Black-necked Stilts

Since I'm not doing very well with blogging, I thought I would share my blog posts for Travis Audubon here. Each month I look at one bird found in Texas but, of course, many migrate or spend time in other parts of the country. I love watching Black-necked Stilts and hope you do, too. https://travisaudubon.org/uncategorized/bird-of-the-week-black-necked-stilt

How to Find a Bird

Jennifer Ward's How to Find a Bird offers a wonderful look at, well, how to find birds. Blend in, be quiet, look low to the ground, and be as sharp as an eagle's eye and you will find birds. Wait and be patient is often the best advice. And sometimes birds find you. 

Lushly illustrated by Diana Sudyka, the picture book is full of details and lots of birds, each labeled. One double-page spread even includes extinct birds like the Dodo and the Ivory-billed woodpecker. The final two pages offer advice on how to be a bird watcher. Great to read aloud to a young child or give as a gift.

 Bird of the Week: Whooping Cranes    

As a Master Birder I have to volunteer with Travis Audubon Society. One of the things I'm doing is contributing to their "Bird of the Week" site. Read about Whooping Cranes. They are starting to arrive in Texas. https://travisaudubon.org/uncategorized/bird-of-the-week-whooping-cranes . And while you are there, look at the information about other birds in Texas. 

I'll post information here after the posts publish for Audubon.

All About Birds: Texas and Oklahoma opens with a fold-out index of birds by categories but the table of contents includes a break down by species within each category.  Early chapters focus on beginning birding, attracting birds to your yard, and getting involved with birding. Especially appreciated is the section on types of food and feeders. A guide to common species found in Texas and Oklahoma follows. Information is drawn from Cornell’s AllAboutBirds.com. As noted in the welcome, each profile includes a map of the usual territory and full-color photos to help with plumage variations. The profile section starts with general tips for identifying birds by various traits and understanding field marks. An end of the book index helps locate specific information. Most birders probably wouldn’t carry this big of a book into the field, but it is great for learning about birds you are looking for at home or in the “wild.” Definitely worth adding to your bird collection. Other titles in the series cover California and four regions of the country.

Shorebird ID Guide

 Cornell Lab has some great resources. I wanted to share this Shorebirds Identification Chart. Two pages! 

"From plovers to peeps and beyond, become familiar with the diversity of shorebirds with this free downloadable guide! Paying attention to shape, size, and behavior goes a long way to identifying shorebirds. This helpful shorebird ID guide has full-color photos, ID tips, and a size reference chart for use at home or out in the field. You can download, print out, and bring this guide with you!" 

Shorebirds Identification Chart

Sharing Information

It's been almost exactly a year since my last blog post. Blame it on lock-down laziness? I wasn't doing much birding during the time of Covid and I also was in the hospital and recovering from open heart surgery (I'm fine now.) BUT, I was taking a number of online classes about birds (and cooking, but not cooking birds--I'm vegetarian).

 "Once you discover something it's important to share that information." This advice comes from the scientists at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, ID. I discovered the Center while taking a kid's course through Varsity Tutors. Most of their classes are free or available for a very low cost. And while they say that this class was for children, it was very enlightening for adults also, so take a class with a kid or by yourself. Varsity Tutors also offers classes on dinosaurs, ancestors of today's birds, and many other topics.

During the one hour class, Saving Raptors, Curtis Evans shared information and introduced us to some of the birds of prey that are currently living at the Center. In addition to rehabilitation, the Center raises endangered birds to be released back into the wild. Many birds at the Center are used in educational situations if they can't be released. The Center also works around the world to help prevent habitat loss and extinction.

Burrowing owls (Photo by
The Peregrine Fund)

One thing I've learned as a birder is that we are always learning new things about birds! Owls borrow a nest someone else, like a hawk or eagle, has made. Or smaller owls go into cavities in trees or barns. Vultures lay eggs on a scrape on a cliff or in a cavity. Hawks and eagles make nests. Falcons may nest on the edge of buildings. (See Tower Girl at the University of Texas at Austin) Eagles build very large nests adding to the building every year. Nests are not deep but the birds continue adding a clean layer to the nest.

Milky eagle owl
(Photo by the Peregrine Fund)

One of the most amazing raptors shown was the Milky Eagle Owl, Africa’s largest owl, commonly known as the Giant Eagle Owl, its correct name is the Verreaux's eagle-owl. The one at the World Center is an owl that hatched at the Atlanta Zoo, where one can be seen also. Hand raised, the owlet then went to Idaho where it remains. So now I have to plan a visit!

Hopefully I can get back on track now that there is some return to normalcy. Wearing a mask, I am going to lectures, getting out to bird, and travelling some. And, of course, always learning.

The Thing With Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human

 Noah Strycker is often described as a “birder at large” and he has birded around the world. In 2015 he completed a worldwide big year, seeing almost 60% (6,042) of the world’s 10,400 bird species on all seven continents.  That, along with his degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and many field trips, allows him to explore the behaviors of different bird species and how their behaviors connect with that of humans in The Thing With Feathers.

Each chapter focuses on a single species, and it should be noted, those included are often not the “rock stars of ornithology.” The chapters are divided into three sections: Body, Mind, Spirit. Strycker focuses on experiments and studies that support his ideas that “[b]ird behavior offers a mirror in which we can reflect on human behavior.”

He explores how pigeons learn to find their way home and the navigational skills of other species and why bower birds decorate their nests and appreciate their own version of art. Magpies are able to recognize themselves in mirrors and nutcrackers have amazing memories and can recall literally hundreds of locations where they have stored seeds. Especially interesting is the examination of pecking order in chickens. Vultures can distinguish taste, preferring to eat the carcasses of herbivores rather than carnivores. Without anthropomorphizing, Stryker explains these behaviors and frequently connects it to our world and helps us learn what it means to be human.

Each chapter includes a drawing of the bird being discussed. End Notes explain the sources for his research and describes themes that are based on Strycker’s own interpretations from his field experiences. Each note offers additional readings and films for those who want to further explore the described behaviors.

The book’s title comes from an Emily Dickinson poem (“Hope” is the thing with feathers) and Strycker’s writing is equally poetic and passionate. The chapters are easy to dip into and encourages readers to reflect on our own behaviors. Note that Dickinson’s poem has served as inspiration for several books with the same, or almost the same, title so be sure to check the author.

Black vulture (photo
by Jeanette Larson)