eagles, also suffered declines, and continue to struggle today in the face of ongoing threats.
The federal government currently allows corporations to get permits to avoid prosecution for killing limited numbers of eagles as part of their normal operations if they also promise to offset this damage. These permits must be renewed every five years, giving the government regular opportunity to assess an industry’s operations. However, at the request of wind energy industry lobbyists, the federal government has now proposed making the permits good for 30 years! That means 30 years without the possibility for public review of the permit.
This will lead to more dead eagles, more costly lawsuits, and more Americans who will wonder why some private businesses are getting a free pass to kill some of our nation’s most remarkable birds.
Learn more about the the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and see the proposed regulations.
Please send a message TODAY to your members of Congress and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and tell them “No 30-year eagle take permits.”
John James Audubon (1785-1851) was not the first person to attempt to paint and describe all the birds of America (Alexander Wilson has that distinction), but for half a century he was the young country’s dominant wildlife artist.
"Louisville extends along the river for seven or eight miles . . . The rumbling sound of the waters, as they tumble over the rock paved bed of the rapids, is at all times soothing to the ear. Fish and game are abundant. But above all, the generous hospitality of the inhabitants . . . had induced me to fix upon it as a place of residence."
Audubon was born in Haiti, educated in France and moved to the US in 1803 to avoid Napoleon's war draft. He and his new bride, Lucy Bakewell Audubon, moved to Louisville, KY, in 1808, where he ran a general store when he wasn't pursuing birds. Their first child, Victor Gifford Audubon, was born there. They moved to Henderson, KY, in 1811.
Abandoning the custom of painting wildlife in stiff poses, he used wire to hold a dead bird (which he had shot) in a lifelike pose, frequently with outstretched wings. Since no one had binoculars at that time, shooting a bird was the only way to get a close look at it. He revolutionized wildlife painting by portraying his specimens in their natural habitats.
Audubon dedicated himself to publishing books of hand-colored engravings of his paintings of every bird species in North America. Because he insisted that each bird's portrayal be life-sized, the books had "double elephant" pages, 39.5 inches by 28.5 inches!
To raise the necessary funds, he sold advance subscriptions. Yet only the wealthy could afford such a luxury nearly two centuries ago. So Audubon shrewdly tapped affluent European's keen interest in the American frontier. Dressed in buckskins and telling more than his share of tall tales, the "American Woodsman" made the rounds among European socialites' parties and charmed his way into enough subscription sales to realize his dream. Once the first volume was published, Audubon and his talents quickly became sensations.
Origins of the Audubon Society
When the Audubon Society first formed in 1886, plume hunters were decimating North American bird populations in the name of fashion. Ladies trimmed their hats and clothing with birds' exotic feathers. Shorebirds and migratory birds that stayed near the water suffered the most as hunters targeted large flocks, injuring animals indiscriminately and orphaning chicks.
George Bird Grinnell, the Audubon Society's founder, was an atypical animal activist. He ran "Forest and Stream," a hunting and fishing journal, and enjoyed quarrying big game. But the unmitigated slaughter of birds for their feathers disturbed even the most avid hunters. Grinnell began publishing pieces against plume hunting in his magazine. His enthusiasm soon drove him to produce an independent pamphlet, entitled "Audubon Magazine," in honor of the illustrator John James Audubon. Although Grinnell had not known Audubon, he had attended the day school of the artist's widow and wandered among his artifacts.The Society existed only in the magazine,andGrinnell could not keep pace with the magazine's success shutting down publication in 1888.
Eight years later, Boston socialite Harriet Hemenway decided to take her own stand against the still-rampant practice of plume hunting. She and a cousin scoured the Boston Blue Book, an index of the city's elite, marking names of fashionable women who dressed in plumes and inviting them to join a society for the protection of birds. Hemenway united the ladies with naturalists and people interested in ornithology; the group called itself the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
By the turn of the century, the society had expanded across the country, unified under a national committee and encouraged federal and state legislation against plume hunting. The Audubon Society helped create the first Federal Bird Reservation which ultimately led to the formation of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Louisville Audubon Society
8207 Westport R.
Louisville, KY 40222
email: LouisvilleAudubon@gmail.com
Your Louisville Audubon Society underwrites environmental education programs for local Title I children that might not otherwise have an opportunity to explore and bond with nature. Mail your tax-deductible donation to:
Louisville Audubon Society
8207 Old Westport Road
Louisville, KY 40222
Join Audubon ONLINE
Membership in the Louisville chapter automatically gives you membership in the National Audubon Society. Click here to join Audubon. Please enter J50 as the Chapter code for Louisville Audubon Society.
LOUISVILLE AUDUBON SOCIETY FORGES NEW
RELATIONSHIP WITH BECKHAM BIRD CLUB
For several years, the Louisville Audubon Society has been looking for new ways to provide its membership with a sufficient level of activities. Thanks to our friends at the Beckham Bird Club, beginning in 2012 the Louisville Audubon Society will initiate an agreement with the BBC to share a designated number of quarterly field trips and programs. If you would like to join us in a birding walk, please look at the list on Beckham's website.
Beckham has a long history of providing a wealth of opportunities for learning more about our region’s birdlife, and LAS is very appreciative of the Club’s willingness to broaden those opportunities to the LAS membership. In return, LAS will help sponsor some of BBC’s annual events, including the upcoming Annual March Dinner Meeting, (on March 13) at which internationally known bird photographer and author, Richard Crossley, will speak. LAS will also assist in coming up with other program speakers, leading field trips, and soliciting pledges for the club’s annual May Birdathon.
Officers and Directors
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