Eagle Cam Web Log 2007

Goodbye for Now

This morning we saw an adult feeding an eaglet, but we haven't seen much of that lately, as Justice and Majesty have been spending a lot of time away from the nest.

Since the eaglets are becoming so independent, we're going to wrap up the Eagle Cam Web Log for this season. Just a reminder that we'll likely turn off the Eagle Cam around the end of June. At that point we'll move the Osprey Cam to a 30-second update, and we'll be leaving that cam on throughout the summer and into the fall and winter.

Even though our ospreys are being lazy this summer with no chicks, we'll keep the Osprey Cam online to watch their activities. And we'll be looking for eagles to return to the osprey platform once the ospreys migrate south around late August or early September. In addition to the perching eagles, we might also see red-winged blackbirds, hawks, herons, and even a rare owl on the osprey nest. The Eagle Cam doesn't really see any action once the eagles leave. We might see a lone squirrel or a blue jay, but that's about it. So to save a little money on our end, we'll turn off the Eagle Cam until late November or early December, when we'll go live again for the 2007-2008 nesting season.

Birding as a Hobby:

In this last web log entry, I wanted to talk a little about birding as a hobby. I've received quite a few emails from folks who say that watching bird cams on the Internet has increased their interest in birding in general, so I wanted to offer some resources for those who are a bit new to this fun activity.

If you visit Wildbird.com, you'll find that they offer ten good tips for beginning birders. As tip #1 suggests, it's important to get a good field guide for your region of the country, so you know what kinds of birds you should be seeing; you can find popular field guides at your local bookstore or through online bookstores. Binoculars -- or a spotting scope -- are equally important. And while you don't need expensive binoculars to enjoy birding, it helps if you can get a good quality pair, since these will help you see more detail.

Some birders enjoy watching the bird life in their backyard, while some like to also venture out to parks and refuges to see more variety. Check with your local nature centers and see if they offer bird walks. For example, Blackwater Refuge offers free bird walks at different times during the spring, fall and winter (watch our calendar for dates). You can also check with your local Audubon Society chapter, Sierra Club chapter, or Wild Birds Unlimited store to see if they offer free bird walks. The advantage of birding with experienced birders is that they see and hear an amazing amount of birds that most regular birders miss. So it can be fun to go along with someone who really knows their stuff.

Once you get a feel for the species that are common in your area, you might want to start reading more about their habits and behaviors. Don and Lillian Stokes offer an excellent guide to local birds in their Stokes Bird Behavior series, which includes three volumes that can be purchased separately. The Stokes' guides tell you about various bird behaviors throughout the year -- such as when the bird does what -- and also describes common body language displays and vocal displays.

Other popular behavior guides are Kenn Kaufman's Lives of North American Birds and David Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior.

If you're brand new to birding, Sibley's Birding Basics is another good book to check out as it will help you learn to "see" like a birder. Also, Pete Dunne on Bird Watching is a good introduction to the world of birding.

Many birders often enjoy attracting birds to their backyard or balcony. There are numerous websites and books that will help you learn more about bird food, and even what plants birds prefer. You can put out nesting boxes and roosting boxes, suet, peanuts, meal worms, sunflower seeds, hummingbird feeders, and bird baths -- the birds will welcome them all. Gardening for birds is actually becoming so popular that Birds and Blooms is one magazine that focuses exclusively on attracting birds to your property using various landscaping techniques.

One tip about bird seed -- the seed sold at your local grocery store is likely not the best quality. It often contains cheap seed filler that the birds will not eat. It's better to go to a nature store and spend a little more on quality seed that will attract and satisfy your birds.

And another tip -- about cats. It's estimated that domestic cats kill hundreds of millions of birds and small mammals each year, so think about keeping your cat indoors -- especially if you feed birds.

If you're looking for magazines that will help you learn more about the art of birding, there are several options such as Wild Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and Birder's World Magazine. These publications offer news on conservation, travel, festivals, equipment, books, and identification. You can sometimes find these publications at your local bookstore. Audubon Magazine is a good publication, although their magazine covers a wider range of issues than just birds and birding. You can also get Birding Magazine by becoming a member of the American Birding Association. And finally, you can get "Living Bird" magazine and "Birdscope" by joining the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Many people who bird regularly start a "life list" in order to keep track of all the species they've seen. Whenever they spot a new species, they say they found "a lifer." You can keep a simple list (like checking them off in your field guide), although some people purchase a birders' journal for recording details about their sightings, and you can even purchase birding software that helps you keep a database of the species you've seen and details on where and when you saw them. Also some birders like to participate in citizen science projects like the Great Backyard Bird Count and Project FeederWatch, where you can use your own local bird observations to further avian science.

Photographing birds has been popular for a long time, but one new device is the Birdhouse Spy Cam, which we have in our website store. It's a fun way to have your own bird cam in your backyard. They have two types of cams -- one for your feeder and one for a nest box. You can watch the bird action on your TV and record it with your VCR.

If you have questions about food, equipment or birding in general, and you'd like to talk to someone in the flesh, see if you have a local birding business in your neighborhood, such as a Wild Birds Unlimited store. The people who run such stores know the birds in your area and know how to attract them, since it's their business. They also sell books, magazines, optics, as well as food, feeders and houses. My local store also sends out a free newsletter that alerts me as to what kind of bird activity might be happening that month.

As you can see, birding in America is big business. Some 51 million Americans consider themselves birders and they contribute approximately $32 billion to the economy each year through their birding activities. This economic power is important because it builds pressure to protect birds and their dwindling habitat.

Speaking of money, another way you can get a lot of bang for your birding buck is to buy Duck Stamps. Although Duck Stamps were originally meant only for bird hunters, now many birders also buy them -- which is a good thing, since the number of hunters in America is declining. Anyone can buy a Duck Stamp, and 98 cents out of every dollar collected through Duck Stamps goes toward purchasing wetland habitat for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge System. In fact, much of Blackwater Refuge was purchased with these funds.

A competition is held each year for the annual Duck Stamp ($15) and Junior Duck Stamp ($5) design, so you can get a new one each year and collect them. The newest stamp will go on sale June 22. You can learn more about purchasing the stamps on our Duck Stamps page. And note that funds from the Junior Duck Stamp go towards conservation awards and scholarships for young people.

Finally, I can't talk about birding without acknowledging the realities of West Nile virus and bird flu, as some people worry that these are good reasons to avoid feeding or even being around birds. Here is a good article from the respected Cornell Lab of Ornithology that addresses the often over-hyped fear we sometimes have regarding the dangers of West Nile virus and bird flu. Also here are two good Audubon articles about how you can keep your feeding areas clean and healthy -- for both you and the birds: Safe Bird Feeding and Winter Banquet.

Below are some additional links that you might find useful as you explore the wonderful world of birding:

Audubon Birding Basics
All About Birds
What Bird - Bird Identifier
Macaulay Library of Animal Sounds (includes birds)

I want to thank everyone who has joined us for our 2006-2007 Eagle Cam season, as we watched Justice and Majesty grow into strong, independent raptors. Thank you for your time, your enthusiasm, your questions, and your photos.

I sincerely hope that our Blackwater raptor cams have given you a new appreciation for our feathered friends, who rely on us not only for protection of their homes but also their planet.

Until next season,
Lisa - webmaster
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