Hog Island Birding Camp Scholarships

Blue Heron photo by David Fisk

Info about the 2020 Hog Island scholarship,application deadline is February 15, 2020 here.

Meet the winner of the 2019 Hog Island scholarship!here

The 2018 scholarship winners to Hog Island were Diana Steele (science writer), Rob Swindell (exerienced newspaper columnist), and Laurie Chachko (elementary science teacher). Winners info here.

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Birding by Tram

     

Birding by Tram at Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville every Tuesday in May from the 7th through the 28th, 9-11:30 Designed for those who have trouble walking. Space is limited, so pre-register by the day before the program. Call 440-327-3626.

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Summary of the Febuary 2019 Great Backyard Bird Count

Volunteers counted 6698 different species in the world. In the US, 673 different species were found. There were 133 species reported in Ohio and 90 species in Lorain County. Sandy Ridge was the top hotspot in Lorain Count followed by the Lorain Harbor.

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Results of the Dec 15, 2018 Elyria/Lorain Christmas Bird Count

Forty-three people counted 61 species. The two species most numerous were the Canada goose and the mallard duck. View the full report in the March 2019 WingTips.

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Results of the December 29, 2018 Wellington Christmas Bird Count

Forty-six species were counted. The two most species most numerous were the Canda goose and the European starling. View the full report in the March 2019 WingTips.

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Volunteers Needed for American Kestrel Conservation Program

submitted by Cathy Priebe

photo by Dave Lengyel

The Black River Audubon Society in compliance with the Lorain County Metro Parks and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy are together sponsoring a conservation program to help promote nesting sites for the American kestrel. The kestrel, a beautifully marked bird and smallest of the raptors, has been rapidly declining and measures to protect it are once again being implemented this year.

Volunteers are urgently needed to assist with this program in order to ensure its success. We are asking property owners who may already have resident kestrels to consider placing a nest box on their land. All interested land owners and volunteers will be given instructions on what is required to maintain and monitor the nest boxes. Five kestrels successfully fledged and were banded from a box located at Lorain County Community College last year. �We are hoping for more fledglings this year,� said Larry Wilson, head coordinator of the BRAS kestrel project. �We need landowners who have seen kestrels in their area to contact us soon so we can get more boxes installed.�

Volunteers are also needed to help install telescoping poles for the boxes so as to make monitoring the boxes easier. It is important that new nest boxes are in place before kestrels begin searching for nesting locations, usually by the middle or near the end of March. "A lot will depend on how frozen the ground is, but we could start installing boxes by the end of February," Wilson said hopefully.

If you are interested in volunteering your time setting up boxes or would like to inquire about placing a kestrel box on your property, please contact Larry Wilson at 440-752-0336 or email at spaltydog@outlook.com.

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Hummingbirds at Home

This is an Audubon citizen-science project for people who love hummingbirds. More info here.

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Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

In the April/May 2010 National Wildlife Magazine, experts chose the top spring birding spots. One of the experts, Kenn Kaufman, chose the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area/Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. He says it is the warbler capital of the world and among the top five spring birding destinations in North America.

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