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Birmingham Audubon Society http://www.birminghamaudubon.org

BAS IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS

The Birmingham Audubon Society is taking reservations for their BAS In-School Programs listed below.
Make your reservations now for the school year 2010-2011. Please contact our Education Director, Helena
Uber-Wamble at www.educationdirector@birminghamaudubon.orgor (205) 714-8228 to schedule a program. 

Birdie ID 1-2-3
K-2nd Grade
45 minutes -1 hour
Learn about the amazing basics of birds. Covered in feathers, these egg layers build nests and use many
different habitats. Learn about their habits and life cycles in this presentation. Students will be able to identify
several backyard birds and their calls through this interactive program.

Mighty Migration:
Grades: 3-6
1 - 1 ½  hours
"Travel" like a bird on a migratory route to your winter home and back again while learning about the hazards
that birds may face along the way. Using maps learn about flyways, distances traveled and why some birds
travel in V-formation. Investigate how other birds survive the winter too. (Outside or large indoor space
required for activity.)

Geography of Birds
Grades: 3 -6
1 hour
Students participate in a interactive quiz on state symbols which clue us in about the plants and animals that live
in the different regions and states. Learn all about the 50 states and the process for picking each state bird. Learn
what makes these lovely little creatures so unique in this entertaining tale of birds. Listen closely so you don't
miss any details revealed on this wide account of birds from around the world, and the weird, wacky and
wonderful habits of birds.

BAS AT MCWANE SCIENCE CENTER'S NATURESCOPE

Our Education Director will also be presenting programs at McWane Science Center's new NatureScope
stage.   NatureScope is a partnership exhibit between McWane Science Center and Birmingham Audubon
Society and features a new Audubon cabin and a demonstration stage where visitors can enjoy bird and nature
programs.  Also housed in the exhibit area are collections of Alabama birds including a Bald Eagle, Wild
Turkey, two, extremely rare, Ivory-billed Woodpeckers, and even a skull from the extinct Dodo Bird.  Check
the McWane Science Center program schedule for times and dates.  Current NatureScope programs offered by
Birmingham Audubon Society are  "Common Bird Songs" and "Fit Feathers".

McWane Science Center http://www.mcwane.org/events

Kid's
Corner
http://www.birminghamaudubon.org/education/youngbirders

Summer Birding Activity

By Shirley Farrell

As you spend more and more time outside, have you noticed the new houses that have been built in your
neighborhood? No, not people houses but the bird "houses" or nests. Every year birds will build a nest, or
rework a former nest, to raise their young. Have you noticed the old bird nests on tree branches this past winter?
They are easy to see on the deciduous trees (trees that lose all their leaves during the winter.) You probably
noticed the outside of these twiggy, cup-shaped nests but have you ever looked inside them? Birds will line their
nests with grass, moss, feathers, and animal fur. Some birds that use twigs or branches to build their nests are
robins, crows, hawks and eagles. Did you know that the largest Bald Eagle's nest was located in Florida, was as
large as a Volkswagen car and weighed as much as 3 tons? How did the eagles spend so much time building
such a large nest and lay eggs, incubate them and raise their young? They reuse their nests year after year!

Other nest materials include:

Mud - Purple Martins, Swallow species

Rocks or gravel - Killdeer
Dried grass and pine needles - Bluebirds
Spanish Moss - Northern Parula
Spider webs, lichens - Hummingbirds
No nesting materials - Turkey Vultures
Snakeskin - Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-headed Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests and let those other birds raise their young!

Not all nests are in trees or cup-shaped either:

On ground in gravel - Killdeer

On high rocky areas -Turkey Vultures
On sandy beaches along Alabama's Gulf Coast -Plover species
Dent in ground lined with leaves - Turkey
Woven grass nest hanging from tree - Orchard Oriole
Holes in trees - Woodpecker species and Wood Ducks
Shallow bowl of grass - Canada Goose
Woven cattail leaves - Red-winged Blackbirds
Dome shaped leaves on ground - Eastern Meadowlark
Dome shaped woven leaves with side entrance -Ovenbird

As you can tell from the types of materials birds use in their nests, they use what they can find in nature.
Sometimes birds will use different kinds of paper or plastic, and/or silk or plastic flowers in their nests. What
does that tell you? The birds will use trash they find in their habitat. Is that a good or bad for the bird? Write to
Kid's Corner and tell us what you think!

What other types of nests can you find? Sketch or write about your findings and send them to Kid's Corner at the
address below. Do not touch the bird nests. Please remember that most birds are protected by several federal
laws, which includes protection of their nests, eggs, feathers, or any part of the bird.
  

We are looking for artists and writers:

Do you have any suggestions as to what you would like to read about in Kid's Corner? Send your ideas to:

Birmingham Audubon Society

Attn: Kids Corner
P.O. Box 314
Birmingham, AL 35201

Send us your pictures, journal pages, stories and poems about birds, nature, wildlife, etc.
If selected, your original work will be published in the Flicker Flashes newsletter.

Downloadable activity sheet:

Bird Journal
Birding Basics
Broad-winged Hawk
Carolina Wren
Great Blue Heron
Hooded Mergansers
Monarch Butterflies
Owls
Summer Birding Activity
Swallow-tailed Kite
Valentine for Birds
Water Fowl

Bird Migration Game

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Education/Kids_Stuff/Woth_game/

Student takes a quiz about migration. Each correct answer helps the bird reach its destination.

Mission: Migration Game http://ny.audubon.org/missionmigration.html

Student chooses a flock of birds to help migration through man-made and natural situations. Through this game
you will see how your everyday choices can affect the migration of birds.
Great Lakes Kids Migration Game
http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/greatlakeskids/migration/migration.html

This is an online board game for up to four players. Each player chooses a bird and then the computer rolls the
die and moves the "bird icons" for you. The screen will tell you which card to take for additional moves. This
game moves a little slow.

Eagle Eye http://audubon.org/gbbc/game/index.php

This game allows you to test your observation skills. The object of the game is to find the small differences in
each pair of photos.

Audubon Mountain
Workshop
 

2010 Audubon Mountain Workshop and Young Naturalist’s Program

May 13-16, 2010 ~ Mentone, Alabama

Presented by the Birmingham Audubon Society

PURPOSE AND LOCATION

In order to promote a better understanding and appreciation of the natural history and ecology of the Southern
Appalachian Mountains, the Birmingham Audubon Society is sponsoring the thirtieth annual Audubon
Mountain Workshop at Alpine Camp on Lookout Mountain near Mentone, Alabama. The Mentone vicinity is an
old Alabama resort area featuring rustic cabins and lodges, broad mountain vistas and clear streams. The Little
River flows for many miles on top of the mountain, eventually dropping into the Coosa River Valley where it
forms Little River Canyon, one of the deepest canyons east of the Rockies. Alpine Camp is situated directly on
the River.

PROGRAM AND STAFF

A broad-spectrum overview of the area will include classes on topics such as animal ecology, beginning and
advanced bird identification, wildflower and edible plant identification, stream biology, mammals, insects,
reptiles and amphibians, geology and fossils, canoeing and mountain crafts. You will have multiple options for
work in small groups and you will be able to register in advance for preferred courses. Each subject will be
taught by an expert in the field. There is also a Young Naturalist’s Program for all naturalists aged 5-12. Spaces
for Young Naturalists are limited to 25 so that during class time, our experienced staff may adequately supervise
the children while introducing them to the wonders of the natural world.

 
ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES

During the summer, the Alpine Camp is run as a camp for boys by Richard O’Ferrall, Jr., who lives on the
premises with his wife Alice. For this one weekend each year they open the camp to the Birmingham Audubon
Society for the Workshop. Participants will be housed primarily dormitory style, up to 8 per cabin, in attractive,
rustic, one-room cabins. (Limited accommodations for families are available upon request.) Central bathhouse
facilities are in separate buildings near the cabins. Meals are served in a central dining hall. The Alpine Lodge,
on the bluff overlooking Little River, serves as the library and informal gathering place, while the camp
gymnasium serves as the main classroom and group assembly point. (The camp does not allow smoking inside
any of its buildings.) Recreational opportunities include canoeing, fishing, and hiking. Miles of trails are within
easy access of the grounds.

COSTS AND OTHER LOGISTICS

Tuition, room and board for the Workshop, beginning with Thursday supper and ending with Sunday lunch, is
$225.00 per person. (For an additional $27.00 per person* space is available in the Ridge Cabins, which have
indoor bathroom facilities rather than the common-use bathhouse facilities in the Mountain and Canyon Cabin
areas. These are available on a first come-first serve basis). The cost for Students and Young Naturalists is
$175.00 per person. If you choose to participate in the activities, but bunk off-campus (Mountain Residents), the
fee is $200.00. Teachers may apply for scholarships (Refer to Grants/Scholarships page or click here).
Applications with $125 deposit* (per person) should be mailed as soon as possible. Workshop enrollment is
limited to available cabin space. Mail your deposit now (refundable before May 1, 2010) to ensure your place at
the Workshop!

* Our cost to Alpine Camp, per participant.

Audubon
Teaches Nature
Return of the Spring Migrants ~ Catching the Yucatan Express!

Greg Harber, Guest Speaker

Sunday, March 28th, 2:00 p.m.

Zzeeeee-up!  Sweet-sweet-sweet!  Can't you hear them now, the Northern Parula and Prothonotary Warbler
calling to you from the canopy or the swampy, deep woods?  They and many of their friends are beckoning your
name.

Everyone is invited to join us on March 28 for our Audubon Teaches Nature seminar series. Greg Harber will be
our featured speaker and his topic is a favorite among many of our BAS members:  Spring Migration!  Even as
you read this, myriad warblers, tanagers and vireos are coursing through the canopies of the forests of South and
Central America, guided ever northward as instinct dictates their return to summer breeding territories in North
America.

Spring is an exciting time of the year. The short days of winter finally lengthen into the warmer days of
springtime, leaves begin to emerge on trees that have been bare all through the winter, waterfowl begin to return
north and neotropical migrants soon replace them in the fresh spring landscape.  Soon bird song fills the air,
adding another exciting dimension to the outdoor experience.  You will learn which species to expect to see first,
and which are the stragglers bringing up the rear, which species are just passing through our area and which will
stay to breed here.

Door prizes will be awarded but you must register to be eligible.  Park admission is $3.00 but the program is
free.

The Confederate Daisy in Alabama

David Frings, Director of the Oak Mountain Interpretive Center, Guest Speaker
Sunday, April 11th, 2:00 p.m.

Everyone is invited to join us on April 11th for our Audubon Teaches Nature seminar series. David Frings will be
our featured speaker and his topic will be of special interest to our more botanically inclined members: the

Confederate Daisy in Alabama.

Granite outcrops may not offer much to the eye of the beholder, but their unique environments have been
exploited by several hardy species. The Confederate Daisy is one such plant that has learned to adapt to the
harsh conditions. This plant grows in a few select places in Alabama, including Oak Mountain State Park. 
David will speak to the surveys he has undertaken in northern Alabama in search of this unique plant. David will
also update us on the exhibits that have been completed, and are being developed, at the Oak Mountain
Interpretive Center.

Come early for fellowship and refreshments in the Observation Room at the Alabama Wildlife Center! Then, at
2:00, we'll walk next door to the Interpretive Center for the program. Door prizes will be awarded but you must
register to be eligible and be present to win. Park admission is $3.00 but the program is free.

Swamp Life at Ebenezer

Mike Hardig, University of Montevallo, Guest Speaker

Sunday, May 23rd, 2:00 p.m.

Ebenezer Swamp is a typical hardwood swamp familiar to many Birmingham area birders. A boardwalk through
the heart of the swamp offers great views of the community and its myriad inhabitants, including a rich variety
of bird life. The University of Montevallo's Ebenezer Swamp Ecological Preserve's goal is to focus greater re-
search on wetland ecology and to increase educational opportunities for area high school and middle school
students.

Programs held at the

Alabama Wildlife Center and the
Oak Mountain Interpretive Center

~ Featuring ~

 Apple cider, punch and cookies. The cider will be hot and ready by 1:30 so come early to enjoy the
refreshments and the birds!
 Your questions answered (please note: as far as we are concerned, there are no dumb questions!)
 Wildlife report by Sandra Allinson, Education Director of the Alabama Wildlife Center.
 Friends of Oak Mountain news.
 Interpretive Center updates.
 Alabama's foremost authorities on birding and nature.
 Fabulous door prizes!
 Informal Nature Walk after each program. Be sure to bring your binoculars and field guides for a
seasonal look at the birds and critters of Oak Mountain S. P.

Sponsored by the Alabama Wildlife Center, Birmingham Audubon Society, Friends of Oak Mountain and the
Oak Mountain Interpretive Center.

For additional information, contact Greg Harber.

Beginner's
Notebook
A Beginner's Notebook

So You're New to Birding?

Welcome to the world of bird watching. Twenty-five or thirty years ago people who enjoyed observing the
habits of birds were known as "bird watchers". More recently the preferred term is "birders", and their activity of
choice is known as "birding". You might be surprised to know that birding is now one of the most popular
outdoor sports in the United States.

Perhaps you are unsure about where you fit into this activity, or maybe if you fit at all! Well, there are many
kinds of birders who have varying levels of dedication to their hobby. At one end of the spectrum there are the
hard core birders who keep a lifetime list of bird species they have seen. They will travel miles or even across
oceans just to get a glimpse of a new species. Their life often revolves around field trips and seminars on their
favorite subject ... birds. At the other end of the spectrum are those who simply enjoy the outdoors, getting
outside, communing with nature, hiking, being with others who enjoy nature, and observing birds is part of that
experience. For them, birding may be a casual hobby that shares time and space with many other interests. The
good news is, it doesn't matter where you fall in this spectrum of birding enthusiasm. You can enjoy birding at
the level that is comfortable to you, and there is a place for you in the Birmingham Audubon Society.

How can you learn more about birding? Take advantage of the free birding classes that Audubon holds. These
are announced on this Web site. Another way to quickly improve your birding skills is to take one of the classes
offered in the evening at UAB or one of the other local colleges. The instructors for these classes are experts,
and they can give you a quick boost in identifying and appreciating our feathered friends. There you will also
meet other beginners with whom you can share the same joys and frustrations of spotting birds with binoculars,
identifying species, and other birding difficulties that beginners all experience.

Also, joining the field trips held by Audubon is a must. There is no substitute for field experience, especially
when shared with a group of fellow birders. After all, that is what it's all about! All BAS trips are led by expert
birders who are eager to help beginners get started. Don't hesitate to ask questions on these trips. If your group
leaders fails to give tips on identification of a species you are not familiar with, don't hesitate to ask, "How did
you know that was a rose-breasted grosbeak?" or "How do you tell the difference between that swamp sparrow
and the song sparrow?"

Gear

Like jogging, birding requires a minimum of gear. The basics are comfortable walking shoes, clothing
appropriate for the season, and a good pair of binoculars. Much has been written about the selection of a pair of
binoculars. There are also many BAS members who can serve as good sources and who can give advice on
buying binoculars (although many have their own favored brand of optics they prefer). If you expect to indulge
in birding more than two or three times a year, go ahead and splurge on a good pair of binoculars. Expect to pay
at least $150-$200 to get decent optics. You will find cheap binoculars frustrating to use, they make your
enjoyment of the hobby of birding more difficult, and in the end likely a waste of money. (A good Web site for
learning about birding optics is: the birding binoculars guide site. Once you establish your own level of
enthusiasm for birding, you may want to add more birding gear. If you find that you will want to observe
waterfowl or shore birds, consider buying a spotter's scope. Binoculars usually won't have the power to bring
these birds close enough for thorough observation. Again, local and Web advice is available for choosing a
scope.

Of course, there are lots of gadgets and specialized items of clothing for birders. There are scope bags, birding
vests, various kinds of headgear, thousands of books, videotapes, etc. that dealers are eager to sell you. You will
see these items advertised in the back of birding magazines or in local stores. Like any sport or hobby, one can
spend large sums of money collecting gear, but it is not necessary for the enjoyment of birding.

Your Front Yard

Consider installing a year-round bird feeder. Hummingbird feeders can be fun in the spring and fall. There are a
variety of bird feeders available at many retail stores or through catalogs. The best overall bird food for your
feeder is black oil sunflower seeds. Cheaper bird food sold in grocery stores usually contains a high percentage
of millet. Few local species can crack the millet seeds, with the result that millet will become scattered on the
ground beneath the feeder as the birds knock the millet out of the feeder seeking out the occasional sunflower
seed in the mix. Black oil sunflower seeds are available at a number of locations in Birmingham including
Massey's, Home Depot, Lowe's, Birds Unlimited, and many large grocery stores. Place the feeder close to
bushes or other cover to give the birds a fighting chance to escape cats or a marauding sharp-shinned or Cooper's
hawk. Be sure to place your feeder in a spot where you can sit in a comfortable chair on a winter's day and watch
the activity. You may even see an unlucky bird taken by a sharp-shinned or a Cooper's hawk. While no doubt a
violent ending for the victim, this is a part of the cycle of life in nature. While the victim gives up its life, it
provides the sustenance for the hawk to survive the winter and reach its breeding grounds in the spring.

In the winter consider adding a suet cake for the insect eaters. A small suet cage can be hung near or underneath
the feeder. See the recipe for suet that is given elsewhere on the BAS Web site. Homemade suet is generally
superior to the cakes that can be bought in stores.

What to do about squirrels? In my opinion, there is no sure-fire way to defeat squirrels that are determined to
dine on your sunflower seeds. (This is one advantage of the cheaper bird food with high millet content. The
squirrels don't care much for it, either!) There are certain systems that are squirrel deterrents, but I have never
had a lot of luck with them. Think about it. All they have to do all day long is to figure a strategy for defeating
your system. In the end, they usually figure it out. My advice is to give up and enjoy them.

Hummingbird feeders should definitely be out at the beginning of the fall migration for the ruby-throated
hummingbirds. In fact, our local hummingbird experts, the Sargents, recommend that feeders be kept out year
round. The fall migration starts in mid to early July, and it ends around the middle of October. All of the
hummers passing through are headed for South America, and they will make the trip in one long flight over the
Caribbean Ocean. During that flight they may lose up to half of their body weight. In preparation for the voyage
they are laying on body fat during their passage through Birmingham. The ruby-throated hummingbirds return in
the spring to breed in Alabama, so it is also a good idea to have feeders out in the spring. Since in the spring the
birds will be pairing up and breeding, they are not as populous around feeders as in the fall.

Put out a humming bird feeder only if you are prepared to keep the sugar mixture changed out on a regular basis!
During hot weather this should be every 2-3 days, and less frequently during cooler weather. In any case, if the
mixture shows a cloudy appearance, the feeder should be immediately emptied, cleaned, and refilled with fresh
food. The proper food for filling a hummingbird feeder is one cup of sugar dissolved in four cups of water. Food
coloring should not be used!

If you want to advertise your feeder you can hang red ribbons or use any kind of bright red objects to attract
their attention. It is amazing, but the same bird will visit your feeder on the next migration. After traveling those
thousands of miles they have the ability to locate your city, your block, your house, and the exact location of
your feeder! I have seen birds checking out locations where I had feeders hanging the year before.

Get to Know the Locals

There are a number of local species that stay around all year and do not migrate. These will be seen around or on
the feeder, and they include the blue jay, northern cardinal, mourning dove, rufus-sided towhee, house finch,
house sparrow, grackle, white-breasted nuthatch, brown-headed nuthatch, downy woodpecker, hairy
woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, titmouse, common grackles, Carolina chickadee, and Carolina wren (to
name some common ones). Other less common locals that tend to move around during migration, but strictly
speaking don't migrate long distances, are redheaded woodpeckers, eastern screech owls, barred owls, or great-
horned owls. If you are lucky you may have one of these owls in your neighborhood. The redheaded
woodpecker, although in decline nationally due to competition over nesting sites with starlings, is still fairly
common locally. I have had a mother redheaded woodpecker bring the young to the feeder, crack the sunflower
seeds, and feed the young at the feeder site.

In the winter we get visitors from the north and the west. Ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets can be
seen and heard all winter, but they probably won't grace your feeder. Two species of warblers live in central
Alabama all year ... the yellow-rumped warbler and the pine warbler, although the yellow-rumped warbler
becomes much more common in the winter due to its migration pattern. Underneath your feeder you will likely
have white-throated sparrows, our most common urban migrating bird. These ground feeders prefer to scratch in
the leaves for bugs and grubs, but will also take sunflower kernel crumbs beneath the feeder. Depending on the
weather, juncos will also likely appear on the ground or in the bushes near the feeder. Other possibilities are pine
siskins (normally requiring a cold winter) and evening grosbeaks.

Getting to know these local birds and common migrants by sight will greatly enhance your enjoyment of your
feeder and its environment. As you become more proficient at spotting field marks and learning the habits of
various species, you will be ready to tackle the identification of the warblers during migration, or the wintering
waterfowl that can be viewed at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.

But I Can't Seem to Figure Out What It Is!

Even experienced birders throw up their hands from time to time, and are simply unable to unambiguously
identify the species of a bird (although they often don't admit it to others!). Always use one rule of thumb. If the
identification process gets too frustrating, relax and just enjoy the outing. There will always be plenty of birds
that refuse to sit still long enough or reveal their field marks to you, and will remain "the bird that simply was a
mystery"! The beginning birder learns first to quickly scan the field marks that are discussed in the front of
Peterson's Guide. By going through a pattern recognition process, the bird is finally usually identified by
eliminating the field marks of similar species. As more experience is gained, additional information is brought
into the identification process. Habitat comes into play (e.g., white-throated sparrows are normally not seen
singing from the tops of trees in Alabama in the winter, and red-eyed vireos are seldom seen scratching in the
leaves in the understory in the summer). Silhouette becomes important, as well as body language (e.g., the
dipping tail habits of the hermit thrush, spotted sandpiper, or the family of phoebes). Habitat and habit become
dominant cues for species recognition for the experienced birder. Finally, there is a gestalt process that aids the
experienced birder. This seems to pull together many visual and habit cues together into one recognition process.
It is difficult for them to explain how this process works, and it is acquired only through experience and many
hours in the field.

Enjoy birding and don't worry about becoming an expert! After all, it is the journey that is important, not the
actual arrival.

----------------------------------------------------
Ernie Stokely
Birmingham Audubon Web master and part-time birder