Bird Blogs, News and Events

Though we are not technically a birding blog, we do like birds - including aves, the film, the theory, and the band.

Here are three local or specially relevant birding blogs we follow at Adirondack Almanack:

The Feather and Flower - a wider regional focus but written by an ornithologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The Zen Birdfeeder - the blog of Saratoga's Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop co-owner and author Nancy Castillo.

Rich Guthrie's Birding - a Times Union blog by a "hardcore birder."

Other sites worthy of note are the Smithsonian's Migratory Bird Center, the closer to home Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council's Adirondack Birding Site.

The Cornell Lab, or CLO, call themselves "a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds."

CLO sponsors a number of interesting programs and events including their "Migration Celebration" (Saturday, May 17, 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.) at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Cornell. Family-friendly events include guided bird walks, interactive exhibits, live birds, games, and hands-on activities for children. This years theme is Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, and People. The goal is to raise awareness about the various kinds of habitat birds need, how these natural landscapes are disappearing, and what you can do to create bird-friendly spaces at home. The event if free. Contact (800) 843-BIRD or visit www.birds.cornell.edu/birdday for more info.

­Bird Sounds Recording Workshop

From June 7 to 14, the annual Sound Recording Workshop offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology returns to San Francisco State University’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus in the spectacular surroundings of the eastern foothills of California’s northern Sierra Nevada mountains. Participants learn state-of-the-art techniques for capturing bird sounds, guided by experts.

Learn to capture the sounds of wildlife through lecture, discussion, and daily field recording sessions participants learn how to effectively handle a portable field recording system to make scientifically accurate recordings of bird vocalizations. Participants learn how to conquer wind, how a roadbed can help overcome the sound of a rushing stream, and why placing a microphone on the ground is sometimes the best strategy. There is also an introduction to the science of sound analysis which converts sound waves into visual images called spectrograms. With signal analysis it’s possible to visualize a bird song note by note.

The Sound Recording Workshop fee of $895 covers tuition, class materials, ground transportation, food, and lodging. A $100 deposit is requested to reserve a space, which is limited to 20 students. Registration and payment are due by May 31. Learn more here.

NestWatch Community Observation Project

NestWatch is ­a new, free citizen science project funded by the National Science Foundation. Participants visit nests during spring and summer to collect simple information about location, habitat, species, number of eggs, and number of young in the nest. Then they submit their observations online.

All NestWatch materials and instructions are available online at www.nestwatch.org, including directions on how to find nests and how to monitor them without disturbing the birds.

NestCams Online Live Nest Cameras

The NestCams site has been recently revamped. Live cameras show the nesting activities of Barn Owls, Wood Ducks, and Northern Flickers in Texas and California. More cameras go online all the time.