On the evening of March 10th, an injured red-tailed hawk was spotted at The Woodlands. After local birders spotted the injured predator, Victoria Sindlinger, aka ‘Toribird’ was quickly on the scene and recounted the rescue, recovery, and release efforts.
Read MoreScary Stories from the Wonderful World of Birds
The avian realm also has its fair share of true scary stories that are perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit. So grab some apple cider, light a candle, and get ready to hear a couple of scary tales from the amazing world of birds!
Read MoreBirding at The Woodlands: Twilight Fliers and Darker Nights
Eyes to the skies, birders! Toribird here with another edition of “Birding at The Woodlands.” It's fall migration, and this is likely the best time of year to see both Common Nighthawks and Chimney Swifts.
Read MoreToribird Tips: Latino Conservation Week/Semana Latina de la Conservación
Hello nature lovers, it's Toribird here to tell you all about Latino Conservation Week! This year, it will take place from July 17-25. It provides an opportunity for Latinos to connect and demonstrate our love for the outdoors and interest in conservation. The week is filled with fun activities, from a photo contest to guided nature walks and free entry to parks across the country. Here at The Woodlands, we're going to celebrate with a series of bilingual posts exploring Cornell's Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds on our Facebook page throughout the week!
If you wish to explore even more about local birding and bird conservation, then these blog posts are perfect for you: "Migration and a Call to Action" explores the dramatic decline of birds in recent years and also covers the Seven Simple Actions. As it's still summer and many birds are raising young, you can visit "Studying Breeding Birds at The Woodlands" to read about the breeding birds of the area. Finally, "Great News for Philly's Migrant Birds" is all about Philadelphia's wonderful "Lights Out" program that protects the migrating birds that pass through the city.
This post about Latino Conservation Week would not be complete without mentioning the Kaufman "Guia de Campo a las Aves de Norteamérica" (Field Guide to the Birds of North America). This is the only field guide to birds of our area that has been translated into Spanish. If this sounds like the type of book that you would love to own, you can purchase it here. If you would like to help make this great resource available to a larger community, the Black Swamp Bird Observatory of Ohio has a "Donate the Guia" program where you pay for a copy of the book which is then donated to an organization that will put it to good use.
I hope you're as excited as I am to dive into a week of bilingual exploration of the ways we can take care of the nature around us that we all love!
¡Hola amantes de la naturaleza, soy Toribird! Quiero hablarles sobre la Semana Latina de la Conservación! Este año, será del 17 al 25 de Julio. Es una oportunidad para que los Latinos nos conectemos y demostremos nuestra pasión por la naturaleza. La semana está llena de actividades, incluyendo un concurso de fotografía, caminatas guiadas, y acceso gratis a parques. Aquí en los Woodlands, vamos a celebrar con una serie de publicaciones bilingües en nuestra página de Facebook explorando las Siete Acciones Simples para Ayudar a las Aves que Cornell propone!
Si usted quiere explorar aún más sobre las aves locales y cómo protegerlas, estos artículos son perfectos para usted: "Migration and a Call to Action" explora el declive rápido de las aves en los últimos años, y también habla sobre las Siete Acciones Simples. Como todavía es verano y muchas aves actualmente están criando a sus bebés, puedes visitar "Studying Breeding Birds at The Woodlands" para leer sobre las aves que anidan en los Woodlands. Finalmente, "Great News for Philly's Migrant Birds" es sobre el programa fabuloso de "Luces Apagadas" que protege a las aves migratorias que pasan por Filadelfia.
Este artículo sobre la Semana Latina de la Conservación no estaría completo sin mencionar la "Guia de Campo a las Aves de Norteamérica" por Kaufman. Esta es la primera y única guía sobre las aves de nuestra área que se haya traducido al Español. Si le fascina la idea de este libro y le gustaría comprarlo, puede ordenarlo aquí. Si a usted le gustaría ayudar a que este valioso recurso esté al alcance de una comunidad más grande, el Black Swamp Bird Observatory de Ohio tiene un programa de "Donar la Guia" en donde usted paga por una copia del libro que será donado a una organización que le dará buen uso.
Espero que esté tan emocionado como yo para empezar una semana de exploración bilingüe de las maneras en que podemos cuidar la naturaleza alrededor de nosotros que todos amamos!
Great news for Philly's Migrant Birds!
It's Toribird here, bringing great news for Philadelphia's birds and bird lovers! Philly has finally joined over 30 other cities in a Lights Out program to give migrant birds safer passage. Many major Center City skyscrapers have voluntarily agreed to turn off all outside lights. This will be done from midnight to 6am during peak migration season, April 1 - May 31st and August 15 - November 15.
Though it may seem surprising, many birds, including most songbirds, travel at night, as this has the benefit of helping them avoid predators and stay cool. These nocturnal migrants likely use cues from stars to help them navigate, so city lights disorient and distract them, often resulting in fatal collisions with windows. Lights Out will save thousands of bird lives each year, help save money, and reduce the city's carbon footprint - all in one neat package!
This accomplishment was made possible by Bird Safe Philly, a recently-formed partnership that works to mitigate bird-window collisions in the city. The catalyst for this partnership was a tragic event last October when over 1,000 migrating birds collided with Philadelphia buildings and perished in a single night. Situated along the East Coast Flyway, Philadelphia is an important stop for migrants coming from all across the Americas. Birds like the Blackpoll Warbler and Gray-cheeked Thrush flying from the boreal forest in Canada and Alaska to South American tropics stopover here, often feeding and resting right in our backyards.
You can help gather data to further focus actions to prevent window strikes! If you happen to find a dead bird in the Philadelphia area, particularly if it appears the bird hit a window, I urge you to snap a few pictures and submit your observation to the Bird Safe Philly Bird Strikes Project through iNaturalist. This iNaturalist project allows local scientists and bird advocates to collect vital information about where the most window-caused bird deaths occur, which will hopefully help persuade the owners of those particularly problematic buildings to take steps to diminish bird fatalities.
Also, I encourage you to take simple actions in your own home to help ensure that Philadelphia is a safe and welcoming place for migrant birds. You can participate in Lights Out by turning off your own outdoor lights at night, or using downward-directed lights if turning them off is not possible, as well as pulling the shades if using indoor lights late into the night. Take part from April 1 to May 31st and from August 15 to November 15 between midnight and 6am. Please join me in taking the Lights Out Philly Residential Pledge!
Written by:
Toribird