Blogging has taken a back seat to almost everything in my life these days. Now that I've temporarily relocated to North Carolina for the next 10 weeks, it has become even easier to ignore this blog, as The Drinking Bird surely will cover all of our trips to the field. It's great to be out here spending time with Nate, Danielle, and Noah though, and I only occasionally mention to Nathan that my life Red Cockaded Woodpecker that is out there for the ticking!
I did receive great news that our GLADE TogetherGreen grant was approved for 2010! Today I discovered this link to YouTube from the TogetherGreen website.
TogetherGreen and the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society present GLADE!
I have begun my adventure in Science Teaching at Orange Charter School in Hillsborough, North Carolina. I'll be working with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders beginning on August 20, but am currently putting in a week of preparation for classes to begin. So far, it's going well. More on that in a later post, no doubt.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Green Leadership Academy: Of Partnerships and Passions
I mentioned in a previous post that Lisa Berger, Audubon activist and visionary, gave birth to the idea of the Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems (GLADE). Interested in how GLADE emerged from the ethereal, I asked her to write about its origins. So, in this final post in a four part series on the Green Leadership Academy, the topic is roots and the words are Lisa's.
l. to r., Dr. Janice Greene, me, Terresa McPheeters, and Lisa Berger
GLADE Beginnings: Of Partnerships and Passions
by Lisa Berger
We have to travel ten years back to record the earliest seeds of GLADE. In fact, the story really began with the inception of the Missouri State University’s (MSU) Bull Shoals Field Station (BSFS). In 1999, Assistant Director of the new BSFS, Mike Dickerson contacted me, then president of Greater Ozarks Audubon Society (GOAS), to discuss a project. Would we like to partner with them to build a bird checklist for the new field station, he and Dr. Brian Greene (MSU Biology Department) asked at a meeting at Panera’s?
What could be better than engaging our chapter in citizen science, doing the things our members love? Birding! Old time birders remember field trips to the old Drury House, built in 1924 overlooking the majestic White River, now Bull Shoals Lake. Better still, I envisioned a multitude of opportunities with MSU.
During this same time frame, Audubon Missouri (AM), the State Office of the National Audubon Society (NAS) was opened and one of its primary objectives was to initiate the Important Bird Areas (IBA) program. Started by BirdLife International, the IBA program is an international project to identify the landscapes that are of critical importance to birds at the population level. The IBA program is administered by NAS in the U.S.
In 2003, I was asked by AM to chair the state IBA steering committee to shepherd the process of nominating IBA sites in Missouri. Our chapter rallied to the call and nominated several sites across southwest Missouri.
By 2004, the Drury-Mincy Conservation Area, in which the field station resides, had been identified as part of the newly designated White River Glades and Woodlands state IBA. It is one of just a handful of the 47 IBA sites across the state to be included in the IBA Implementation Plan; a strategic document prioritizing the sites where state and federal agencies will invest limited resources, and where there is adequate capacity provided by groups like GOAS to do projects.
The current BSFS Director, Dr. Janice Green (MSU Biology Department) and I met at Panera’s to discuss potential opportunities for MSU and GOAS. The field station’s capacity was growing. The Drury house was being renovated. A new well, solar power with generator back-up, and an alternative septic system were in the works.
Are there opportunities for expanding our partnership within the context of the new IBA status, I ask? What things are possible that benefit both MSU and our chapter? GOAS is implementing a giant river cane restoration project to improve habitat for Swainson’s Warbler and the whole suite of species that utilize cane in this IBA. Is there potential intersection between MSU and GOAS activities? What about graduate student studies based upon giant cane; studies of insects, birds, and monitoring responses to habitat modifications? What about bringing kids to the glade areas of the field station and IBA to learn about restoration; to actually participate in on-the-ground restoration?
And that is when the vision was born.
The planets began to align, one by one. The early MSU and GOAS partnerships, the AM state IBA implementation plan and conservation action plans, the GOAS strategic plan, all building the critical capacity of and between organizations, and with each step the framework necessary to support a GOAS project connecting kids with nature.
But we’d need money. In spring, 2008, NAS announced the TogetherGreen program, a project of NAS made possible by a generous $20,000,000 donation from Toyota. Janice Greene and I scrambled to submit a grant application. Who would serve as director? Greg Swick had just retired from teaching. He said yes, and we were awarded the grant. Our GLADE solar system was complete.
Fast forward to July 1, 2009: GLADE week is complete. The kids learned all about sustainability at the field station. The alternative septic system required using environmentally-friendly soap, less toilet paper, and less water. Power use during the hot days had to be balanced with the solar-powered system.
The GLADE team is also learning about sustainability. We’ve given birth to a new environmental education concept that we want to keep alive. And so we set along the path to bring new stars into our solar system. We need sustained funding to provide the gravitational force to keep GLADE on course. We also need volunteers and professionals to share their talents, and we need teachers to shepherd their most promising students toward GLADE. Most of all we want our GLADE grads to carry with them the skills acquired at camp, and to be inspired to be leaders, to make a difference, knowing their actions today will shape tomorrow.
We have to travel ten years back to record the earliest seeds of GLADE. In fact, the story really began with the inception of the Missouri State University’s (MSU) Bull Shoals Field Station (BSFS). In 1999, Assistant Director of the new BSFS, Mike Dickerson contacted me, then president of Greater Ozarks Audubon Society (GOAS), to discuss a project. Would we like to partner with them to build a bird checklist for the new field station, he and Dr. Brian Greene (MSU Biology Department) asked at a meeting at Panera’s?
What could be better than engaging our chapter in citizen science, doing the things our members love? Birding! Old time birders remember field trips to the old Drury House, built in 1924 overlooking the majestic White River, now Bull Shoals Lake. Better still, I envisioned a multitude of opportunities with MSU.
During this same time frame, Audubon Missouri (AM), the State Office of the National Audubon Society (NAS) was opened and one of its primary objectives was to initiate the Important Bird Areas (IBA) program. Started by BirdLife International, the IBA program is an international project to identify the landscapes that are of critical importance to birds at the population level. The IBA program is administered by NAS in the U.S.
In 2003, I was asked by AM to chair the state IBA steering committee to shepherd the process of nominating IBA sites in Missouri. Our chapter rallied to the call and nominated several sites across southwest Missouri.
By 2004, the Drury-Mincy Conservation Area, in which the field station resides, had been identified as part of the newly designated White River Glades and Woodlands state IBA. It is one of just a handful of the 47 IBA sites across the state to be included in the IBA Implementation Plan; a strategic document prioritizing the sites where state and federal agencies will invest limited resources, and where there is adequate capacity provided by groups like GOAS to do projects.
The current BSFS Director, Dr. Janice Green (MSU Biology Department) and I met at Panera’s to discuss potential opportunities for MSU and GOAS. The field station’s capacity was growing. The Drury house was being renovated. A new well, solar power with generator back-up, and an alternative septic system were in the works.
Are there opportunities for expanding our partnership within the context of the new IBA status, I ask? What things are possible that benefit both MSU and our chapter? GOAS is implementing a giant river cane restoration project to improve habitat for Swainson’s Warbler and the whole suite of species that utilize cane in this IBA. Is there potential intersection between MSU and GOAS activities? What about graduate student studies based upon giant cane; studies of insects, birds, and monitoring responses to habitat modifications? What about bringing kids to the glade areas of the field station and IBA to learn about restoration; to actually participate in on-the-ground restoration?
And that is when the vision was born.
The planets began to align, one by one. The early MSU and GOAS partnerships, the AM state IBA implementation plan and conservation action plans, the GOAS strategic plan, all building the critical capacity of and between organizations, and with each step the framework necessary to support a GOAS project connecting kids with nature.
But we’d need money. In spring, 2008, NAS announced the TogetherGreen program, a project of NAS made possible by a generous $20,000,000 donation from Toyota. Janice Greene and I scrambled to submit a grant application. Who would serve as director? Greg Swick had just retired from teaching. He said yes, and we were awarded the grant. Our GLADE solar system was complete.
Fast forward to July 1, 2009: GLADE week is complete. The kids learned all about sustainability at the field station. The alternative septic system required using environmentally-friendly soap, less toilet paper, and less water. Power use during the hot days had to be balanced with the solar-powered system.
The GLADE team is also learning about sustainability. We’ve given birth to a new environmental education concept that we want to keep alive. And so we set along the path to bring new stars into our solar system. We need sustained funding to provide the gravitational force to keep GLADE on course. We also need volunteers and professionals to share their talents, and we need teachers to shepherd their most promising students toward GLADE. Most of all we want our GLADE grads to carry with them the skills acquired at camp, and to be inspired to be leaders, to make a difference, knowing their actions today will shape tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Green Leadership Academy: The Power of Flight
Although I'm well aware of the pitfalls of anthropomorphism in scientific research, I believe that it is essential in the human journey to become environmentally aware and appreciative of this experience called Life. An aspect of the GLADE model draws from this idea. Nothing seems to transform humans more than connecting with a sentient being on a personal level. A bird in the hand has that power, so Tuesday GLADE adventures touched young lives in a remarkable way. 
Rudbeckia sp., a member of the Compositae family of wildflowers can do the same thing. With a complete flower forming each and every ray and disc, its stunning beauty is a result of the simultaneous blooming of many flowers, each supporting the other and filling its specific niche in the whole. 
Any member of compositae can serve as a living example for human beings, as we strive to see collective visions come into fruition. What an example for grass roots leadership training!
Rudbeckia sp., a member of the Compositae family of wildflowers can do the same thing. With a complete flower forming each and every ray and disc, its stunning beauty is a result of the simultaneous blooming of many flowers, each supporting the other and filling its specific niche in the whole. Any member of compositae can serve as a living example for human beings, as we strive to see collective visions come into fruition. What an example for grass roots leadership training! Does an acorn know that it will become a mighty oak? No, it doesn't. It simply senses a natural impulse to sink its roots deeply into the damp nourishing soil and to continually reach for the light overhead. If it falls in a thunderstorm, does it give up? No, it follows a natural impulse to regrow and continues to stretch upward. We can teach so much using these examples.
Birder friend and GLADE Project Admnistrator Lisa Berger wrote to me yesterday. "This morning a golden glow hangs over the White River Glades and Woodlands. Some say it's the energy emanating from sixteen exceptional GLADE participants' life transforming experiences." I'm not even going to touch the metaphysical aspects of her words, but I'm equally sure something significant happened in our social experiment in GLADE.
To sum up GLADE Wednesday, I'd have to paraphrase something I read long ago. I think it was in The Book of the Vision Quest...... "There is a gift to give away, a vision to perform, a path to follow, a light to bear."
Giant cane restoration was the order of the day, and the GLADE-iators were tireless and joyous in spite of the sweltering heat in the high 90's. They had discovered the joy of connecting with Nature...... and each other. 
By this time the media have discovered us, and they swarmed in on this serendipitous day! I think I'll let them tell the rest of the story. Click on the links.
By this time the media have discovered us, and they swarmed in on this serendipitous day! I think I'll let them tell the rest of the story. Click on the links. The last days of camp were simply a joyous adventure for the students. We escaped the heat on Thursday as we studied the surface and sub-surface biology and geology of Tumbling Creek Cave and Dr. Tom Aley's Ozark Underground Laboratory. That evening, we collected noctural insects with Dr. Chris Barnhart of Missouri State University
On Friday we collected data on Bee Creek and Bull Shoals Reservoir, comparing lake and stream ecosystems both qualitatively and quantitively. We enjoyed an evening of microscopes and music, a perfect combo for our young naturalists.
Students reluctantly packed their bags and returned home on Saturday morning, but not without a renewed vision and a sense of empowerment. Each received a $100 grant to develop a "green" project in their home community. We now await the results of our experiment to shape communities in a clean, green, and sustainable way.
One thing is certain. We "acted today to shape tomorrow", and I feel honored and priveleged to have been there to tell the story. Here's what I sensed:
I listened
While 16 young people told a story of Life
As old as the Ancients
In a fresh, new way
With Green Hands, Warm Hearts, and Open Minds
The Roaring in their Ears
Led them to its Source
The River of Life
Where they plunged in
And were carried away
When they rose out of the depths
They found that they were
Cleansed, Renewed, Alive
And capable of Flight!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Green Leadership Academy: A Bird in the Hand
Common interests bring people together. And so it was the case as GLADE campers arrived on the first day. Their intelligence and love for the outdoors they held in common. However, their backgrounds crossed lines of culture, income, and security. Our GLADE campers came from rich communities and poor communities, from urban settings and rural settings, from strong traditional families and highly dysfunctional families. But all of this was set aside as a common vision of a clean, green, and sustainable planet emerged over the course of a week.
Sunday evening was spent going over the essentials of camp life, discovering our new "Green Tool Kit", a backpack full of essentials, containing binoculars (thanks to Bass Pro Shops), field guides, work gloves, water bottles, and Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. After dinner, we began with an initiative game. The kids began to interact, and met their challenge easily.
Monday morning Celeste Prussia opened the day with a motivational presentation on the challenges that we face in restoring, conserving, and protecting species worldwide. This was followed by Becky Gehringer's research on the effects of prescribed burns on Ozarks Woodlands. Students engaged in the work of the forester: measuring diameters, circumferences, and heights of trees, as well as collecting data on biodiversity using quadrants in burned and unburned area. While touring the Drury Mincy Conservation Area, students found that biodiversity can be increased and glades can be restored through the use of prescribed burns. Glades can be defined in the Ozarks as areas of extremely thin soils on slopes facing south or west, and characterized by extensive limestone/dolomite and chert outcroppings.
Monday evening licensed bird bander Andrew Kinslow was outstanding in his plight of the neotropicals presentation. We set up the mistnet for the next morning's activity.
At 6:00 am Tuesday morning, the mistnets were unfurled. Students were well versed on the ethics of mistnetting and eagerly awaited the first catch of the day. "Got one", echoed across the valley, and kids scurried to the net. The entangled bird was difficult to ID at first, probably because of the awkwardness of its predicament. I thought perhaps a Louisiana Waterthrush, but soon recognized it as a young Carolina Wren.
The bird was bagged and taken to the field station for measurements, aging, weighing, and banding. A few students were able to hold it, and became mesmerized, as a calm settled in on the group. The process repeated itself 4 more times during the early morning hours, with 2 Indigo Buntings, 1 Yellow-throated Vireo, and 1 Kentucky Warbler joining the list of mist netted and banded birds. There was magic in the air!
But we had only begun. Dr. Brian Greene, Missouri State herpetologist, spent the rest of the day with us, busting myth after myth about Cottonmouths by sharing his research results with the students. We then ventured out to the herp ponds
found in the conservation area, collecting multiple salamanders, frogs, and insect species. 
The evening ended near dusk as Brian shared his absolutely beautiful Cottonmouth, Copperhead, and Pygmy rattlesnake with the group before heading out for his periodic nocturnal amphibian monitoring. Could this academy get any better? Well, as a matter of fact, it was only Tuesday and there was much more to come!
Sunday evening was spent going over the essentials of camp life, discovering our new "Green Tool Kit", a backpack full of essentials, containing binoculars (thanks to Bass Pro Shops), field guides, work gloves, water bottles, and Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. After dinner, we began with an initiative game. The kids began to interact, and met their challenge easily. Monday morning Celeste Prussia opened the day with a motivational presentation on the challenges that we face in restoring, conserving, and protecting species worldwide. This was followed by Becky Gehringer's research on the effects of prescribed burns on Ozarks Woodlands. Students engaged in the work of the forester: measuring diameters, circumferences, and heights of trees, as well as collecting data on biodiversity using quadrants in burned and unburned area. While touring the Drury Mincy Conservation Area, students found that biodiversity can be increased and glades can be restored through the use of prescribed burns. Glades can be defined in the Ozarks as areas of extremely thin soils on slopes facing south or west, and characterized by extensive limestone/dolomite and chert outcroppings. Monday evening licensed bird bander Andrew Kinslow was outstanding in his plight of the neotropicals presentation. We set up the mistnet for the next morning's activity.
At 6:00 am Tuesday morning, the mistnets were unfurled. Students were well versed on the ethics of mistnetting and eagerly awaited the first catch of the day. "Got one", echoed across the valley, and kids scurried to the net. The entangled bird was difficult to ID at first, probably because of the awkwardness of its predicament. I thought perhaps a Louisiana Waterthrush, but soon recognized it as a young Carolina Wren.
The bird was bagged and taken to the field station for measurements, aging, weighing, and banding. A few students were able to hold it, and became mesmerized, as a calm settled in on the group. The process repeated itself 4 more times during the early morning hours, with 2 Indigo Buntings, 1 Yellow-throated Vireo, and 1 Kentucky Warbler joining the list of mist netted and banded birds. There was magic in the air!But we had only begun. Dr. Brian Greene, Missouri State herpetologist, spent the rest of the day with us, busting myth after myth about Cottonmouths by sharing his research results with the students. We then ventured out to the herp ponds found in the conservation area, collecting multiple salamanders, frogs, and insect species. The evening ended near dusk as Brian shared his absolutely beautiful Cottonmouth, Copperhead, and Pygmy rattlesnake with the group before heading out for his periodic nocturnal amphibian monitoring. Could this academy get any better? Well, as a matter of fact, it was only Tuesday and there was much more to come! Monday, June 29, 2009
Green Leadership Academy: The GLADE Model
How long has it been since I posted to Conservation Conversations? Sure, a new grandson's arrival in North Carolina prompted a brief and boastful offering from me. As a result, life will never be the same over at The Drinking Bird, but it has clearly changed for the better, and hope springs anew. 
Today I bask in the afterglow of highly successful Greater Ozarks Audubon Society effort in environmental education. GLADE came to us last fall as a result of a TogetherGreen innovation grant award. Funded by Toyota Motors and administered by the National Audubon Society, our TogetherGreen grant award was one of only 41 nationwide, and opportunity knocked loudly on the GOAS door.
A perfect storm of sorts brought an eclectic and insightful group of educators together for the project. Lisa Berger, local Audubon activist and visionary, sat with Dr. Janice Greene, Missouri State University Biology Professor specializing in evaluation of science education programs, in a local Panera restaurant and talked about possibilities, forming the framework for a bird camp. I had recently retired from full time teaching and was actively seeking opportunities to increase my role in the conservation movement. When I received an offer from Lisa to direct the new project, I remember replying immediately, "Yes, Yes, Yes", as a wave of gratitude swept over me. Celeste Prussia, manager of the Missouri State Bull Shoals Field Station in Drury-Mincy Conservation Area, joined the team with her exuberant spirit and her expertise in ecological and sustainability issues.
And so our camp plans began. Long a lover of acronyms, I offered up GLADE, Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems. It seemed right for our project as it was to be set in the White River Glades and Woodland Important Bird Area (IBA), a region that was once inhabited by Swainson's Warbler and Bachman's Sparrow. Our first mission was evident: to increase biodiversity in hopes of bringing Swainson's Warbler and Bachman's Sparrow, along with other Giant Cane inhabiting species back in sustainable numbers.
In addition, we recruited highly intelligent young conservationists into an academically rigorous, hands on experience in conservation biology. Sixteen high schoolers, pre-screened by area biology teachers, were selected from many highly qualified youth applicants. Experts in the biological field, conservation professionals, and graduate students were brought in daily to expose the students to scientific research, to share their knowledge and insight with the participants, and to illustrate how the scientific method is used to shape public policy in conservation. Our second mission fell into place: to create a new generation of environmental leaders, and closely tie them to the Ozarks bioregional network of "green partners".
Coming from a background in gifted education, I assembled an initiative game based protocol, teaching leadership from the bottom up, and using natural analogies (a simplified example, trees grow strong foundations and reach for the sky, humans should do this, too) to complement the intensive field biology curriculum. We aimed to teach grass roots leadership skills to the young adults: every person has a niche, everyone is a leader, one's role is essential in group problem solving, the challenge is to discern one's role and speak the truth when necessary. Natural extroverts were taught to listen to nature, and to their peers for solutions to challenges presented. Natural introverts were taught that even very small voices, often insightful, hold the key to solutions.
And so the stage was set. The students arrived. More on that tomorrow. I promise.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
New Member of the Flock!
We interrupt this normal bird related blog to bring this important announcement! N8, over at The Drinking Bird, is a father, which makes me a grandfather!
I found this essay a few years ago, liked it a lot, and post it here on this special day.
Published on Sunday, May 8, 2005 by CommonDreams.org |
The Mother's Journey |
by Denise Roy |
I have hands big enough to save the world, and small enough to rock a child to sleep. Looking up at the night sky is a humbling experience. The great darkness invites us to think about where we fit in, where we stand between the past and the future, between the earth and the stars. We seek to understand who we are and what it is that we are supposed to do. One warm summer night, when I was very pregnant with my daughter, I went outside to sit in a pool of cool water under the stars. I slowly massaged my growing belly, imagining who this child would be and what she would bring into this universe. As I looked up at the light from the stars, light that has taken millions of years to reach us, I thought about ancestors. If only one great-great grandparent had been a different person, I would not be here, and I would not be pregnant with this unique soul. On that night, I also thought of the future ones yet to be born. In that moment under the stars, I realized that I was carrying within me the seeds of my grandchildren, who would be alive into the twenty-second century. Suddenly, the distance between centuries did not seem so great. I felt myself participating in a much larger story. I understood that as a mother, I am part of a long continuum, carrying in my being both my ancestors and the future generations. With that comes the kind of responsibility that Native American wisdom articulates: "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." What I do here and now will affect many more lives than my own. It's easy to lose sight of this larger perspective when we're caught up in daily life-signing permission slips, making lunches, teaching our children to be kind to one another. It doesn't feel as if we're doing anything truly profound. And yet with each kiss, with each lesson, we are doing the work of the ages. We are nurturing life, we are shaping the next generation's hearts and bodies and souls. Literature is full of stories about the hero's journey. More often than not, these stories are about men, about how they go forth and slay the dragon or save the town, bringing back the Holy Grail or a gift for the community. There are fewer examples of women as heroes. Perhaps we need to rethink the idea of what an adventurous life is, of what a heroic journey entails. It might involve a quest, or it might be that we do not have to go anywhere else to obtain the gift, because we already hold it in our hands. We bring life to the community through our children and our work. Standing under the night sky, I ask the ancestors, the great communion of saints, to be with us on our journey. I ask them for wisdom and courage and strength to do the work that must be done. I reach out across time and ask the future ones, those waiting to be born, for their prayers and their trust that we will act like ancestors and pay attention to the longer rhythms of life. With hands big enough to save the world, and small enough to rock our children to sleep, we pray for the grace to fulfill our quest. Adapted from My Monastery Is a Minivan by Denise Roy (Loyola Press, 2001). Denise Roy is a psychotherapist and founder of FamilySpirit (http://www.familyspirit.com/) |
Sunday, May 10, 2009
WEKI Watch
When birding on the Springfield Plateau, it is not uncommon to see dozens of Eastern Kingbirds and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher during a spring or summer day of birding. But when the western version of the Kingbird shows up, it's an exciting day. Not that it's unheard of to have a pair fledge young around here, but it certainly is not an everyday, or even every year, avian observation. Last report was in 2004, but I've only seen one Western Kingbird in Missouri, that in the mid 90's.
As a result, I interrupt my Big Day Part 2 report to share a few poor, but identifiable photos that I took in the rain today. Soon, I'll get my friend Marvin out there to join me, and then I can share some real photos of Western Kingbirds. In the mean time, this will have to do. I just wanted to share the moment.
As a result, I interrupt my Big Day Part 2 report to share a few poor, but identifiable photos that I took in the rain today. Soon, I'll get my friend Marvin out there to join me, and then I can share some real photos of Western Kingbirds. In the mean time, this will have to do. I just wanted to share the moment.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Nemesis Bird Nabbed
My birding friends have looked at me with disbelief many times when I tell them that I do not have Sedge Wren on my life list. I've been in their prairie range countless times, but some birds are just like that, and we pin the term "nemesis bird" upon them.
On Wednesday, May 6, all of that changed. I heard the recognizable call just before I saw the tiny bird flutter to a small tree in the midst of the tall grass prairie species. I knew immediately what it was, but I thought that it must be a fledgling, as it was hardly a master of flight. It seemed to limp from grass to grass, never flying more than 10 feet, with legs awkwardly spread out between grass stems. The camera of my friend Marvin DeJong clicked away to document our new found lifer.
This spring, I have been privileged enough to see both the old Short billed Marsh Wren and its cousin, the Long-billed Marsh Wren. Here are a couple photos I took of my new lifer.
Down the road a bit, we located the rarest Missouri birds of the day, two female Yellow-headed Blackbirds. The two were leisurely feeding in an agricultural field. My records indicate that it's been 14 years since my last Missouri YHBL.
All of this on a big day that netted 105 species. More reports to come.
On Wednesday, May 6, all of that changed. I heard the recognizable call just before I saw the tiny bird flutter to a small tree in the midst of the tall grass prairie species. I knew immediately what it was, but I thought that it must be a fledgling, as it was hardly a master of flight. It seemed to limp from grass to grass, never flying more than 10 feet, with legs awkwardly spread out between grass stems. The camera of my friend Marvin DeJong clicked away to document our new found lifer.
This spring, I have been privileged enough to see both the old Short billed Marsh Wren and its cousin, the Long-billed Marsh Wren. Here are a couple photos I took of my new lifer.
Down the road a bit, we located the rarest Missouri birds of the day, two female Yellow-headed Blackbirds. The two were leisurely feeding in an agricultural field. My records indicate that it's been 14 years since my last Missouri YHBL.
All of this on a big day that netted 105 species. More reports to come.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
New arrivals for Earth Day
I've been birding Busiek State Forest south of Ozark fairly regularly this spring. Today I had two new warbler species: Blue winged and Prairie, along with American Redstart, Yellow throated Warbler, Northern Parula, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black and White Warbler, Yellow rumped Warbler, and Kentucky Warbler. Thought I heard a Cerulean, but it turned out to be variation on a theme by N. Parula.I couldn't catch the Blue-winged in a photo, but did get a few shots of other warblers to share.
Northern Parula
Northern ParulaAnyone know the name of the blue flower?
Rufous sided Towhee (female)
Prairie Warbler
Sunday, April 19, 2009
April Showers
For the past four days, I've had an opportunity to get out to enjoy the transitioning seasons. Up until yesterday though, things migration related were dead, but as the winds shifted back to the south, showers popped up, and this weekend the migration appears to be in full swing with new species arriving daily.
Day 1, Thursday, Apr. 16: a trip to the Aldrich arm of Stockton Reservoir yielded few species, no shorebirds, but nice views of Osprey and Lark Sparrow.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Pine Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Day 1, Thursday, Apr. 16: a trip to the Aldrich arm of Stockton Reservoir yielded few species, no shorebirds, but nice views of Osprey and Lark Sparrow.
Day 2, Friday, April 17: no chance to get out, but late Pine Siskins still visited at our thistle feeder.
Day 3, Saturday, Apr. 18: Short trip to the DeJong Farm on Bull Creek in southern Christian County, Missouri, yielded 7 Yellow throated Warblers, 9 Northern Parula, 6 American Redstarts, 3 Ovenbirds, 1 Kentucky Warbler, 2 Black and White Warblers, 1 Louisiana Waterthrush, 1 Swainson's Thrush, 1 Broad winged Hawk, 1 Sharp shinned Hawk, 2 Eastern Towhee, 2 Eastern Phoebe, 2 Ruby crowned Kinglets and the regulars....
Day 3, Saturday, Apr. 18: Short trip to the DeJong Farm on Bull Creek in southern Christian County, Missouri, yielded 7 Yellow throated Warblers, 9 Northern Parula, 6 American Redstarts, 3 Ovenbirds, 1 Kentucky Warbler, 2 Black and White Warblers, 1 Louisiana Waterthrush, 1 Swainson's Thrush, 1 Broad winged Hawk, 1 Sharp shinned Hawk, 2 Eastern Towhee, 2 Eastern Phoebe, 2 Ruby crowned Kinglets and the regulars....
Day 4, Sunday, Apr. 19: After 3 1/2 inches of overnight rainfall, the flood gates erupted literally and figuratively. On a trip down Center Road, Red Bridge Road and into the National Forest, Highlight was 1 Hooded Warbler, but we saw all the warblers from yesterday except for Kentucky, and numbers were way up for Ovenbirds, Black and White Warblers, and Northern Parula, in the 20s and 30s for each of the three species.
Here are a few images from today:
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Pine Warbler Northern Cardinal Red-bellied Woodpecker
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