The Birdcouple

Baghdad Update 1

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:58:00 +0000

Well, not much new to report (bird-wise) after my first 10 days here in Baghdad, capital of the Land of the Two Rivers.

Most of the "birds" I see and hear are military helicopters, both U.S. and Iraqi security forces, flying over the city. I was at a reception at the US ambassador's house a few days ago, sitting at an outdoor table, when I heard some clearly plover- or killdeer-like things flying close overhead and land nearby. It was dark. I couldn't exactly go rushing around the ambassador's residence searching for shorebirds, now could I? Well, maybe...

Anyway, in addition to my paltry list a couple of post belows, I can now add:

_ White Wagtail
_ probable Black-Headed Gull.
_ Roller, sp. (Probable Indian Roller, could it be European Roller???)

AND

_ U.S. military helicopter, sp.
_ Iraqi Armed Forces helicopter, sp.

- W

Nothing Like a Good Book... Especially when it teaches you one of the keys to helping our feathered friends...

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Kay Charter of Saving Birds Thru Habitat passed along this gem of a book, Bringing Nature Home , by Dr. Douglas Tallamy. Dr. Tallamy chairs the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at University of Delaware.

And, he owns 10 acres of farmland that was once loaded with invasives. Which, he discovered, supported very little insect life and also strangled out the native plants.

I thought I knew the importance of planting natives, but I really didn't get it until I read this book. I just didn't get how important native trees and plants are to birds.

There is so much in my dog eared, heavily highlighted copy, it is hard to begin....

Perhaps, the most important thing this book taught me is that I have a decision every time I plant or remove something from the LoveNest garden. And, if I choose a native plant I am managing the LoveNest habitat in a way that supports native insect populations and provides valuable nutrition for nesting birds.

Native insects love native plants and birds love (and need) insects. Most terrestrial birds rear their young on protein (pound for pound, most insects have more protein than beef), energy filled insects, not seeds and berries.

And, a successful breeding season is dependent on the amount of food birds find for their brood.

Which is just one of the many reasons Cute Husband and I will never put anything but native in the Lovenest's ground.

Dr. Tallamy's book is also a beautiful reference book that details the best native to plant to support the most insect species. The book is also brimming with great bug pictures!

Cute Husband and I recently planted a Redbud (Cercis canadensis).

Native, but not as important as an Oak Tree in supporting a diverse population of insect species.

We are ok with that.

It was one of my Dad's favorite trees.

The Creation of a Thousand Forests....

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:44:00 +0000

...is in one acorn.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ahh... fall on the East Coast!

It is the time of year in Maryland when trees are literally raining leaves.

But according to this from NPR, leaves aren't exactly falling...

But, rather, the trees are shoving the leaves off the limbs.

In Cute Husband's absence, I have further
fallen into senselessness.

We picked up the new Sibley Guide to Trees few weeks back and ever since this book entered the house, I have become freakishly obsessed with collecting leaves and trying to ID them.

Oh, and also listing them.

I'm pretty much raking the front yard onto the dining room table, where I have my ever growing display of leaves in various stages of fade.

Yesterday, my leaf press arrived and now I can preserve them!
And, look at them some more!

For those that I want to capture exactly as they existed when I found them, I scan them!

And, look at them some more!

Normal, right?

Right?

Sure, yes, I'm ok without Cute Hubby to entertain me...

Birding a Bit in Baghdad

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:51:00 +0000

W is starting a six-week reporting assignment in Iraq. While it's much less violent here than it was just a few years ago, it's very far from stable - and he can't exactly go wandering with bins looking for parks and rivers with birds in 'em.

So far, birding has been limited to his hotel balcony. Here's the list so far:

_ House Sparrow
_ Rock Pigeon
_ (Eurasian) Collared Dove
_ crow, species.

Impressive, huh?

Much more importantly, our sponsor, Alpen Optics, has now made it to Iraq! Alpen has kindly given us several pairs of binoculars over the years to test and share with folks we meet at bird walks and bird tours. Warren decided to bring a pair to Baghdad and loan it (permanently) to one of McClatchy's Iraqi employees who is crazy about birds. Our Iraqi friend was thrilled. Maybe he and Warren can go out birding sometime soon.

"Pass the glass" whenever and wherever you can...

Did W mention that he misses L?

Birding is a Happy Adventure

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:36:00 +0000

We love this sign at Piney Orchard Nature Preserve that invites you down the trail. Yes! Happy! Birding!

Bird-friendly coffee

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Coffee, as our friend Paul B frequently reminds us, is the second-most traded commodity in the world (after the black goo called oil) and how we use it can have a tremendous impact on birds, and our environment as a whole.

We recently found a new source of bird-friendly coffee here in the mid-Atlantic states, Golden Valley Farms out of West Chester, Pa. Better yet, they are a family-owned and -run company, that selects and roasts their own coffee beans - and spreads the gospel of eco-friendly and organic coffee. BC likes that.

Golden Valley Farms was kind enough to send us their Bird-Friendly Coffee Sampler, which contains seven different pouches of ground coffee that makes 3-4 cups each. Six out of the seven are organic, and each coffee - they are from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and El Salvador - features a bird, which helps remind us what this is all about. Well, the coffee is about all gone! Warren, a bigger coffee drinker than Princess L, liked them all. Hard to pick a favorite, although the Colombian Organic Don Telmo Reserva Tipica was particularly scrumptious.

Golden Valley Farms' Liz Janda tells us their coffee s served to visitors at the National Zoo in Washington, DC - the El Salvador Santa Teresa Pacamara to be exact. And, of course, you can order it online at http://www.goldenvalleyfarms.com/

History of a Peregrine

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Image: Dan Haas

Check out Dan Haas's blog, Nervous Birds for some delightful Peregrine pictures and the life history of our own Annapolis bird.

Warren and I kayaked out and tried (unsuccessfully) all summer to get a glimpse of the pair that hung around the Severn River Bridge, so its nice to learn her life story.

And, nice to hope for nesting success next year!

Mixed Feeding Flock, #7

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:45:00 +0000

First and foremost, Lisa just snagged us The Sibley Guide to Trees. It's amazing. Guess what she's been doing on Saturday morning?

We'll post more about this soon. ... Elsewhere in the world of birds and nature:

* Over at Nervous Birds, Dan Haas has an amazing essay and photos that tell the story, from fledging to the present, of our very own local Peregrine Falcon.

* Also locally, a deal was reached earlier this month to preserve 600 acres and enhance the South River Greenway in the Annapolis/Crownsville area. Great news!

* Farther afield, A DC Birding Blog posted recently about a rare crow that has just been rediscovered in the wild, the Banggai Crow. It's not extinct as thought, but still critically endangered.

* Finally, the Associated Press recently did a piece about Hawk Mountain, Pa. We read it in the local Roanoke, Virgina, paper when we were down visiting Adam at Virginia Tech. Not a lot in there that fans of Hawk Mountain didn't know, but a nice article all the same.

Today You are You!

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:22:00 +0000

That is truer than true!

There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Happy You Day, Cute Husband!

Duck Stamp: And the winner is....

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:20:00 +0000

BC just got back this evening from Virginia Tech, where we had a lovely visit with young Adam, first time we've seen him since he went away to become a college man...

As Lisa blogged last week, we were lucky enough last weekend to participate in a Big Sit at Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge and, after that was over, take a peek at the entries for the 2010-2011 federal "duck stamp." As readers of Bircouple.com all know, the stamp, required for waterfowl hunters, helps purchase and preserve thousands of acres of habitat in NWRs..

While we were away, Paul Baicich kept us updated on the Duck Stamp art contest, from his computer straight to Warren's BlackBerry. Without further ado, the winner is:

... This beautiful American Wigeon by Robert Bealle of Waldorf, Maryland. Robert came in 2nd in the contest -- 26 years ago -- and has been trying again ever since. We love this image (can't wait to buy our stamp) and are very proud that the prize went to a local boy. Paul also passed on this story from the Baltimore Sun.

Congrats Robert. The rest of you ... BUY THAT STAMP! :)

Eating it Up!

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:35:00 +0000

This was the bounty from our first week of participation in our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

Basically, we purchased a "share" in a local farm - Calvert Farm - and each week, during the growing season, we get a box full of goodies.

It is completely bonus, as the produce is uber fresh and locally grown - plus, Cute Husband and I are getting acquainted with some veggies that we normally wouldn't attempt to cook.

Do you see that cabbage the size of a basketball in the back?

The only thing not included is the wine.

However, the added bonus is that the CSA box pickup is very near one of our favorite wine stores.

And, we discovered that an Argentine red is mighty fine with sweet potatoes.

Big Sit and the Duck Stamp Contest

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:38:00 +0000

Bit Sit and sometimes Big Stand.

Cute Husband and I joined Paul Baicich and a group of newbie birders at the Patuxent Research Refuge on Sunday for the Big Sit.

The Big Sit is an annual event where a group selects a good bird potential habitat, and counts each species that is heard or seen within an imaginary 17 foot diameter circle around your sitting spot. The weather was perfect for a day of scoping and sitting and chatting and enjoying whatever decided to make its way our way.
Our group included 3 families who home schooled their children and were using the Big Sit as a learning experience.Love that!

I also loved this cool science book they were using, which included several chapters on birds, bats and pollinators.

The Environmental Educators at Patuxent Research Refuge provided some great bird learning tools - and the children were really engaged.

Love that!

In the palm of my hand... a Hummingbirds skull...

The Match the Drake to his Mate Game was also quite popular. And who can resist making a bird feeder with pine cones rolled in Crisco?

(Mine is the one of the left)

We wrapped up at 2:30 with 41 species and some new friends and headed to the Visitor Center to check out the entries for the 2009 Duck Stamp....

The judging is this weekend at the Refuge and the winning design gets the honor of gracing the 2010-2011 Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp or "The Duck Stamp".

And, an honor it will be, as the sale of Duck Stamps supports the purchase of millions of acres of wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Each year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service selects 5 species, any one of which can be painted.

The competition looks pretty tough this year....

One of Warren's favorites....

Most unusual....

Wood Ducks were popular choices....

I love the leaf in the water and the way the way the Gadwall's eye kind of follows you...

More Woodies...

A sharp looking Blue-Winged Teal set off with some reeds.

A gorgeous Gadwall.

Two very traditional looking entries....

Cinnamon Teals looking quite fine.

Unofficial judges.

So which will grace the next Duck Stamp?

Judging for the Duck Stamp is this weekend, and the winner will be put to work on the Duck Stamp for sale next July.

And, the proceeds will help place more signs like this around more protected habitats!

Birding - You can do it anywhere!

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Thanks to a loan from our friend Paul Baicich, Warren has been reading Joseph Hickey's 1943 classic, A Guide to Birdwatching, which manages to be engaging, informative and quaint (in the good sense of that word) all at once.

He came across this oh-so-true sentence early in the book:

To the ornithologist, no corner of the earth is dull, no season is without its compensations.

One of the things that we like about birding (besides the fact that it's calorie-free, legal and just plain fun), is that you can do it anywhere. Well, just about anywhere. And even if you have just a few spare moments on your hands in some unexpected corner of the planet.

Birdcouple's been on the move a fair bit lately. Warren was up in New York in late September for the annual United Nations meetings, and then he met the Princess at Trenton, N.J., train station, where BC headed for the Appalachian Trail and a lovely, if wet, two-day hike. Then it was back to Annapolis and, unexpectedly, Warren was off to Geneva to cover some high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Iran.

Yes, he packed his bins and 35-year-old Hamlyn Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe. Yes, he took a lovely 90-minute walk around the shore of Lake Geneva early one morning. Yes, he saw a lot of birds, all common Eurasian species. And yes, there were two lifers: Great-Crested Grebe and Carrion Crow.

Driving to the grocery store, taking the Metro to work, looking out your back window, grabbing a few spare minutes in a far-off city - birding, you can do it anywhere.

600!

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Nope not birds seen... but BirdCouple miles on the Appalachian Trail!

The soggy and somewhat non-birdy tale can be found on our AT Blog....

Hybrid Goose Mystery

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:52:00 +0000

This odd-looking goose jumped out at both Lisa and I as we surveyed a flock of Canada Geese at the Crownsville Waste-Water Treatment Plant on Sunday morn.

It's obviously a Canada Goose hybridized with something else. Question is, is it a Canada Goose x Greater White_Fronted Goose or Canada Goose x Greylag (Domestic) Goose?

Thoughts, opinions welcome!

P.S. - Given this bird's size, the emerging consensus seems to be that it is a Canada x Greylag hybrid. Thanks to all!

The Man I was Lucky Enough to Call Dad...

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:56:00 +0000

A little girl needs her Father

For many, many things:

Like holding her high off the ground

Where the sunlight sings!

Like being the deep music

That tells her all is right

When she awakens frantic with

The terrors of the night.

Like being the great mountain

That rises in her heart

And shows her how she might get home

When all else falls apart.

Like giving her the love

That is her sea and air,

So diving deep or soaring high

She'll always find him there

Author Unknown

Thomas W. Mayr

10/12/42 - 9/29/09

Birds and Bond. James Bond.

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Did you have any idea that Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels was a birdwatcher?

It is true!

In fact, Mr Fleming was looking for a name for the hero of his book, Casino Royale, and happened to have a copy of the following hanging about his house (well, not the Peterson Guide, but the original Bond guide...)
He received permission from the ornithologist, James Bond, to call his character Bond.

James Bond.

Fleming said that he "wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could think of. James Bond seemed perfect."

In in his novel Dr. No, Fleming also referenced Bond's work by basing an ornithological sanctuary on Dr. No's island in the Bahamas.

So, why the Bond-ness?

Because Warren and I were invited to a Bond party this weekend to celebrate all things secret service.

Which brings me to my favorite James Bond.
Not Roger Moore.
Nope not Pierce.
Might have been Connery....

If Cute Husband didn't have all the necessary gadgets....

Very disarming!

But... you are probably "just here for the birds." (Die Another Day)

BirdCouple did do a spot of birding after a night of shaken martinis, gold dust and toy knives.

Cute Husband and I enjoyed a morning walk on Sunday in search of anything heading South. We started the morning at Davidsonville Park walking between the ponds searching the tops of trees and enjoying the water lily blooms.

We heard an unfamiliar whiny call and tracked down our first sure migrant of the day, an Alder Flycatcher!

Our camera is on the fritz and our little point and shoot refused to focus on the bird, but the above picture is a good example of where one might find an Alder Flycatcher, in migration, singing.

He really was super cooperative and sang his heart out. We noted at least 4 other flycatchers in the same area, but all refused to sing to give us any clue as to what exact species they were.

This Pearl Crescent (thanks for the proper ID, Patrick!)was much more cooperative.

Pearl Crescent.

Might not be a bad Bond Girl name...

We live in a beautiful place...

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:55:00 +0000

.. called Annapolis, Maryland. Home to the US Naval Academy. Sailing capital of the USA. (Sorry, San Diego). And right next door to the bounty and splendor of the Chesapeake Bay.

Sometimes, though, we forget what a magical place it is. Until we see it from a visitor's perspective again. That's what we did recently - we took a sunset cruise around Annapolis and the Severn River on one of the Woodwind Schooners to celebrate Grammy Thora Strobel's birthday.

It was marvelous evening, a few passing showers only serving to enhance the gorgeous sunset. These cellphone camera pictures (note to self: fix camera) don't even begin to capture the loveliness of the setting.

U.S. Naval Academy

Severn River just before sunset

Two very happy Annapolitans

The captain of the Woodwind seemed to know a lot about sailing. But when a Great Blue Heron crossed our bow, he pointed it out and declared to the passengers that it was the largest North American bird. Warren was skeptical and, because he can't help himself, he had to check. GBHE is not the largest bird on our continent. It's the California Condor. Which is not usually sighted around the Chesapeake Bay...

Life & Death @ The Lovenest

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Hey, nature isn't all nice fluffy deer running through the woods and birds twittering in springtime. It's a jungle out there. Even when "out there" is on the deck of our lil' own Lovenest.

Warren was reminded of that this morning when he went out on the porch and happened to glance through the door on to the deck. He was greeted with this sight:

We tend to get a lot of spiders around here, since we live smack dab in the woods and don't, don't, don't use insecticide, herbicide or pesticide of any kind. (Lisa's bee hives wouldn't like it for one thing). So we tend to get quite a few critters, including spiders, around the house -- especially this time of year, in late summer.

This one, we think, is a Garden Spider, but we're not positive, since we couldn't make any exact matches with our field guides. (Yes, we own field guides to insects and spiders, as well as birds, fish, mammals, stars, trees, flowers and other natural wonders). Birdcouple would welcome any help with the ID...

So, the Katydid becomes the spider. ... And life in the big forest continues.

UPDATE: Thanks to our dear friend, Kay Charter, who runs one of our favorite non-profits, Saving Birds Thru Habitat and the help of Doug Tallamy, author of the essential guide for your yard - Bringing Nature Home, our backyard friend has been id-ed as a Araneus marmoreus, a common orb weaver.

Amazing Alaska Cranes

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:05:00 +0000

Every now and then, we like to highlight bird-related articles from some of the 30 daily newspapers published by McClatchy Newspapers, Warren's employer. (He writes about extremely non-bird-related things for McClatchy's Washington bureau).

Today, the Anchorage Daily News has some truly amazing photographs of Sandhill Cranes in migration. Check 'em out here.

Scissor-Tailed!!

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:04:00 +0000

Lisa and I got in some very brief, but very pleasurable and very efficient, birding Sunday morning with our dear friend Peter Kaestner, who, with his family, is now back from India.

We were chasing a Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher, a marvelous bird not often seen in these parts. It had been hanging around for a week just a couple of miles outside the lovely little Eastern Shore town of Sudlersville, Maryland. (Sudlersville, as everyone knows, is the birthplace of baseball hall of famer Jimmie Foxx, and there's a statue in the center of town to commemerate him).

We headed north of town to the spot where the bird had been, well, spot-ted. Cruising down a two-lane country road, Peter and I both eyed a bird on a telephone wire. We slowed. We stopped. We turned around. We looked. Bingo.

Warren's and Lisa's cameras -- yes, cameras - were on the blink, but Peter took both these lovely shots. We're grateful he shared them with us for Birdcouple-blogging purposes.

Here's another of Peter's shots. You can clearly see where the long tail-streamers have broken off. Is this molt? A juvenile bird? Birdcouple must research and find out!

Then it was off to a nearby sod farm, where we ran into friends Ross Geredien and Dave Curson, and enjoyed shorebirds, like Pectoral Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and American Golden-Plover. Then, all too soon, it was time to say goodbye to Peter and friends, and head home ... for a sunset cruise in a schooner. But that's another post.

Been Hiking Again

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:58:00 +0000

The Traveling Lovenest*

Birdcouple has been off hiking the Appalachian Trail again - closing in on the 600-mile mark in our travels along the AT! Wahoo!!!

We'll be posting full details of the adventure soon on BC's AT blog.

And we'll be back to the birds soon. Fall migration is on!!

* Johns Hollow Shelter, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia.

Sure, Birds

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:41:00 +0000

Warren, who's on "stay-cation" this week, partly to chill and partly to get young Adam ready for college move-in tomorrow, took a day to himself Monday and went birding. The place was the Delmarva peninsula and the targets were shorebirds, which are in southward migration this time of year.

Where better to go than Bombay Hook NWR? It never disappoints, and it didn't this time. This Snowy Egret coming in for a landing was just one among a crowd of egrets, herons, dowitchers, sandpipers, avocets, stilts, terns and more. From a pure birding perspective, the top birds were a pair of Hudsonian Godwits, which had been reported at the visitor center, but couldn't be found by Warren and a half-dozen other birders until they untucked their heads from resting position and showed us their huge Godwit bills!

Warren even got to experiment with ebird Trail Tracker, which is sort fo like eBird to go, at the Visitor Center.

Here's that Snowy Egret from a different perspective:

The other stars of the day at Bombay Hook were American Avocets. They normally stay on the far side of the pools from the observation drive, but this time were helpfully close:

Bottoms up!

All told, Warren put 280 miles on his 2001 Mustang convertible, zig-zagging around the Delaware coast and then over to Dorchester County, Maryland, to add Bank Swallow to his list of Maryland birds and visit the lovely little town of Hurlock, Maryland, where Birdcouple has never been before.

That Mustang has more than 177,000 miles on her, but she is a beast and did not complain one bit.

And then it was home, Warren and his car, exhausted, to lovely Lisa...

Went birding, forgot camera

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:38:00 +0000

Maybe it's because we stayed up nearly until 2 am on Friday reminiscing with Adam, who is about to make the big step to becoming a college man, but we flew out of here on Saturday morning with half our usual bird gear - including no camera.

Our destination was Ocean City, Maryland, where we were to watch Adam's older brother, Mitch, play in the annual O.C. Lacrosse Tournament. Of course, we scheduled some birding around Mitch's matches. And Warren managed to snap a few pics with the camera on his new BlackBerry.

Lisa makes any optical device look great. Isn't she beautiful and stylish as she spys the birdlife on Skimmer Island?

The island, in the bay just west of OC, was crazy good with birds - Black Skimmers galore, Royal Terns, a pair of Marbled Godwits, oystercatchers, dowitchers, a Tri-Colored Heron and more. Here's a cellphone shot of the island:

Then it was off to see Mitch play some lax. His team had a rough tournament, but we got to see their one victory of the weekend, an exciting comeback performance. We said ciao to Mitch, who was spending the weekend at the shore with friends, and headed off to Assateague Island for a bit of pre-dark birding and a tres romatic sunset walk on the beach. Sigh.

Near the restrooms at the Over Sand Vehicle zone a pair of Barn Swallows huddled under the corner of a building. Their parents buzz-dived Warren as he took a shot from a respectful distance. Ah, weekends!

Mixed Feeding Flock #6

birdingcouple@yahoo.com (Warren and Lisa Strobel) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Birdcouple's occasional round-up of notable birding and nature news and events..

_ In case you haven't heard, September 5 this year is International Vulture Awareness Day. This isn't a joke. Vultures are beautiful (in a way), important to the ecosystem--and many species are facing threats to their survival.

_ A new species of bird was recently discovered in a remote part of Laos, in Southeast Asia. It's a bird without feathers on its face, and is named (appropriately, we think) the Bare-Faced Bulbul. First new species of bulbul discovered in 100 years. We're amazed that new species of birds are still discovered, or rediscovered, on our home planet on a fairly regular basis.

_ The American Bird Conservancy did a study in Peru to help preserve the Marvelous Saptuletail, arguably the world's most spectacular hummingbird. It found that 64 other bird species could benefit from protecting the hummer's habitat.

_ New data from the US Fish & Wildlife Service on birding demographics. There are A LOT of us: 48 million, or about 21 percent of the population. Of those, 42 million, or 88 percent, are self-described away-from-home birders.

The study says: "The average birder is 50 years old and more than likely has a better than average income and education. She is slightly more likely to be female and highly likely to be white. There is also a good chance that this birder lives in the south in an urban area. Does this paint an accurate picture of a birder? Like all generalizations the description of an "average" birder does not reflect the variety of people who bird, with millions falling outside this box."

_ Finally, Paul Baicich passed on this item about how six waterfowl decoys recently sold at auction for $1.8 million. You read that right, $1.8 million.

Birders, birding and bird decoys ... we've made it, bigtime. More soon...