Working to Understand Avian Communities

By | Partners, Science | No Comments

My journey toward a love for birds began in Central America during my Peace Corps years in Guatemala. Working as a volunteer, I was tasked with cataloging all bird species in a newly designated wildlife refuge and sprawling freshwater lowland jungle called Bocas Del Polochic. Working with local rangers hired to protect the refuge, we roamed the area via dugout canoe documenting the vast assemblage of different bird species.

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Persistently Pursuing Ptarmigans and other Bird Camp Stories

By | Education | No Comments

As I look back on my seasons as a Camp Director and counselor before that, the moments I think of most often are the moments in between the big things. They’re the glue that holds it all together and cements the impact had by camp on my life. This summer at Bird Camp is no different. I’ve included a few of our favorite stories of awe, wonder, and dirt that wove together the whole of what we did this season.

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How Can You Help Pollinators?

By | Bird-friendly Living, Stewardship | No Comments

If you had to name one pollinator other than a honeybee, what would be your first guess? More bees? Well, you wouldn’t be wrong, nearly every species of bee pollinates flowers and food crops. But what about beetles? Certain birds? The winged night terrors we call bats? While there are no denying honeybees are crucial to our environment and provide us with an excellent service, the fact is, they are not native to North America.

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The Journey of a Red Crossbill

By | Education, Science | No Comments

The Red Crossbill, Loxia curvistra, is a peculiar finch found among the spruces, firs, pines, and hemlocks of coniferous woodlands. The Red Crossbill is one of three of the 17 finch species in North America that have an unusual, but spectacular beak. Per their name, the crossbill has a crossed bill. You may be thinking, what does having a crossed bill have to do with the journey of a crossbill? Everything.

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Reflections from the 2023 IMBCR Field Season

By | IMBCR, Science | No Comments

As the summer slowly progresses towards fall many birds are finished nesting and feeding fledglings and are preparing for the next step in their annual cycle. Some will migrate south as far as Central and South America, while others will hunker down for winter in the same areas where they bred. Each morning the dawn chorus is a little quieter and the species list less diverse. To a technician working on the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program this signals that the point counts are done for the year and they too will move on to their next adventure.

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A Day in the Life of a Field Technician

By | IMBCR, Science | No Comments

There are always eyes reflecting back in the beam of my headlamp. Usually, it is deer or elk, their silhouettes looking vaguely alien because of their large ears. Other times, it is a Common Poorwill that sits on the trail, eyes reflecting red, and flutters up in a panic when I walk too close. A handful of times it has been a bear, that crashes away through the undergrowth once it catches a whiff of this unwashed field tech and vanishes astonishingly quickly for an animal so large…

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