February 6, 2010 10-Noon
Great
Backyard Bird Count
La Porte
Public Library Children’s Section
904 Indiana
Ave, La Porte
Potawatomi Audubon and the La Porte Library staff
will be on hand to assist students in navigating the
www.birdsource.org website in anticipation of the
Great Backyard Bird Count to be held nationally on
February 11-15, 2010. At this free event, students can
not only learn to navigate the website but they can view
the results from last year’s count and make a pine cone
feeder to take home, play games about birds, and hear
stories about birds. Read more about the Great Backyard
Bird Count in the following article.
February 11-15, 2010
Great
Backyard Bird Count
We encourage everyone to join tens
of thousands of everyday birders for the 13th
annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a joint project of the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon
Society. This is an opportunity for families, students,
and people of all ages to make an important contribution
to conservation. Participants will report their
sightings online at
www.birdsource.org. Everyone can take part, from
novice birders to experts, by counting as little as 15
minutes and reporting their sightings. This data helps
researchers understand bird population trends,
information that is critical for effective conservation.
Everyone’s efforts enable us to see what would otherwise
be impossible, a comprehensive picture of where birds
are in late winter and how their numbers and
distribution compare with previous years. Last year we
increased the total number of observations and encourage
every Potawatomi Audubon member to count birds for at
least 15 minutes once during the four days and report
their findings. Totals are reported by zip code so
check out the website.
April 15, 2010 6PM
Regular
Program Meeting
La Porte
Public Library
904 Indiana
Ave, La Porte
Kelly Bontrager, Department of Natural Resources,
Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology will present
a program “ Gypsy Moths and the Emerald Ash Borer”. We
will also have a presentation on how to identify common
Woodpeckers.
April 24, 2010 9 AM
Wildflower
Walk
Bluhm County
Park
3855 S 1100
West, Westville
Join us for a leisurely walk along a paved trail to
view the many wildflowers. Hepatica, bloodroot,
harbinger of spring, and trillium are just a few of the
wild flowers we should see. Meet in the parking lot.
May 1, 2010 9 AM
Kankakee
State Preserve
US Hwy 8
Join us for what has become an annual Field Trip.
This area is excellent for birding. Last year we
identified 22 different species of birds, everything
from the Great Blue Heron to the Magnolia Warbler.
May 8, 2010
Spring Bird
Count
This event is an opportunity to get out and view a
great variety of birds. Beginning birders will be
paired with experienced birders. Bring your binoculars,
birding guides, and dress for the weather. We will meet
at Luhr County Park at 7:30 AM. You can also go out on
your own but please contact Jim at 362-8109 for your
tabulation form and the area in which you will be
observing.
May 20, 2010 6 PM
Michigan City Public
Library
Regular
Program Meeting
Liz Ridenour, President of the La Porte Tree
Commission will present a program, “Landscaping Your
Yard for Energy Conservation” We will also have a
presentation on how to identify different Hawks.
June 17, 2010 6 PM
Annual
Potawatomi Audubon Picnic
Bluhm County
Park
3855 S 1100
West, Westville
Join us for a potluck supper. Bring your own table
service, drink, and a dish to share. Meat will be
provided. Bluhm County Park is an excellent place for
birding. There are a wide variety of birds because of
the varied habitat. The area has open fields, a
wetland, a pond, and woods. This is an excellent
opportunity to share our bird sightings.
|
Pileated Woodpecker
As seen at the feeder at the home of Joe
and Joan Wisniewski on Holmesville Road
Chickadees
Any inhabitant of a northern state who
has taken the time to get acquainted with his or her
surroundings is likely familiar with
 the
chickadee. This was the case even before W.C. Fields
and Mae West immortalized the little creature in the
film “My Little Chickadee” in 1940. It is a delightful,
saucy little (just a bit smaller than a sparrow) bird
which stays with us throughout the year. They make our
winters more enjoyable with their antics at our
feeders.
Chickadees are aggressive little tykes
with bright white and black coloring on the head, a
cream-colored breast, and black, white, and
gray stripes on the wings. Many patient
feeder tenders report that they can coax the chickadee
regulars to eat from their hand. These passerines eat
insects during the summer, so they enjoy suet, but they will
munch on sunflower and smaller seeds also.
Chickadees usually hang together in small
flocks throughout the winter, but pair up in breeding
season to find a cavity or nest box to raise a family.
Their call is a familiar background noise in our
neighborhood back yards, parks, and woodlands. Even
casual birders have little difficulty in recognizing the
namesake chicka-dee-dee-dee call or the
fee-beeee song notes. They have a pack rat
type of habit of hiding seed and dead insects in a
variety of places.
Chickadees seem to be able to remember
the location of a large number of these caches.
Most of the chickadees indigenous to the
midwest are black-capped chickadees. These are very
similar in appearance to the Carolina chickadee which is
more common in the southeastern US. The ranges of the
two species do overlap and they do interbreed.
Chickadees have been extensively studied
for their ability to communicate via subtle variations
in their song patterns. So these birds are not just
pretty faces, they’re also pretty smart! Ms. West
should truly have been flattered to be WC’s little
chickadee.
See the Projects Page for
updates on bluebird trails, the bird count and the
butterfly count.
SIGHTINGS:
Papa bluebird and
teenage offspring. Taken by Elizabeth Roman in her
backyard. |
