From: Tom Patrick [wildlife@windstar.org]
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2006 10:59 AM
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August 14, 2006
August 14, 2006
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Dear Thomas,
TomP

Favorite Author Sally Roth, has a new book out entitled Bird-by-Bird Gardening and it is a dandy. Her style of writing makes you feel you are sitting in the outdoors having a conversation with her. Sally has spent a lifetime of watching birds from one end of the country to the other. "The great thing about gardening bird by bird is that you can start with just one of the ideas (in the book) for your favorite birds, then add others whenever you want," she says. "You'll discover exactly what particular bird families like best, in terms of natural habitat and food, so you can create a backyard that's best suited to their needs. And you'll find that gardening bird by bird will not only bring in your favorites, but beautiful birds that may have never before visited your backyard as well," says Sally. She also wrote The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible, Attracting Birds To Your Backyard, and Natural Landscaping.

Cardinals



















By Scott Shalaway
EVERY experienced birder knows that bird song and activity begins well before dawn. At the peak of the nesting season in May and June, robins and cardinals may begin singing before 4 a.m.

(Cardinals are usually the first birds that start singing by Robert J. Pavuchak, Post-Gazette)

As the nesting season winds down in July, however, the dawn chorus dims. I've noticed recently that by 8 a.m. only a few cardinals, House Wrens and Carolina Wrens are still singing. I wondered if the morning chorus had simply ended. So July 24 to 26, I got up at 4 a.m. and sat on the back porch to monitor the mid-summer dawn chorus.

Fortunately, on each of these three mornings, the sky was clear. Light intensity triggers bird song, so on overcast mornings, the first song of the day occurs as much as an hour later than when the sky is clear. The sun rose officially at 6:15 a.m., plus or minus a minute, on these three days. Here are the earliest times I heard each species during the three- day test: Read On


Shuttle Launch

By Deborah Zabarenko
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL--Alligators, Manatees and vultures share Kennedy Space Center with space shuttle Discovery, so for more than 40 years NASA has had to adjust to launching rockets in the middle of a national wildlife refuge.

NASA has redesigned its boats to protect Manatees, painted gravel to fend off terns and shielded sea turtles from launch pad lights. Most recently, it has tackled vultures with the Roadkill Roundup.

This effort to remove animal carcasses from local roads was prompted by the vultures that often circle the launch pad. As big as turkeys, these buzzards can get within flapping distance of space vessels, and Discovery actually hit one on its way into orbit last year. The collision did no apparent damage to the... Read On


fantail hummer2


By Bill Thompson, III
HUMMINGBIRDS are coming soon (if they haven't already returned to your backyard and garden).

(Fantail Hummingbird by Brandy Chloe)

Here are my top 10 things to do to attract (and keep) hummingbirds in your backyard:

1. Got bullies? Add more feeders in a clump! If you have one male hummingbird that is dominating your feeder to the exclusion of all others, there are two ways to afford your other hummingbirds a drink. One is to put up other feeders on opposite sides of your house, or out of sight of Mr. Bully. Of course, this may simply mean that you are setting up other fiefdoms for other male bullies. Perhaps a better solution is to add two or three more feeders in the vicinity of the first feeder. This will attract multiple hummingbirds, which will quickly cure your bully of his territoriality. He will not be physically able to fight off all the other hummingbirds, so he will give up trying.

2. Don't remove those spider webs. Hummingbirds use spider web as a main ingredient in their nests. Strands of spider web hold the nest together and to the branch upon which it is built. But wait, there's more! Hummingbirds also love to steal insects from spider webs. Insects are an important source of protein for hummingbirds, and they'll get them any way they can. How convenient for hummingbirds to have spider webs do the catching for them.

3. Add a mister to your yard. A mister is... Read On


Jackson Lake

Deborah Zabarenko
WASHINGTON, DC--Global warming puts 12 of the most famous U.S. national parks at risk, environmentalists said on Tuesday, conjuring up visions of Glacier National Park without glaciers and Yellowstone Park without Grizzly Bears.

All 12 parks are located in the American West, where temperatures have risen twice as fast as in the rest of the United States over the last 50 years, said Theo Spencer of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

(Jackson Lake at Grand Teton National Park by J. Paul Moore)

"Rising temperatures, drought, wildfires and diminished snowfalls endanger wildlife and threaten hiking, fishing and other recreational activities" in the parks, Spencer said in a telephone news conference. "Imagine Glacier Park without glaciers or Yellowstone without any Grizzly Bears." Most climate scientists believe... Read On


Polar Bears


Unexpected Guests
Perhaps this photograph by Sanford/Agliolo/Imagestate will help us cool down after record-breaking heat across the country.

For more nature photographs, see
the Gallery on WindStar's web site
and Nature's Best Photographs Album in the American Wildlife Blog.

Great Horned Owl


JAN MCINTYRE of Nashua, NH says a few years ago, just before sunrise on an April morning, her husband Tom awakened her. He had heard a loud, piercing sound and thought she might know what it was. She listened and it seemed to be coming from the road in the back of their house. Because of the trees they couldn't see what was making the sound, but it was a distressful cry and they were concerned. What they found it to be was... Read On

(Great Horned Owl by Tom Pfeifer)

LINDA RODGERS of Germantown, MD says the invasive stilt grass is taking over. " I have watched it invade our property for the past 5 years, not to mention the parks, roadsides, and yards around here. I love to walk in the woods, but even my footprints disturb the earth enough to allow the stilt grass to... Read On

MARLENE CONDON of Crozet, VA improves her habitat with a brush pile. This is "one of the easiest ways to attract wildlife. This assemblage of logs, twigs, and branches can provide shelter, nesting areas, and “homes” for numerous organisms. During the summer, ground-nesting mammals and birds (such as rabbits and Rufous-sided Towhees) might build nests at the bottom of the pile, " she says. After the logs have begun to rot... Read On

Tell us your favorite wildlife tips by clicking Here.

If you are registered to receive the FREE American Wildlife Blog, you can add comments to any of the articles, and if you want to pen your own article, send it to wildlife@windstar.org with the subject line "New Blog Feature."

That's it for this week. Be sure and sign up for the American Wildlife Blog for the latest commentary and please feel free to add comments of your own.

Have An EXCELLENT Day in your WILDLIFE HABITAT!

(Great Blue Heron with snake dinner by Leisa's Images)



Great Blue Heron

Tom Patrick
WindStar Wildlife Institute

phone: 301-293-3351

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