Backyard Birding

Lieutenant Jean Audubon introduced his son, John James Audubon, to an early love of nature and especially of birds. He brought back specimens from his voyages, calling special attention to their behavior, their form and their seasonal habits. As Audubon writes in his journal, “He excited me to make me study them.”

When Audubon began school, he was perpetually truant, preferring answering the call of the open field rather than his school master. He returned home with his school basket filled with birds’ nests, birds’ eggs, lichens, flowers and pebbles. His father was much pleased with his son’s curiosity and collections…until he found out what work had been neglected to obtain his specimens.

Yet as a child, he began drawing the birds of France, collecting around 200. Disappointed with the products, he went to his father who gave him a book of illustration.

Although the pages were not what I longed for, they gave me a desire to copy Nature. To Nature I went and tried to imitate her. But for many years, I saw that my drawings were worse than the ones I regarded bad in the book.

The worse my drawings were, the more beautiful did the originals appear. To have been torn from the study would have been as death; my time was entirely occupied with art.

In our studies of Audubon, we have three sources:

Capturing Nature, The Writings and Art of John James Audubon, which is an edited selection meant for children.

The Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon for The Birds of America, which is a massive book. My daughter has sat for hours studying the illustrations, amazed at the detail involved in each of the plates.

A nature notebook. Here, she is collecting her own watercolors of the natural world around her. Here is her first painting. It is perhaps not quite as realistic as Audubon’s flicker (above), but it is most definitely a yellow-shafted flicker.

Nurturing a child’s interest for the natural world often takes only the time to express one’s own interest and enthusiasm for the subject. Perhaps it will turn into a life time hobby, a commitment to conservation, or something greater. This can be clearly seen in the childhood of John James Audubon.

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I recently joined an internet forum for birders in my state. A recent discussion turned up the fact that red breasted nuthatches seem to be turning up in larger numbers than normal. I am quite excited about this because I am yet to attract one of these perky little fellows to our feeding station. Apparently, this is not occurring only here in Nebraska, but in other parts of the country as well.

“Red-breasted nuthatches are here in huge numbers,” which is unusual, said ornithologist Mark McKellar, who operates a feeder supply store and tracks bird trends through customer reports. Kansas City Star

While this fact may be exciting to those of us anxiously awaiting our winter visitors and the increased activity at our feeders in inclement weather, the reason for the increase is not so pleasant for our wildlife.

People may see more of hungry birds, bears and mice this winter, experts say.

A late freeze in April and drought in August zapped the nut, fruit and seed production on many trees and plants. Ibid.

Our pear tree did not blossom this year. The late freeze killed the blossoms on our crab apple tree, and it never produced any crab apples. In fact, it barely sprouted any leaves. Even many of my perennials did not come up this year and I fear the freeze may have killed them. Some of the plants which did survive likely did so because we laid newspaper over them when we realized it was going to freeze again. Plants in the wild do not have such advantages.

Obviously, more is suffering than just the looks of our backyard. With natural food sources in shorter supply, many animals will be tempted closer to humans. It may be more important to keep your feeders stocked this winter than normal, and to take proper measures to care for your birds while away. If you have not yet set up your feeders, now is a good time so that birds will add them to their daily route before the weather turns harsh.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

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Over the weekend, we drove out to the Loess Hills for the grand opening of their new lodge and the annual Hawkwatch. The Loess Hills in Western Iowa consist of a geologically unique stretch of yellow loess which follows the Missouri River from Westfield, IA to Mound City, MO. The only other place in the world where this type of soil can be found compacted in this way is along the Yellow River in China. Loess soils are important to this region’s economy because it is a very fertile soil. It is soft to the touch and spongy. Even the packed soil on the trails has a certain give to it.

It is an important region to our birds for an interesting reason: the winds which blow along the central plains are forced upward by the hills, creating strong updrafts. Thus migrating raptors are able to ride these thermals for many miles while exerting very little energy.

This region was first described during the expedition of Lewis and Clark as “bald” due to the lack of trees. It was covered by mixed grass prairie, and an occasional burr oak. Meriwether Lewis describes the view thus:

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It is interesting just how many people are involved in birdwatching in some manner. From setting up a basic feeder to joining the “600 Club,” it is a hobby for enthusiasts at all levels. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, 48.6 million Americans now include birding as one of their hobbies. One of the greatest attractions of this hobby is that little cost needs to be involved to get started. But that does not mean that people do not find a way to spend money.

Birders may not need expensive equipment, but they have money to spend. Americans spent $45 billion observing, feeding and photographing wildlife in 2006, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service survey. USA Today

Businesses and states are beginning to recognize the importance of this growing market and are catering directly to birders. Luckily, we seem to be leaving a favorable impression.

“…And they are a very thoughtful group that believes in leaving no trace, so they don’t require a lot of municipal services to clean up after them.” Ibid.

Birding, like any wildlife activity, instills an appreciation for nature and a curiosity in the natural world. It emphasizes basic values, such as cleaning up after yourself, respect for the environment and basic conservation. It invigorates the mind and relaxes the body. What other benefits do you see in birding?

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Backyard birding is an exciting hobby for a variety of reasons. The color, the sounds, the pleasure of new friends and old acquaintances and the bit of wildlife in your own backyard are all important factors. But the dream of every birder, whether they travel the world or merely watch from their patio window, is to discover the unusual. When rare birds appear in an area, whether endangered or just out of range, the backyard birder rejoices. It is shared in forums. If you look, you will probably even find a rare bird alert that will notify you of these events in your area. And birders from around the state will travel to see the rare or unusual bird.

Wanda and John Darby have had just this kind of experience in their own backyard in Boone County Missouri. Their backyard feeding hobby sounds similar to mine: an average pair of binoculars, a digital camera and several feeders, although nothing too elaborate.

The Darbys have a pair of bluebird houses at the rear of the yard, three bird baths, a single finch feeder, two hummingbird feeders, a suet feeder in the winter time, both hinging [sic] and platform feeders filled with ordinary black oil sunflower seeds and grain scattered on the ground. Many Columbians can paint the same picture. Columbia Tribune

Their backyard, however, is also home to four Eurasian collared doves and the nesting site for a family of Eurasian tree sparrows, the only Eurasian tree sparrow nest documented west of St. Charles County.

The Tree Sparrow was introduced to the United States in 1870 by a St. Louis bird dealer named Kleinschmidt along with four other varieties of European finches. Only the Tree Sparrow - which is a finch, not a sparrow - survived.

For 100 years, the sparrows prospered, but only in a very limited range ringing St. Louis. In the past decade, reports of the species’ expansion preceded the Darby nesting. An earlier spring report placed another population near Tri-Cities Lake between Centralia and Sturgeon, but nesting was not observed. Ibid.

The most interesting bird I have seen so far has been a bald cowbird. Otherwise, our birds have been the ones common in the area. Providing a suitable habitat with food, water, shelter and nesting sites virtually guarantees that some birds will frequent your yard. But it might also draw in the unexpected.

Don’t forget the comment contest going on for the month of August here at 451 Press. Every comment counts!

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The fifth edition of Learning in the Great Outdoors is up. One entry that caught my attention was My Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Tiffany takes a look at getting her yard certified as a Wildlife Habitat from the National Wildlife Foundation. She even shares a slide show of her habitat. To be qualified you need several things in your yard. I’ll highlight what is in our habitat:

* Food Sources. For example: Native plants, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, nectar
* Water Sources. For example: Birdbath, pond, water garden, stream
* Places for Cover. For example: Thicket, rockpile, birdhouse (shrubs, woodpile)
* Places to Raise Young. For example: Dense shrubs, vegetation, nesting box, pond
* Sustainable Gardening. For example: Mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizer

If you are interested, check out the National Wildlife Federation’s website and get started. There is a $15 registration fee, but there are other benefits besides the plaque to hang in your yard.

Do you provide more for your birds than food and water? Have you ever considered NWF certification for your yard? It seems like a wonderful way to introduce children to the concept of a habitat and develop a love and appreciation for wildlife.

Don’t forget the comment contest going on for the month of August here at 451 Press. Every comment counts!

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A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.” James Dent

The last time my husband went to the wild bird store to get seed, he picked up a little surprise for me. Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Through poetry, interviews and research citations, he presents a powerful argument for allowing children some time to simply explore nature on their own terms. He demonstrates the psychological, emotional and physical benefits of time spent outdoors in unstructured play.

As a child, I owned our neighborhood. I knew everyone in the neighborhood, knew all the pets by name and had several “secret” hideouts. The other children in the neighborhood and I filled our lazy days of summer building forts, exploring the creek that ran through the neighboring edition and riding our bikes. One year, we startled a bird on her nest. She took off running, faking an injury. We went to the tuft of grass she had been hiding in and 13 little ones sprinted after her. They were quite comical to watch, but we backed away, not wanting to stress the mother and her babies anymore. I had never heard of birds nesting on the ground before and was fascinated. I had never seen that kind of bird before and wondered how I’d missed it when they were nesting so close to my home.

It took me several trips to our library to finally find out what kind of bird we had seen: a northern bobwhite quail.

It never occurred to me that these experiences had any value of their own. I was just a kid enjoying summer vacation.

It was interesting to me to read about the different studies which, although inconclusive on their own, seem to indicate the importance of this kind of activity for children. Green spaces have a positive impact on people, even when it is just a window in their office overlooking a park. Nature is at once relaxing and invigorating. You may hear a bit more about this book after I am finished reading it, but in the meantime, I definitely recommend taking a look at it. Especially if you have children.

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Experiences in nature are an important part of our lives. They help us to get away from the busyness of life and recharge. Interestingly, time spent outdoors seems to be both relaxing and invigorating. It can also inspire individuals to action and to a lifetime commitment to wildlife.

John Stravers got hooked on birding watching hawks court in a field.

“The hawks literally were dancing in the sky and I began studying on my own and I watched that pair of hawks through the entire season, watching them nest, and raise young which fledged,” he said. Capital Times

He got in contact with a local birder who served as his mentor, went to college and stared the Midwest Raptor Recovery Fund when he graduated. But he really wanted to be in the field researching, not running an organization.

Now he is the research and field trip coordinator for the National Audubon Society’s Upper Missouri River Initiative and monitors red-shouldered hawks in Northeastern Iowa.

“This is birding with a purpose, for a species that needs attention,” he said. “To go back into some of the biggest forests for the 28th year in a row, with a shroud of fog and bingo find a pair of red-shouldered hawks, my heart responds to that.”

This is one of the many reasons behind why we first set up our feeders in our yard. It gives our children a chance to experience a small bit of nature in our own yard, even as the city slowly encroaches on our little suburb. They may or may not ever found organizations to study and conserve our native wildlife, but I hope they will maintain a lifelong appreciation for nature.

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Two years ago, a robin nested in the pine tree outside our back porch. I would sit with my daughter in the back yard and listen to the babies cheep and watch as the mother bird came to feed them. She rarely flew directly to the nest. From the bushes in the back, she would fly up into the ash tree, hop through it and then to the pine tree. If we didn’t watch closely, we would lose track of her before she arrived at the nest.

To satisfy our curiosity, I helped my daughter climb onto the roof of the porch. From there, we were the same level as the nest, but far enough away to observe without disturbing. The nest appeared empty until mom came near. Then we could see three tiny heads pop up, mouth gaping and cheeping wildly.

It is an amazing experience to watch new life and share the natural world with children. These moments of quiet observation build an appreciation for the natural world around us.

If you are curious to learn more, Journey North offers a great deal of information about the American Robin, including lesson plans which can easily be adapted to your child.

Rebecca of Little Homeschool on the Prairie also shares her family’s experiences with nestlings in their back yard this year.

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Late last fall, a little squirrel we named “Raggedy” discovered our feeders. He was an adorable little rascal, full of energy, quite tame, and with a noticeable chunk missing from his tail (hence the name). We fell in love with little Raggedy, and spent some time learning about the habits of squirrels for his sake. He was a little red squirrel, a somewhat aggressive species which drives away other squirrels. We could afford to feed one squirrel we decided. We made a little squirrel feeder and attached it to a tree near the feeders. We keep it stocked with dry corn. While it did not keep him entirely away from our feeders, it did lessen the amount he ate. A little before Christmas, another squirrel discovered our feeders. We watched them chase each other about the yard, jumping, climbing and almost seeming to fly with their endless game of tag. We pondered when either actually had time to eat. But finally, the strange squirrel emerged victorious and Raggedy faded out of our lives. We would occasionally see him at the edge of the yard, watching and waiting. Sometimes he would dart in for a bite, but was always chased away. Here is the victor, staking out the squirrel feeder.

Late winter, another squirrel appeared. There was some chasing. Some fighting. And then we had two squirrels eating peacefully at our feeders. Now we have four, mom and three babies who only recently began accompanying mom on her forays for food. We had a wind advisory out yesterday, and this little one appears to be clinging to the concrete for dear life.

They are going through decidedly more seed than Raggedy ever did, but who can turn out a mother with three children?

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Tehachapi birder Clark Moore died May 19 of a heart attack. Known for starting the Tehachapi Mountains Birding Club in 1998, raising awareness of the diversity of local bird species, and an undying commitment to community service, Moore spent his life devoted to birds.

Where did this story begin? At home, in his own backyard. From the Tehachapi News:

Born on Oct. 20, 1929 in San Jose, Clark became interested in birds at an early age: he began learning all he could about them in the third grade and he even made his own field guide using photos he cut from his parents’ old National Geographic magazines. As a boy, the first bird he ever identified on his own was an Evening Grosbeak.

Sharing birding with our children can instill a lifelong commitment to our community and our environment.

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