The Eyrie

Book Review: Imperial Dreams

 

By Alexandria Simpson

Imperial Dreams—just the title of Tim Gallagher’s new book is enough to create an alluring picture in the imagination. Add the fact the bird, Imperial Woodpecker, is thought to be extinct and you find a recipe for not only an exciting dream, but also a true story full of adventure. 

Birders may remember Mr. Gallagher’s quest for the Imperial’s relative, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, in the Louisiana swamps, but this tale makes that adventure seem like an innocent day birding. Encounters with narcotraficantes (drug growers), AK-47s, and bombs, hikes of miles up and down steep canyons and mountains, and a scary incident with dehydration create drama in this exciting expedition. Make no mistake; this isn’t your average birding trip, or even a good twitch. Danger could be waiting at every bend in the road and behind every tree. So who would be crazy enough to attempt looking for a probably extinct bird in spite of the peril? Only a hardcore birder, aware of, but not bothered by risk.

At least at the start of the quest, Mr. Gallagher thought the bird was worthy of this kind of dedication and risk. A large black bird sporting a long, ivory-colored bill, white wings, and a tall, curved crest—red for males, black for females—certainly makes them majestic, just as their name suggests. 

Throughout the story, not only is the history of the work of scientists searching for Imperial Woodpeckers (or Imperials) woven in, but the history of the area is, as well. Various peoples of ancient Mexico attached legends to the bird:  for example, the Huichol believed the bird protected the sun during its first day and was permitted to wear a scarlet crest because of its bravery. Imperials, known as pitoreales to Spanish speakers, are specialists in old growth pine forests; this is where the problem started—this timber is what loggers desired. Between this habitat loss and hunting, Imperials became rare, with only a few unconfirmed sightings after the 1970s. 

Being a history buff, I enjoyed the historical background, but some readers may not. The author sometimes digresses with personal stories that are not directly related to the book’s topic, which could be irritating to some; I, however, liked them, as I am curious about people’s life experiences.

Before embarking upon his search, the author interviewed old ranchers and others who had seen the bird before it disappeared. His results were mixed: some people could not be located; others had poor memories, but several remembered well the big woodpecker. After gleaning what he could from humans, he, along with a few other researchers and guides, finally began hiking and climbing the Sierra Madres and between 2009 and 2010, he explored various locations in Mexico. 

At each potential site, one of the group would make tapping sounds to attract any woodpeckers that might be in the area. Although no one knew for sure if Imperials made this sound, other members of its family tap this way, so it was hoped Imperials did as well. Time and again, they continued without success. 

Unsuccessful attempts at locating the bird weren’t their only complication. During treks to find untouched Imperial habitat, patches of illegally planted opium poppies were common in cleared areas, and landowners quickly steered the group around them. After one expedition, the escort who accompanied them through the more dangerous areas was not there to meet them, and villagers hadn’t seen him in two days. The researchers were told just to continue on their journey and hope for the best, which, after much discussion, they decided to do. Though Mr. Gallagher often speaks of danger, it never seemed to really strike him that his life was actually at stake. Embarking on this last expedition of the quest, the author stashed his memory cards, notebook, and passport in his pockets, hoping if bandits did attack, at least the trip wouldn’t be in vain. He writes “…if the worst possible thing happened…my body would be identifiable from my passport, and my wife might receive my notes, recordings, and photographs…Maybe she could finish this book for me.” Fortunately, though they encountered many burned homes that had been standing two weeks before, they reached Durango, where they would fly out safely.

This last incident becomes the climax where Mr. Gallagher realizes that it was “time to pass the baton of searching for the imperial woodpecker to others,” and warns those who may want to follow in his footsteps “…you stand a far better chance of getting killed in the Sierra Madre now than of ever seeing a pitoreal.”

The ending invoked a mixed reaction. I was disappointed because after all the danger, preparation, and research there are no results to show for the effort; I guess I was looking for a “happily-ever-after” ending, with even a small population of Imperial Woodpeckers found alive and well in some remote part of the Sierra Madres. However, it was also inspiring because it meant that the potential to be the one to find these beautiful birds is still there. When (or if) the political situation becomes more stable, I would love to join the quest. 

All-around, Imperial Dreams is a great addition to the birder’s bookshelf. Though we aren’t certain that the Imperial Woodpecker still exists, perhaps one young birder who reads this book will be motivated to pick up where Tim Gallagher left off and rediscover this regal bird surviving away from human eyes.

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About the author: Alexandria Simpson is an avid, sixteen-year-old birder from Santa Anna, Texas. While she wishes she could say she has been birding all of her life, instead she has spent the last four years making up for lost time. She wants to become an ornithologist and someday read scientific papers without falling asleep. Her photography, illustrations, and writings have won awards at local, state, and national levels.

Letting Kids Know About Birding

by Lorenzo Rohani

It’s not very often that I see kids out birding, which is surprising. That’s not to say birding is easy, just that I know it is something lots of kids would like. I’ve done birding presentations at schools, mainly for younger kids such as 1^st or 2^nd graders. In that age group kids are very interested, not only about birds, but wildlife in general. For me, I’ve noticed younger kids are far more interested then older kids. They love sharing stories about an eagle that flew over their school playground or a duck that visited their backyard. They especially enjoy bird photography. It brings their imagination out and inspires them. The pictures motivate them to get started birding.

I have been a birder for many years. Starting at age four, I went to a local bird festival. From that time forward, I’ve been going on walks through the forest and often seeing birds that I never really expected to see. Thrilled and inspired, I would go home and look up the birds in my favorite field guide. Eventually, I wanted to keep these memories with photography so I could share what I found with others. I started in my backyard, a good place to observe birds up close and a spot where not much harm could happen to my camera. I eventually took photographs of birds everywhere I went. By age twelve, I had a large collection of photographs and, with my dad’s help, I published my very own book for kids, “A Kid’s Guide to Birding.”

I especially like working with kids around the ages of four through twelve, helping them learn the same stuff as I did. You’re never really too young or old to bird. I always suggest birding in your backyard first. Backyard birding requires a few things to make your yard a “bird friendly” habitat. It’s important that the yard has good sources of food, water, and natural cover. Native plants with berries are particularly good for attracting local birds. I like to ask kids to find out how many bird species come to their own yard. This will help them get started and become more aware of their own environment and what’s happening in it.

Giving a bird presentation isn’t very hard, but practice helps. At first, I was kind of quiet and really hurried things along. After about three presentations, I wasn’t so quiet. By then I knew the kids would connect to the topic. Younger kids have lots of questions and stories. I find they are very interested in hummingbirds, in particular. Hummingbirds are so unique they always amaze kids. Explaining things about a cool bird really gets them thinking. I also show video clips from trips I have done, such as one trip I did out in the ocean to the pelagic zone. At one point in the video there are birds flying away and as they take off, their feet slapping against the water as if they are trying to run on top of it. The videos always amaze, letting kids see what bird activity actually looks like, because sometimes they just don’t believe your words.

Rufous Hummingbird. Photo by Lorenzo Rohani.

Getting out into the wild is one of my favorite things. I sometimes get the chance to lead guided bird walks. It is not so easy because when people arrive it is hard for them to believe that I am the leader. They don’t expect to see a kid leading a walk. When I start, sometimes kids like running up and showing what they know. Keeping the group organized can be hard, but it does make me happy when participants share their information and show enthusiasm. It lets me know they are listening. But group walks are risky. Some days you see near to nothing. But sometimes you see that one rare bird you weren’t really expecting to see.

Teaching kids about birding is important because they are the future for birds. With all the habitat loss, pesticides, and illegal hunting, many bird populations are decreasing. It is good for kids to learn that birds are not just interesting, but an extremely important part of the ecosystem. The kids that develop a passion for birding can help protect birds in the future. Rachel Carson’s appreciation of birds helped lead her to discoveries about DDT. Those discoveries were ignored by some and opposed by others, but having support gave her the courage to continue. You never know what kid you encourage today may grow up to be the next Rachel Carson.

I think it helps when kids can learn from other kids. They feel like it is really possible to be a kid birder when they have an example. Being that example gives me motivation, too. Every kid has a chance to make a difference. But the first step is getting out and learning to appreciate nature, and birds are part of that. That’s why I put together a book for kids, so they can learn the steps of becoming a birder and discover the wildlife that is flying right into their yards and doing amazing things.

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About the author: Lorenzo and his dad, Michael Rohani, have traveled thousands of miles together birding and photographing birds. Their book, A Kid’s Guide to Birding, is full of tips for kids about how to get started in birding, where to find birds, and ways to identify them. It also shows projects you can do to bring birds into your own back yard.

Lorenzo loves birds and is always learning more fun facts about them. He’ll tell about the fun he’s had looking at birds and share his beautiful photographs. Grownups say his talk is as entertaining and informative for them as it is for kids.

To read Lorenzo’s blog and learn more about him, visit his website.

Young Birder Blog Birding #16

 Compiled by Eamon Corbett

The migrants are back! It’s been a late spring here in New York, but it’s finally arrived. April has banished winter for good, and the woods are beginning to fill with the sounds of returning songbirds. The signs have trickled in over the course of the month—the first mourning cloak butterfly; the first phoebe; first pine warbler; palm; then a six butterfly day; a six warbler day. Before long April will give way to the migratory madness of May, but this month we celebrate the long-awaited return of spring.

On Flight of the Scrub Jay, Alex Burdo gives an overview of the returning migrants in his part of Connecticut this April, including a lovely streamside singer, the Louisiana Waterthrush.

Making my way through the forest, I was surprised to hear a loud boat of song, seemingly from right behind me. Being the huge warbler fan that I am, I knew who the source of the singing was almost instantly, and it didn’t take me long to find it, perched around ten feet off the ground in a tall shrub.

Speaking of Waterthrushes, on Two Birders and Binoculars, John Mark Simmons gives us tips on how to separate the Louisiana Waterthrush from its somewhat more streaky and yellower cousin.

Spring has finally arrived once again! For some birders, this is the most enjoyable part of the year. All the birds are singing with full volume and they are in their best plumage… With the massive invasion of Warblers, the Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes come along and can cause some confusion in the field.

On John’s Birding Blog, John Shamgochian regales us with the tale of an adult King Eider in the Cape Cod Canal:

Feathers dazzled the eyes of the pale-necks: blue, green, orange, white, black; he was a grandiose sight indeed and he knew it. His majestic sails curled with pride. He was a gentle bird but not a humble one. He took full responsibility for the glimmer of his feathers. he gloated and all the common folks looked at him and said "he is so beautiful that I am sure he has a long Latin name". He was King of the canal.

While American birders can certainly boast about our more colorful warblers, Bill of Bill’s Birding proves to us that the old world can hold its own in terms of colorful migrants with his photos of an absolutely gorgous Bluethroat. That’s certainly a species I wouldn’t mind having show up in New York this year!

With 20 mph winds blowing about, and my hands physically shaking, it was quite hard to get a sharp image. To get anywhere near enough stability, it was a matter of lying flat out with the lens resting on the grass, practically looking up at one of the most stunning birds I've ever seen. Totally worth the slog to get there, and without a doubt one of my most memorable encounters yet...

Trying for Trogons: Memories from Camp Chiricahua 2012

By Eamon Corbett

Southeast Arizona is home to a dazzling array of beautiful and rare birds, but one species is foremost in the minds of birders travelling to the region than any other: the Elegant Trogon. On Camp Chiricahua last summer, the bird was never far from our thoughts, given that it graced the cover of all of our checklists. The northernmost representative of a family of tropical rainforest denizens, the trogon is a large, stunning red-and-green bird that nests in the cavities in Arizona Sycamores along rivers. This habitat is most easily accessed in Cave Creek Canyon, above the town of Portal, Arizona, in the Chiricahuas, so all of us campers were eagerly anticipating the hike up the road into the canyon.

Moonset at Cave Creek Ranch (Photo by Jennie Duberstein)

The rest of the campers and I, accompanied by trip leaders Michael O’Brian, Louise Zemaitis, and Jennie Duberstein, set off on a Saturday morning, following the road above the Cave Creek Ranch. The sheer rock walls of the canyon loomed on either side of us. Along the way we searched, without luck, for the elusive Montezuma Quail (we’d get it eventually: see James’s earlier post). There were no quail to be found, but we were entertained by Mexican Jays, the fantastic songs of Canyon Wrens on the slopes above us, and the “squeaky toy” calls of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. For the butterfly-watchers in the group there were beauties like the Bordered Patch, Two-tailed Swallowtail, and Golden-banded Skipper.

Cathedral Vista (Photo by Jennie Duberstein)

But as we approached the sycamore-lined river, it was clear what the primary quarry of the day was, and all eyes and ears were focused on finding a trogon. Suddenly, Michael stopped: “Did you heard that?!”

In the distance was the unmistakable call of an Elegant Trogon! We scanned the trees in the direction that the call seemed to be coming from, and suddenly someone spotted it: a brilliant adult male trogon perched in a sycamore. Camera shutters clicked madly, and broad smiles appeared on the faces of everyone. As trogons often do, it sat relatively still with its unique hunch-backed posture, giving everyone excellent looks. At the urging of our leaders, we took detailed field notes. In addition to the shiny green back and head and vivid red underparts, I noted the orange-red orbital ring setting of a dark eye, the broad yellow bill, and the long, coppery dark-tipped tail. It sat preening as everyone watched, still somewhat awed, flew a short distance, and then crossed the road, giving a sputtering call, and disappeared deeper into the forest.

Trogon watching! (Photo by Jennie Duberstein)

With such a remarkable target bird seen better than we could have expected, spirits were very high as we took a short loop walk to get a great vista of the canyon (Black-throated Gray Warbler was a nice bonus). But the trogon show wasn’t over. As we approached the “trogon-spot” on the way back, we found the adult male again. But this time, he was accompanied by two juvenile trogons! The young birds were not as brightly-colored as the adult, but were still striking: browner with white flashes on the outside of their tails, white-spotted wings, and a white bar through each eye. All three trogons were extremely active, eating grapes from vines in the trees. While this doesn’t seem like a particularly challenging proposition, they were apparently too heavy to feed from the vines at their leisure, and instead resorted to making quick sallies and plucking grapes while hovering in a flash of red, green, and white.

After watching them foraging for a while, we parted ways with the trogons and started back down the canyon towards Portal, ecstatic at our close encounter with a bird so stunning and so emblematic of our camp’s namesakes, the incomparable Chiricahua Mountains.

Taking a short rest after all of the trogon excitement. (Photo by Jennie Duberstein)

Hoping for your own trogon experience this summer? Learn about attending Camp Chiricahua 2013 here.

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About the author: Eamon Corbett is a 17-year-old birder and bird blogger from Pelham, New York, and one of the Student Blog Editors of The Eyrie. He has been birding for almost as long as he could talk, thanks in part to regular family vacations to Florida, where Osprey and Turkey Vultures first caught his eye. Read more of Eamon’s writing on his blog, Flight Log.

Birding El Triunfo: Quetzals and the cloud Stories and Adventures from a Mexican Young Birder

By Alberto Lobato (translated by Jennie Duberstein)

(Read Part 1 of Alberto’s story here).

After seeing the Horned Guans, we returned to camp. It was hot and humid, but it is always like that in the cloud forest. Meanwhile, various Black-throated Jays were making noise and flying about high in the trees. There was some Common Bush Tanager activity, and moving around with them we also found a small Rufous-browned Wren.

We conducted monitoring work in the mornings, returning to camp by 1pm, so I had the afternoons free to bird. And of course I took advantage of this opportunity! I started to walk along a small trail, looking for activity and paying attention to what was moving around on the ground and in the branche of the trees. I spotted a Slate-throated Redstart jumping around, along with Green-throated Mountain-gem.

A Collared Trogon perched close to the road, and for a second I thought it might be a quetzal. Although it wasn’t, the trogon is still a beautiful bird to see. But suddenly I heard something big moving in the crowns of the trees, just behind me. It was a Highland Guan walking between the branches, moving rapidly and passing closeby before disappearing into the forest. Everything was silent for a moment, but then I heard something walking through the leaf litter on the forest floor. I remembered that there are jaguars here, as well as pumas, tapirs, and other large mammals that move freely through the forest, and my heart began to beat quickly. I definitely did not want to enounter a puma at close range! I stood still, waiting, and then it appeared: a collared peccary. It looked at me and continued on its path through the forest.

As I walked back to camp, the sun was setting and I spotted some Chestnut-capped Brush-Finches that were making noise and moving along the ground. But the most exciting thing that I spotted was a pair of Blue-naped Chlorophonia that were eating fruit, along with a Rufous-collared Thrush. A Barred Forest Falcon was calling from inside the forest, and the the trees and the mountains were beginning to turn a reddish color as the sun set. The first stars came out and I heard Fulvous Owls begin to call.

Blue-naped Chlorophonia

Everyone staying in the camp (the researchers and the park guards) met for dinner. We told stories of pumas and jaguars that live in the forest, and also about the tapir that sometimes comes into the camp at night. When the stories ended and it had turned cold, we all headed to bed so we'd be ready for hte next day of bird monitoring.

The next day sunrise arrived, with humidity at almost 100% and somewhat cool, cloudy weather. We began to walk, again looking for quetzals and guans. We heard a quetzal but weren’t able to see it. The large oak trees, the tallest tree in the forest here, form the forest canopy. Below the oaks many other plants grow: palms, large ferns, epiphytes. And in all of this vegetation move tapirs, jaguars, and peccaries, as well as birds, like a Blue-throated Motmot that we heard. And suddenly, we heard the quetzal again, but this time, this time the bird was coming directly towards us and it perched three meters away. It was a male Resplendent Quetzal, brilliant green and red, a marvel of feathers. As it again took flight, it’s magnificent long, green tail feathers moving around it’s body.

Setting out for a day of monitoring.

We took measurements of the distance from which we saw the quetzal, and not much more because we didn’t know what the bird had been doing when we spotted it—we saw it, it saw us, and it flew away. As we continued walking we spotted Gray-breasted Wood-Wrens and we heard a Ruddy Foliage-gleaner. We spotted a small Wine-throated Hummingbird flying around three red flowers, and also found a Hooded Grosbeak, similar to the Evening Grosbeak that lives farther to the north.

We arrived to a spot where we found some Horned Guan "bañaderos"; these are clearings where Horned Guans come to “bathe” with dirt and display courtship behavior. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any guans here.

Farther along the trail, we heard the quetzals again and they flew from an avocado tree to an enormouse oak before continuing off deeper into the forest and out of sight. This is one of the best-conserved cloud forests in Mexico, where the atmosphere is always humid and the giant ferns grow together with tiny mosses. 

When we were walking back to the camp, five Emerald Toucanets flew over our heads, we heard a Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush singing from the side of tht rail, a Yellowish Flycatcher caught some insects in flight, we passed a Spotted Nightingale-Thrush jumping around the trail…and we finally heard a guan, the same deep sound that we’d heard the previous day. It was a little difficult to hear over the sound of the running water, but there it was. Although we looked for it, we weren’t able to find it. It is incredible to me to think that a bird the size of a Wild Turkey can hide itself so well. 

By the time we returned to camp the temperatures were quite hot, but during the afternoon it began to cloud up and by nightfall the clouds were quite thick. Then the wind began to blow and the skies unleased a torment of rain. This continued for the next day and we found ourselves stuck at the camp, trying to find ways to amuse ourselves and pass the time and wondering how we were going to leave the following day.

El Triunfo cloud forest.

The following day at sunrise, we said goodbye to an “El Triunfo” camp still shrouded in clouds and began our descent. The lower we got, the more the clouds dispersed. We spotted a Paltry Tyrannulet and a flock of Barred Parakeets that flew over. It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to the El Triunfo Cloud Forest in Chiapas, where the quezals still live, where jaguars walk beneath the old trees, and where the mysterious Horned Guans live, a place that will be forever in my memories.

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About the author: Alberto Lobato is a 16-year-old birder who was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. He has been birding since he was 5 years old and is an active member of the Xalapa Birding Club (Club de Observadores de Aves de Xalapa, or COAX). He has traveled with COAX to various parts of Mexico. In addition to birding, he is a musician, with an interest in traditional music. Alberto’s favorite bird is the Bearded Wood-Partridge.

 

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El Triunfo: Home of the Horned Guan

Student Blog Editors sought for The Eyrie

Young Birder Blog Birding #15

Student Blog Editors sought for The Eyrie

Are you interested in the challenge of bringing together the skills and talents of young birders across the world and working to create a truly unique and outstanding young birder blog? If so, now is your chance! We're looking to add a few exceptional young birders to our volunteer Student Blog Editor Team.

What being a student editor entails is pretty straightforward:

• You write a minimum of one post per month for the blog.
• You try to recruit one post per month from other young birders, give these posts a first round of edits, and pass them on to the Blog Manager for final editing and publication.
• You take a turn compiling the monthly "Young Birder Blog Birding" post.
• You help promote the blog to other young birders and those with an interest--on Facebook, your own blog, by word of mouth, etc.
• You help guide the future direction of the blog, including content, design, etc.

Being a student blog editor for The Eyrie gives you the unique opportunity to gain experience, improve your writing and editing skills, work with experts in the fields or ornithology, birding, and conservation, and help shape the future of the youth birding world. As blog editor, you will seek out contributors, ensure the timely submission of blog posts, artwork, and photographs to yourself and the Blog Manager, follow American Birding Association guidelines for editing of submissions, stay in close contact with the Blog Manager, and keep abreast of the goings on in the world of youth birding. You will also regularly contribute your own posts, photos, and/or artwork to The Eyrie.

Qualifications: Editors must...

• be pre-college, age 18 or under.
• have a good connection with other young birders.
• be willing to make a one-year commitment to the blog.

To apply, send a letter of interest with information about your experience and qualifications, a writing sample, and two letters of recommendation to: Jennie Duberstein, ABA Young Birder Liaison/The Eyrie Blog Manager, at jduberstein at aba dot org or PO Box 40253, Tucson AZ 85717. Emailed applications are strongly are preferred.

Your letter of interest and letters of support should include information about your skills and experience as a birder, writer, artist, photographer, trip leader, etc., your involvement with and connections to the world of young birders, and anything else that explains what you would bring to the editorial team of The Eyrie.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MAY 24, 2013. Direct all questions to jduberstein at aba dot org.

Young Birder Blog Birding #15

Compiled by John Shamgochian

March is a cooly pleasant month. The first birdsongs begin their melodious reverberations and the first tastefully hued flowers begin to emerge. March kicks-off the replay of a significant trio of months for the birding community, who seem (as usual) to long for the aches of warbler neck and the early-morning squawking of the alarm-clock. This March has left the blog-reading community with a number of (to my mind) exceptional posts by some of the ABA's finest. 

From the frigid heartlands of Alberta comes a decidedly helpful post, which will appeal to any scope-owning birder, written by The Prairie Birder. 

One of the things I am hoping to learn with my new scope is digiscoping. Digiscoping is using your scope with a camera (point and shoot or dslr), even an iPhone, to take close-ups. It’s a good alternative to an expensive telephoto lens (especially once you have spent all your money on a scope!), and some people can take amazing digiscoped photos.

Perhaps nothing signifies March more fully then the appearance of the herps. In sleek, writhing masses they slip from their comfortable hidey-holes and crawl once more into the wild world. Brendan Murtha was there to catch this amphibious spectacle and later document it on his blog, Catching the Thermals.

Spring is definitely here. The woodcocks are out in full force (and seem to be getting bolder than usual), and with the heavy rains yesterday, the long awaited arrival of the amphibians too. Seeing how the conditions were perfect yesterday, dusk found my Herper friend, my dad, my brother, and I ventured out to a very local vernal pool to see what was stirred up.

Of all the blogging young birders perhaps my favorite is Neil Gilbert. In his most recent post on his blog Not Just Birds, he talks Cisticolas. Read it!                                                                                        

Reputation. I’ve never met Barack Obama, but I’ve heard he’s a solid guy. In the same vein, certain species have reputations that waft to their seekers long before the birds ever reveal themselves. Conversely, there are banalities like Meadow Pipits. Brown and streaky, they are obviously pipits, and they do indeed inhabit meadows. Nary a thought had I donated to this species before I saw my first one in January; now, they only come to mind as the epitome of blandness.

We all know about the ABA Young Birder of the Year Contest, but this is not the only event that thrilled young birders this month. Although not directly related to birds this happening, the North America Nature Photography Association's Summit had much relevance to young birder Andy Johnson. On his blog Birding Et Cetera he has written up an excellent summary of the meeting.                              

Conferences have the potential to change your life - if it goes well, you come home inspired and you've met great people -- maybe even someone who you're excited to keep in touch with for the rest of your life.  It can be totally thrilling.  I knew that when I heard that I'd been selected to attend the North American Nature Photography Association's (NANPA) Summit in Jacksonville, as part of their College Scholarship Program - but those few days vastly exceeded my expectations.

It has been a long time since the voices of the Such brothers, from Such-n-Such Bird Blog, have been heard a calling, but with their most recent post this has changed. I saw my first Sandhill Crane this February (a rarity in Rhode Island) and it was thrilling, but 15, 000+ exceeds my wildest imaginings.

This past weekend, Boulder County Audubon Teen Naturalists travelled 3 1/2 hours northeast to the Nebraskan panhandle. Our group mentor, naturalist Steve Jones—author of The Last Prairie: A Sandhill Journal and co-author of the Peterson Field Guides: The North American Prairie—guided us around a place he's studied for the past twenty-five years. Also on our trip was the photographer and filmmaker, John Weller—Check out his work on the Ross's Sea at johnbweller.com; it's amazing and relevant!

Learning and Birding at Conserve School

By Sarah Toner

When I first arrived at Conserve School in northern Wisconsin, I knew that seeing a Black-capped Chickadee, one of my favorite birds, was a good omen. I was right—Conserve turned out to be wonderful—but now I had a serious dilemma. How was I to describe my amazing experiences at Conserve School in a post for The Eyrie: the delicious food (waffles today!), the outdoor classes (cross-country skiing like the 10th Mountain Division in history class), or the beauty of the campus (the gorgeous forests, the stunning architecture, or the spectacular sunset over my dorm last night)? I decided to mull it over on a nice, long ski. I also had an errand to run: my homework for science was to scour the 1200 acre campus for a small area in which to record phenological observations. Obviously, I had to look for a good birding site!

While pausing to check in on the resident porcupine that lives in a culvert under the trail, I noticed a deer trail heading back into the woods. Curious, I changed into snowshoes and followed it into a transition zone between an open deciduous forest and a dense, coniferous thicket. The edge habitat ran right through the area, providing me with access. I marked the site on my GPS, paced out a square, and made note of how to get back into the forest, while a friendly Hairy Woodpecker greeted me.

My thoughts turned to some of my adventures during the past month. My history class had been studying the Trans-Antarctic Shackleton Expedition, whose members had gotten stuck in twelve-foot thick ice and tried to cut their way out. Our class tried a reenactment by cutting holes in twelve-inch thick ice on a frozen lake. It was cold, windy, and tiring work, but in an hour we managed to cut a channel just one foot wide by four feet long. After the expedition failed to cut their way out, their ship sank, and they had to pull boats across the pack ice to safety. Pulling our class’ boats twenty feet was grueling enough, let alone pulling larger boats eight miles in a day!

But studying Antarctica in history is only the tip of the iceberg. My art class built snow sculptures of famous environmentalists, such as Henry David Thoreau and John Muir; in science class we are learning how to categorize trees and manage a healthy forest ecosystem; and Field Instruction teaches us everything from yoga to rock climbing to snowshoeing. My highlight of the week, however, is on Wednesdays, when we listen to a special guest talk about current environmental events such as fire ecology or mining, and then we perform community service projects. I am in the Birding group, which coordinates Project Feederwatch, hangs feeders, and plans birding events.

On the first day, as our Birding group headed outside to hang feeders in front of our dormitories, I flushed an odd-looking bird. Later, Drew, another young birder, pointed it out when it returned.

“What do you think that is, Sarah? Probably a Pine Siskin.”

He turned away, but I continued staring at the bird’s rump, wondering why it was missing streaks. Then the bird turned toward me.

“Drew! That’s...I swear that’s a Chipping Sparrow!”

This Chipping Sparrow was about a month too early, one of very few February records in northern Wisconsin. I raced inside, grabbed my camera, lifted the viewfinder to my eye...and watched the bird fly out of sight. Drew and I scoured the area, trying unsuccessfully to refind it and get a picture. We discussed how to separate Chipping Sparrow from American Tree Sparrow: I had clearly seen the dark eyestripe (my favorite field mark for separating the two), the lack of rusty shoulders, and the slightly rusty cap. Without a picture, however, our word could always be doubted.

A few hours later, after school, I glanced at the feeders. I was stunned to see the Chipping Sparrow sitting nonchalantly on the new feeder, eating seed. I raced back inside, grabbed my camera, and slowly approached it, snapping pictures all the way. While none of them were very good, they clearly showed a Chipping Sparrow. Strangely enough, one person looked at the photographs online and called it an American Tree Sparrow based solely on the ruddy cap, but the record was accepted into eBird and I am still thrilled about finding it. It makes the Red Crossbills seen during math class seem a bit anticlimactic!

Having scouted out my phenological observation site, I decided to ski on and do some birding. The bird life around Conserve right now is slow, but Drew and I are looking forward to spring, when the warblers return and the birding picks up. We currently have a competition to see the first warbler. In the meantime, crossbills and redpolls are the highlights of the feeders, Bald Eagles fly over every day, and Brown Creepers and kinglets skulk in the Balsam Fir. Gray Jays and Boreal Chickadees have been seen here in the past, and Northern Saw-whet Owls and Long-eared Owls possibly breed as well. There are even fresh Black-backed Woodpecker signs at Inkpot Lake, a remote and birdy lake on campus, so I headed there to check things out.

I scanned the far shore for signs of Black-backed Woodpeckers, crossbills, or ravens. I paused, noticing a brown dot with two white specks in the grandest tree on the lake. I lifted my binoculars and gazed through them at a Bald Eagle. Bald Eagles are common in the area—most classes have had a flyover by now—but this one was sitting still, staring right at me. He turned his head to his right; then to his left; then straight at me again. Interested, I mirrored him, scanning the lake to the right, then left, then looking back at him. I felt the connection between us: two observers, separated by a frozen lake, watching each other.

I stood still, staring at the eagle for about fifteen minutes until I heard a sliding sound behind me. Another student, Emily, was coming down the hill. I pointed out the eagle and we gazed at it, watching the stately bird for several more minutes. It continued to look deliberately right, then left, then center.

The lovely, quiet lake and the solemnity of the eagle’s precise scanning—these images are what Conserve School is about. It’s about learning to see the beauty in nature and remembering it—by reenacting history, by sculpting likenesses in the snow, and by recording our own observations, such as field marks on vagrant Chipping Sparrows and the details of watchful eagles. At Conserve, we deepen our love of the natural world by looking at nature through different lenses, just as Emily and I watched the eagle watching us.

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About the author: Sarah Toner, 15, has been birding since she was 8. She lives in southeast Michigan but wants to move to beautiful Whitefish Point, Michigan. She doesn't have one favorite bird, but likes drab, brown northern birds such as Clay-colored Sparrow, Boreal Chickadee, and Rough-legged Hawk. She was a member of the 2011 ABA Tropicbirds team in Texas and attended the 2011 Camp Colorado. Sarah also received first place in the 10-13 year-old writing division and third place in the illustration division of the 2010 ABA Young Birder of the Year contest.

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Young Birder Blog Birding #14

Announcing the 2013 Young Birders of the Year!

Planning for Summer

Announcing the 2013 Young Birders of the Year!

By Jennie Duberstein

The American Birdiing Association is happy to announce the winners of the 2013 Young Birder of the Year Contest. Sixteen-year-old Ioana Seritan, from Davis, California, and 13-year-old Eric Hughes, from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, took top honors and will receive the grand prize of a Leica Trinovid bionocular courtesy of Leica Sport Optics, ABA Young Birder Programs Legacy Sponsor.

Ioana Seritan, 2013 ABA Young Birder of the Year

Eric Hughes, 2013 ABA Young Birder of the Year

Top Places, age 14-18

1. Ioana Seritan, 16, Davis, California (2013 Young Birder of the Year)
2. Alec Wyatt, 14, Colorado Springs, Colorado
3. Nathan Martineau, 15, Lansing, Michigan

Top Places, age 10-13

1. Eric Hughes, 13, Pottstown, Pennsylvania (2013 Young Birder of the Year)
2. Chloe Walker, 11, Murfeesboro, Tennessee
3. Silas Hernandez, 11, Great Meadows, New Jersey

You can view the individual module winners by scrolling down or clicking here.

Illustration by Aspen Ellis, 15, 1st Place Winner, Illustration Module.

There are five modules in the YBY contest. Two are major (Field Notebook, Conservation/Community Action) and the other three are supporting (Illustration, Writing, and Photography). In order to be eligible for the overall Young Birder of the Year title, contestants must complete both major modules or complete one major and two supporting modules. In addition to the Grand Prize Winners, there are also individual module winners for each age group.

• Field Notebook:  Entails taking field notes and making field sketches of birds as or immediately after you observe them in the field. Keeping such records is universally recognized as one of the very best means of sharpening your birding skills.
• Conservation/Community Action:  Here’s your chance to make a difference and change something you care about for the better. Pick a project involving conservation, education, or inspiring the enjoyment and/or protection of wild birds in others. Get it approved, carry it out, and document what you’ve done through writing, pictures, and/or video.
• Illustration:  Involves detailed drawing or painting birds that you see and that interest you most.
• Writing:  Write about birds, birders, birding, and your experiences with any or all of them, whether it be poetry, short story, essay, or other prose.
• Photography:  Photograph birds digitally to highlight their beauty, behavior, identification, or emotional impact.

Illustration by 15-year-old Rosemary Kramer, 2nd Place Winner, Illustration Module.

This year I had the honor of being one of the judges for the conservation/community action module, new for 2013. This is a module that is near and dear to my heart, and I was so incredibly impressed and inspired with what all of the contestants accomplished, from creating a blog and videos for beginning birders, like Grand Prize Winner (14-18) Ioana Seritan did, to Grand Prize Winner (10-13) Eric Hughes' project working with a local nature reserve to engage his community in restoring native habitat for birds and other wildlife. Some of the projects read more like undergraduate honors theses than the work of high school students. Other contestants did a better job of teaching and engaging the public in conservation than some professionals I know. If the accomplishments of the contestants in this module ares any sign of the future of conservation, we are in very, very good hands.

Photograph by Eric Hughes, 2013 ABA Young Birder of the Year, 10-13.

We'll be highlighting some of the other impressive projects, along with more samples of the spectacular writing, artwork, and photography of the contestants, here on The Eyrie in the coming weeks. We'll also be posting interviews with Ioana and Eric, so stay tuned!

In the meanwhile, congratulations to all of the contestants!

Photograph by Kristina Polk, 16, 1st Place Winner, Photography Module.

2013 ABA YOUNG BIRDER OF THE YEAR CONTEST - MODULE WINNERS
ILLUSTRATION 10-13	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
SILAS HERNANDEZ	1ST	11	GREAT MEADOWS, NEW JERSEY
HAYDEN BILDY	2ND	10	LONDON, ONTARIO
BEN SHAMGOCHIAN	3RD	10	EAST PROVIDENCE, RI
ILLUSTRATION 14-18	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
ASPEN ELLIS	1ST	15	ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
ROSEMARY KRAMER	2ND	15	THE ROCK, GEORGIA
KRISTINA POLK/RAE HOLCOMB	3RD	16/14	N. RIDGEVILLE, OH/IRVINE, CA
WRITING 10-13	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
ERIC HUGHES	1ST	13	POTTSTOWN, PA
CHLOE WALKER	2ND	11	MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE
KATIE BOORD	3RD	13	OLIVE BRANCH, MISSISSIPPI
WRITING 14-18	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
SARAH TONER	1ST	14	ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
ALEXANDRIA SIMPSON	2ND	15	SANTA ANNA, TEXAS
REBECCA ROLNICK	3RD	14	FAYETTEVILLE, NEW YORK
PHOTOGRAPHY 10-13	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
ERIC HUGHES/JOHN SHAMGOCHIAN	1ST	13/12	POTTSTOWN, PA/E. PROVIDENCE, RI
BEN SHAMGOCHIAN/DANIEL OWENS	2ND	10/10	E. PROVIDENCE, RI/QUEENSTOWN, MD
NICHOLAS PIGEON	3RD	12	VENICE, FLORIDA
PHOTOGRAPHY 14-18	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
KRISTINA POLK/COURTNEY MOORE	1ST	16/14	N. RIDGEVILLE, OH/VESTAL, NY
THOMAS MEINZEN	2ND	15	EUGENE, OREGON
NATHAN MARTINEAU	3RD	15	LANSING, MICHIGAN
FIELD NOTEBOOK 10-13	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
ZACHARY MARCHUK	1ST	11	NEEBING, ONTARIO
E WALKER	2ND	11	MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE
SILAS HERNANDEZ	3RD	11	GREAT MEADOWS, NEW JERSEY
FIELD NOTEBOOK 14-18	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
ASPEN ELLIS	1ST	15	ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
IOANA SERITAN	2ND	16	DAVIS, CALIFORNIA
THOMAS MEINZEN	3RD	15	EUGENE, OREGON
CONSERVATION/COMMUNITY 10-13	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
ERIC HUGHES	1ST	13	POTTSTOWN, PA
CARLOS BARBERY	2ND	11	GUINEA, QUEBEC
NO ENTRY	3RD
CONSERVATION/COMMUNITY 14-18	PLACE	AGE	HOMETOWN
NATHAN MARTINEAU	1ST	15	LANSING, MICHIGAN
ALEC WYATT/IOANA SERITAN	2ND	14/16	COLORADO SPRINGS, CO/DAVIS, CA
ALEXANDRIA SIMPSON	3RD	15	SANTA ANNA, TEXAS

 

Book Review: Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird, by Tim Birkhead

By Alexandria Simpson

What is it like to be a bird? It’s a question that’s been asked for centuries, and it’s still somewhat of a mystery. The answer may very well seem to be, “You have to be a bird.” We can only really imagine what it’s like to stoop at incredible speeds like a Peregrine Falcon, dive down into dark, icy water like a penguin, or feel the urge to migrate south. But even if we can’t feel the way a bird does, we can still learn how their senses work, especially with new technology and knowledge. The new book, Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird, by British ornithologist, Tim Birkhead, will help on this quest.

Everybody knows that humans possess five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Birds also possess all these senses, along with magnetic sense, but like us, they seem to rely mostly on sight and hearing. Since they use their eyes and ears so much, as Mr. Birkhead points out, we tend to think that they don’t smell, touch, or taste, though they do. He goes onto say that we often comprehend things by our own standards and limitations, in order to understand. This makes truly understanding how they live difficult, but, with the aid of technology, we can comprehend easier.

Sight, the first sense explored in this book, is one of a bird’s best senses. If you compare bird eyes to mammal eye, you will find that birds do have larger eyes relative to the size of their skull. The reason for this is fairly obvious: they have to avoid hitting objects while in flight, are mostly active during daylight hours, and their prey is usually fast, or camouflaged, or both. Size is important, too: the larger the eye, the larger the retina, the better you can see. The author compares it to television screens; an image is much better on a 36-inch screen than on a 12-inch because there are more pixels available to make up the image.

Next the author addresses hearing, a bird’s second most important sense. Unlike humans, birds don’t have a pinna, or external ear; the function of the pinna is to help collect sound, but having one wouldn’t be aerodynamic in flight. Birds seem to have made up for this lack because they still have excellent hearing. Another difference is that birds replace their cochlea (a space filled with fluid that has a membrane where fine hairs grow) often, while humans don’t; once we damage these hairs, they are permanently damaged. Ever wonder if any nocturnal birds use echolocation like bats? A few species actually do! Scientists were able to prove this by stopping up the birds’ ears. The birds would send out clicking sounds, but since they weren’t able to hear the clicks bounce back, they would fly into walls.

As far as touch is concerned, birds’ beaks are much like our fingers: very sensitive to touch because they have many nerve endings. This is especially true for dabbling ducks, parrots, and other birds that rely on their bills to find food. If you open a duck’s beak, you will notice that tiny pores surround the edge and if you could look at them under a magnifying glass, you could see a papilla (a group of about twenty to thirty microscopic nerve endings) extends from each pore. These are the reason that ducks are so effective at straining out food items from pond muck and mud.

Who says birds can’t taste? Birds do have comparatively few taste buds, around 400 to 500 with Japanese Quail have the fewest of species studied—only 60!—when judged against humans who have 10,000. Despite this, they can still distinguish the same tastes that we can: salt, sour, bitter, and sweet. Hummingbirds can taste the amount of sugar in nectar and fruit-eating birds certainly distinguish between ripe and unripe fruit. But probably the best-known example is of Blue Jays refusing to eat Monarch butterflies because they taste bitter.

And what about smell? According to Mr. Birkhead, many ornithologists do not like hearing that birds can smell. “Ask any of them and they’ll turn up their noses and say no, there’s not much going on in the olfactory department of a bird’s brain,” he notes. The Father of American Ornithology, Mr. John James Audubon himself, was the one to start this myth. Experiments in subsequent years were conducted, but they seemed to prove that birds couldn’t smell. Even when scientists did other tests that proved the contrary, these results were ignored. It wasn’t until 1950 Betsy Bang, a medical illustrator at Johns Hopkins University, proved that birds most certainly did have a sense of smell. As she dissected and drew birds’ respiratory systems, she couldn’t understand how animals with good-sized nasal cavities couldn’t smell. She performed experiments to help prove this fact. Since then, there have been other studies that prove this fact. In spite of this evidence, some scientists still have a difficult time accepting the idea that birds do have a sense of smell.

How do birds find their way to and fro from their winter grounds to their breeding grounds? For centuries, people have wondered this. Releasing seabirds like shearwaters many miles from their nests and documenting their return straight home seemed to prove they had some kind of navigating instinct. After many, many years of research, it was discovered birds did indeed have an internal magnetic compass. Not only that, birds have a “magnetic map” which works somewhat like a GPS system, the author says. Instead of satellites, though, birds rely on the earth’s magnetic field. Even birds that don’t migrate, like chickens, have this magnetic sense.

The author also discusses avian emotions. Afraid that they would be attaching human qualities and sentiments to birds, most scientists, and many birders, don’t like to think of birds as having emotions. As Mr. Birkhead writes, there is a “difficulty of trying to imagine how the mere firing of neurons can create a sense of awareness or feelings of discomfort or euphoria.” Just as we don’t always understand how a person is feeling, we can’t understand what feelings a bird possesses.

One of the features I liked best about this book was the fact the author does not just tell you what we now know about bird senses; he describes how we came to that knowledge, over the years, a few times going all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Despite the fact it deals with some fairly technical information, it is easy to read and understand. I enjoy learning about all aspects of birds and birding, but I must admit: I’m drawn to scientific research. I think birders who, like me, enjoy reading about scientific studies and discoveries, will find this book a must-read. Perhaps we don’t possess magnetic sense like birds do, but we are attracted to them like metal to magnet.

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About the author: Alexandria Simpson is an avid, sixteen-year-old birder from Santa Anna, Texas. While she wishes she could say she has been birding all of her life, instead she has spent the last four years making up for lost time. She wants to become an ornithologist and someday read scientific papers without falling asleep. Her photography, illustrations, and writings have won awards at local, state, and national levels.