Wednesday, October 30, 2013

For The Birds

Television...don't even get me started on some of the things I see and hear.   There was something on Fox And Friends which was on just this morning and you may see it here.  If you can't stand to watch all of it, I can completely understand.  "Bald Eagle Was Extinct, but Science Saved It".  First of all, "extinct" means a species is NO LONGER LIVING, it is GONE forever!  The wording should have been "Extremely endangered, possibly on the VERGE of extinction!"  And to say that it only took a simple change on our part to change pesticides!  I find it very hard to believe that they could not see fit to even MENTION the name of Rachel Carson and the very difficult, uphill battle that she had to make this country understand the dangers of pesticides which she wrote about in her 1962 book, "Silent Spring".  (And I think that are in need of another voice like hers in 2013!)

Dusky Seaside Sparrow- Declared EXTINCT in 1990.



 
At Panola Mountain State Conservation Park, there is a protected open space called  "Power of Flight" area. (Just recently, Panola Mountain was designated an official "IBA" which means "Important Birding Area".)  For about 10 years now, they have done great work in restoring native grasslands in this area so as to attract more birds. The Atlanta Audubon Society also does bird bandings and bird counts there. Just this past Saturday, they asked for volunteers to hand-pick the native grass seed (Indian grass and blue-stem grass) and I am happy to tell you that I was one of the volunteers! (And this was just a really nice group of people, it was a pleasure to be with them.)  In amongst the tall grasses, my partner and I were able to get enough grass seed into our pillowcase to make it quite heavy by the end of the day. The Indian grass was quite tall and we were told to take the seeds off gently by placing our thumb on one side of the stalk and our fingers on the other side and to lift up and that the seeds would come right off. (If they did not, they were not ready, not to force them.)  The blue-stem grass seeds were like white, feathery tufts and for that, we turned the plant right into the pillow case and just shook them in.  (And when I say pillow-case, it is just what you think, just a clean cotton pillow-case, they find it is the easiest way to collect the grass seeds.)

It was a lovely day.  The Indian grass almost looked like stalks of wheat against a gorgeous blue sky and our small group gingerly walked in the thick grass with great purpose, placing the gathered seeds into our cases, with the soft sunshine shining down upon us, and a cool breeze blowing through the field.  We did this for almost four hours but I had no sense of time. Now and then, a very large moth would quickly fly about and it looked so much like a hummingbird that it made me shake my head in wonder. I thought it must be some kind of moth, and I learned from a blog from Scotland, of all places, that it was a hummingbird hawk moth! (I say "of all places" because I understand they don't even have them in Scotland.) The things that we learn from blogs! I love it!  Thanks, Bob from blueskyscotland!

Charlie Muize, the IBA co-coordinator, was our leader for this volunteer grass seed collection.  It was wonderful to hear his knowledge of birds and of this "Power of Flight" area.  At the end of the day, he asked us did we know why we were collecting these seeds and we all said, almost at the same time together, "for the birds".










26 comments:

  1. Good catch on your part, Kay! Glad you got to learn more at the conservation park. They are really doing great work for the environment. I love those photos of the birds. I've seen the goldfinch before but not that kind of sparrow.

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    1. Believe it or not, the goldfinches turn a brownish color in the winter, they lose that lovely yellow, it's quite amazing, they don't even look like the same birds!
      I hope to do more volunteer work at the parks here, before my knees get too old! ;-)

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  2. We have moths that behave like hummingbirds and almost look like them. I'll have dozens in my yard, but I had no official name for them. But do call them hummingbird moths.

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    1. From what I understand, there are several hummingbird moths...I am no expert, I only found out about this moth from the blog in Scotland that I told you about! :-) You know, I am not bothered if I don't know all the proper names. I called the white flowers on Arabia "joyflowers" before I knew they were called stitchwort.

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  3. So good of you to have participated in this volunteer activity, to do something for the area you love so much! Thank you for sharing this with us; really a lot more people should do such work (myself being the first one to admit that I haven't done anything like it so far - all I do is giving regular donations to an animal protecting organization).

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    1. Thanks, Meike! It gave me so much joy! I just wish Richard could have been with me too. You would love that "Power of Flight" area, it is like a piece of land from another century, except for the view of the electric pylons on the edge of the property! (And the turkey vultures take advantage of them, and roost on them in the dozens!)

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  4. What a lovely thing to do and so enjoyable too. Your birds seem to be so much more densely coloured than ours up here in the Hebrides. Something to do with the weather I have no doubt. We used to have a woodpecker that came to the bird table when we lived down in Sussex. He was beautiful and you could set your watch to within 30 minutes of him arriving every afternoon.

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    1. Oh, I love your woodpecker showing up so promptly! I love woodpeckers, I really must to a post about them. Can you tell I love birds? I do!! :-)
      Have fun in Eastbourne! Walk down the pier for me and wave to me when you are looking west!

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  5. Kay- What do you expect of TV news? No matter what network- Ann Curry on NBC and a guest were discussing Cuba and its future, and Curry asked her guest "What if Castro never dies?"

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    1. Oh, Betsy, you have made me laugh!! "What if Castro never dies?" Oh me, I suppose he is immortal!! HA!
      I am forever talking back to the the TV, I wish they could hear me!

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  6. First Spotted them (Hummingbird Hawk Moths) on a climbing holiday in France. They almost have the technology now to rescue DNA from Woolly Mammoths and bring them back. The original pioneer of DNA in the UK, Bryan Sykes of Oxford University has recently tested hair from Yeti samples worldwide and linked some of them to a hybrid high altitude polar bear so we may yet discover the mystery of the Yeti.
    Not joking. Look it up.
    Be good to see Woolly Mammoths on your blog. Luckily the UK is too small to introduce them there as they might sink the country but the USA and Russia seem ideal for them :)

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    1. Oh yes, I just read that on the BBC. (I am a regular reader of the BEEB!)
      Wooly mammoths don't seem to fit into my quest for beauty so they shall NOT be in my blog! But I thank you for your comment, Bob! Have a good weekend, hopefully with a blue sky!

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  7. We love to watch birds, and sometimes put out seeds. They also love to eat all the figs from our fig trees. The nicest thing i do for them, though, is to keep my cats indoors!

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    1. Absolutely, I am glad that you keep your cats indoors. Cats really are a problem for birds but some cat lovers don't (or won't) believe it.

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  8. That's so cool, Kay! I like to think I'll be able to volunteer for projects like that once my girls are a little bigger.

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    1. Oh Audrey, you will have plenty of time to do things like this when your girls are older...in the meantime, keep doing what you are doing, teaching them to love birds and nature! Hope you have a great weekend!

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  9. stunning captures of the lovely birds!

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    1. I took the photo of the goldfinch. I wish I could take a photo of the sparrow, but it is now extinct.

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  10. I enjoyed your post, and I watched the entire animal video! Sometimes they bother me, because a TV studio is such an alien place fore the zoo animals ~ but I always hope that these events will stir some conservation/wildlife curiosity and compassion in the viewers. The "extinct" made me a little nuts! Polar bears and penguins together, archeologist substituted for paleontologist, and cavemen with dinosaurs are other pet peeves of mine! They probably didn't think that "extremely endangered" could fit on the screen. Rachel Carson is a heroine of mine! You'd enjoy the variety of grasses around here ~ both wild and in gardens. Many people here have ornamental grasses in their gardens because it is arid here. Have a great day!

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment! I see I am not the only one who groans and moans at my TV screen! Of course, you would love Rachel Carson too!
      This country had large areas of grasslands and it is those birds who depend on them that are really in decline these days. I love Colorado, I wish I could go back and see it today! xx

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  11. I am constantly arguing with my television. "Get your facts straight!" and "use proper grammar"... things like that. They have an audience that depends on them to be correct. When I write an article for Nature Center Magazine I do a lot of research. I admit that I sometimes make mistakes but I try to use proper grammar and I try to present facts. But I am not viewed by millions.
    The prairie grasses here are so beautiful. I need to write about them soon. What a good idea. Thank you

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    1. Glad to know I am not the only one to yell at my TV!!
      Yes, please write about the priarie grasses. I would be very interested to see what you have to say!

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  12. How lovely is that? I love the whole idea of being outdoors and doing something useful. Kudos to you!

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    1. It was a fantastic day with a great group of people!

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  13. Hello! I am new to your blog, but I am a bird watcher and Rachel Carson fan AND I live in Georgia. Loved reading your post.

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    1. Hello, fellow Georgian and bird lover! You are very welcome here and I am thankful that you have become a new follower!
      Perhaps I will run into you in Atlanta or at Stone Mountain one day! (If it is summer, you might recognize me in that same pink shirt! You will have to scroll down and read the post before this one!)


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