Nancy, Lili and I hope you are having a good Spring! Here is our newsletter for June.
Some Notes from Islandwood's first ever Bird Festival
Islandwood (Bainbridge Island) held its first ever bird festival this past weekend. The schedule looked to have some interesting stuff on it so Nancy and I re-arranged our schedules so that we could attend a few sessions while still keeping the shop open for our normal hours. We began by attending a presentation by John Marzluff; co-author of In The Company Of Crows and Ravens. Is was a fun evening as John is an interesting speaker and was able to build an informal and interactive relationship with his audience. We first learned a bit about our local bird populations and how they are affected by the changing landscape of the Puget Sound region. From there John discussed crows, their social networks, their amazing intellect and some crow related research. We walked away from the evening with a greater appreciation for crows and a better understanding of just how smart they are. I have two copies of In The Company of Crows and Ravens that John signed and dated. They are on the shelf and will sell on a "first come, first served" basis.
We returned to Islandwood early Saturday morning for a bird walk along their trails. It was a nice morning and the center's staff were friendly and helpful. They handed out binoculars and field guides to everyone who needed them and we then headed out to find the birds. Islandwood's grounds are beautiful and we could hear quite a few birds in the trees. Unfortunately, we did not see all that many. Part of the problem was that we were often in areas that were pretty heavily forested. You really need to be patient and able to move around a bit in order to spot birds in that sort of environment. Being in a group of people made that kind of difficult. It also doesn't help when you are trying to work to a set time line. We just couldn't afford to take too much time to try to track down any single bird. It ended up being more of a walk in the woods with a few birds thrown in. I imagine their bird walks will improve if they continue to host this event in coming years.
Nancy had to dash off to open the shop and I stayed behind to attend a bird banding workshop. It was mostly a chance to observe a banding station and offer a hand where possible. It takes a lot of training and knowledge to be able to band birds and this was more of an introduction then a workshop. I understood all that going into it and was very happy to finally get a chance to observe a banding operation. The small group of people doing the banding were all very friendly and quite willingly answered all our questions.
I was lucky enough to help check the mist nets a couple of times and we found this Wilson's Warbler on our second trip. The nets are checked often in order to reduce the stress on the birds. We were lucky in that these nets were in wooded areas and still shaded from the sun.
One of the experienced banders removed the birds from the net and stored them in small cotton bags. The bags protect the birds and help to quiet them down. They will flap a bit in the bag but for the most part they seemed to relax fairly easily. I carried the bag as we checked a few more nets (being very careful to protect the birds and making sure I didn't stumble on the rough trails) and then we brought them back to the banding station for processing.
While I was there they banded a robin, several Wilson's Warblers, a Song Sparrow and quite a few Swainson's Thrush. In fact, I was given the chance to hold one of the thrushes and release it back into the woods once it had been banded. It was all very cool.
A Tip For Beginning Birders I often bird on a trail through an area that is heavily forested. Most every time I go I get a short way into the trees and realize I don't see any birds but can hear quite a few. Once the trees begin to leaf-out it can be pretty difficult to spot the birds moving around up in the branches. It can be a bit frustrating but don't give up and walk away. Stop and concentrate on what you're hearing. Pick a likely direction to look at based on the birds you are hearing. Now, just pause and look up into the trees. I try not to focus on any one thing but allow my eyes to just scan the branches and leaves for movement or a color that stands out. It may take 30 seconds or 30 minutes but you will be rewarded with some birds if you are patient.
Are You In the Market For A High Quality But Inexpensive Spotting Scope? I have recently made a special purchase of two Stokes Sandpiper 15-45x65 Spotting Scopes with straight eyepieces. The MSRP on the straight Sandpiper is $359.00. However, I was able to get these two at a special discount and can offer them for a price of $259.99/each. The Sandpiper is a well built scope and was an incredible value at $359. It is a steal at $260. Here is what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said about the Sandpiper during their Scope Quest 2008...
An even nicer
surprise was the Vortex Stokes Sandpiper, which at $359 or less
could be the best buy of any model we tested. This small, lightweight
scope is fully waterproof, works well with eyeglasses, and
provides an image nearly as nice up to 45x as the more expensive
Vixens
If you’re
on a tight budget and want decent optics in the least expensive
package, I’d try the Vortex Stokes Sandpiper.
Come down to the shop ASAP (they should be here by the 11th) if you are interested in purchasing one of these. There is a good chance that both will sell quickly. I will add them to our online store if I still have them at the end of the month.
Q: My neighbor was telling me that dryer lint makes good nesting material. Is that true? A: Unfortunately, your neighbor is incorrect. Dryer lint makes a poor nesting material because it retains too much water. Wet lint will not provide adequate insulation and loses its shape too easily. The easiest way to provide nesting material would be to go to your local wild bird shop and purchase a package. Some species like to use animal hair in their nests so you can also brush your pet and put the collected hair in an unused suet cage. The cage will contain the hair while providing easy access for your birds.
Puget Sound Bird Festival to be Held in Edmonds on Sept. 12-14, 2008 I just wanted to give you all another reminder that the Puget Sound Bird Festival is being held in September this year. From their website...
PUGET SOUND BIRD FEST in Edmonds is moving! To a different
time of year, that is. After three years of the event taking
place in May, the 2008 Bird Fest will be in September. It
will feature more great speakers, guided walks, field trips on
land and water, a marketplace for vendors and exhibitors,
educational activities for kids, and backyard wildlife habitat
tours. So, mark your calendar to be in Edmonds on September
12-14, 2008 to celebrate birds and nature!
3/27/2009 6:16 PM
Gayle wrote:
Awwies! These people are so nice! My favorite birds are Peach faced love birds (I have one) and Wilson's Warbler. This it so nice!I wish to be a photographer who takes pictures of birds. This is sooooo cute and nice!! Reply to this
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