In November, Americans go to the polls to elect the 44th President of the United States. According to surveys by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), as many as 46 million people watch birds. This makes the bird watching community a potentially powerful force in any election–if it makes itself heard. From budgets to energy policy, many executive decisions will impact birds; so what should we be requesting of our next President when it comes to addressing our conservation priorities?
American Bird Conservancy’s report, American Birds: An Endangered Species Act Success Story, demonstrates how a strong Endangered Species Act can help restore populations of our most threatened birds. The next President needs to commit to a fully funded Act, and provide FWS with the direction, tools, and resources it needs to assess, protect, and recover endangered species and their habitats.
The next Administration’s energy policy will surely focus on the critical issues of global warming and energy independence, but it must also incorporate the immediate, direct effects that generating power has on our birds and other wildlife. Expanding corn ethanol production stands to drastically impact bird habitat; oil and gas drilling operations could continue eating away at our last pristine wildernesses; the growth of unregulated wind farms will kill more and more birds through collisions, and impact ever more grassland and forest species through habitat alteration unless addressed; and the coal industry is turning thousands of acres of bird habitat and miles of clear mountain streams in the Appalachians into desolate moonscapes through mountaintop removal/valley fill operations. Each of these and other energy issues must be comprehensively addressed by the next President.
White-breasted Nuthatch and House Finches at a Caged Sunflower Seed Feeder
Bird watching and wild bird feeding has become a fascinating and enjoyable pastime for many people around the world. We love watching the variety of birds visiting our homes and yards. If you are interested in setting up bird feeding stations around your home there are some things you need to know about different birds and their feeding habits as well as the different types of bird feeders available. Sunflower seed bird feeders come in many forms which serve different purposes.
The Caged Triple Tube Bird Feeder can not only be used for feeding sunflower seed but can be used for feeding three different types of seed at once. The tube parts of the feeder that hold the seed are fitted with metal ports (on the quality tube feeders) that will help stop house sparrows from raiding your feeder. Also the cage around the tubes keeps your sunflower seeds safe from the larger birds like Jays and Grackles and keeps the squirrels out. Single Tube Caged Bird Feeders are also available if you want to feed only sunflower seed or one type of bird feed. [continue reading…]
This is our cat Ginger. She likes to get spanked and afterward, she reaches out for more. The important thing I want to convey here is that outdoor cats and feral cats kill 1 Billion (with a “B”) birds each year in the USA! This is a major concern for us birders and should be for all cat owners as well. Ginger is a twelve year old cat that hangs out on our porch and has never been a birder (or a mouser for that matter).
It is important that we educate the public about the dangers that feral and free-ranging domestic cats pose to birds and other native wildlife. Audubon Birdscapes has an excellent post on this subject with some great links to help folks understand the situation. After you check that out, go look at some of the other Camera Critters!
In November, Americans go to the polls to elect the 44th President of the United States. According to surveys by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), as many as 46 million people watch birds. This makes the bird watching community a potentially powerful force in any election–if it makes itself heard. From budgets to energy policy, many executive decisions will impact birds; so what should we be requesting of our next President when it comes to addressing our conservation priorities?
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