'Tis the Season for... BIRDS!

Photos by Roberta Ress

Migration season is upon us! Our old friends are returning from parts down south, either passing through on the way to their breeding grounds or opting to stay for the summer. If you aren't a birdwatcher, or "birder" as we like to call ourselves, I encourage you to give it a try! Contrary to popular belief, there aren't just a few types out there. Yes, we have blackbirds, and bluebirds, and "redbirds" (ahem, we call those cardinals); we have sparrows and hawks and finches (but do you know there are dozens of kinds of each of those?); we have "buzzards" (correction - vultures, and you may think they're gross, but wouldn't you rather have them than be walking around in corpses and poop up to your neck?) and "seagulls" (although they do live near the sea - usually - there's really no such thing as a SEAgull, but rather Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls and Laughing Gulls and... well, you get the point).

Did you know that there are over 10,000 bird species in the world?!? And here in the US (and Canada) at least 925 species have been documented. Birds are beautiful, birds are endearing, birds are fun to watch, birds are everywhere! The fun thing about being a birder is that no matter where you find yourself, you can ALWAYS find a bird nearby to observe! Stuck in a parking lot waiting for your wife to pick up a gallon of milk at the grocery store? Roll down your window and check out the maple in the median of the lot, I bet there's a bird to watch while you pass the time! Plus, we like to keep "life lists". That is, all of the species of birds you've seen thus far in your life. So, it becomes somewhat of a game... as you start to get better at identifying them, you become more obsessed with finding more birds for your life list, and before you know it... you're a birder! My dad was a birder long before I came along. Now we share that passion. We're having a contest to see which sees the most birds in 2009. FYI Dad- as of today I have 101, you? Mom has even started keeping a life list now. I'm telling you, it's addictive!

Bad news - our bird species are in decline, and face caboodles of threats every day of their life. Can you imagine, in a single month, traveling 2,175 miles non-stop (that's the Blackpoll Warbler), mostly at night, finally arriving at your destination, narrowly escaping being eaten by a creature easily over ten times your size with sharp teeth and menacing claws (that's a house cat), then ultimately slamming into a glass window (you didn't see it, it appeared transparent), making traveling all those miles futile? It happens every day, thousands of times over.

According to NewScientist, "By 2050, up to 900 species of land birds could be threatened by climate change and habitat destruction through activities such as logging. By 2100, the number of bird species on the World Conservation Union's Red List of threatened species may more than double." Check out my article to see what you can do to help!

Oh, and... if you're interested in birding? I suggest getting a pair of binoculars (more expensive really does equal better quality, but for beginning, go with what you can afford) and a Sibley's Field Guide (choose eastern or western depending on where you live), and... have fun! I'd be interested to hear about your experiences!

Human Trafficking and Homeless Pets

First off, I hope every one had a truly blessed Easter. After church, Rod and I had lunch with five friends, saw a matinee movie (Taken), and spent a Maggie Moo's giftcard one of my students gave me for my birthday (peanut butter and chocolate ice cream - yummmmm). I recommend Taken- very intense, but tells a story that needs to be heard. Many young women are trafficked worldwide each year in a sickening yet lucrative business. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women states "The United Nations now lists Mexico as the number one center for the supply of young children to North America. Most are sold to rich, childless couples unwilling to wait for bona fide adoption agencies to provide them with a child. The majority are sent to international pedophile organizations. Many times the children are snatched while on errands for their parents. Often they are drugged and raped. Most of the children over 12 end up as prostitutes. Hector Ramirez, a former deputy, or Mexican Member of Parliament, stated that "many of the state and city authorities [are] doing absolutely nothing to stop what is going on." (Allan Hall, The Scotsman, 25 August 1998)". It is absurd that acts such as these go on all around us every day, and truth be told could probably easily be controlled.

On another depressing note... why can't we as humans clean up our act and clean up our streets of homeless animals? If you want a pet, ask yourself- do I have the time and energy to devote what it takes to this new family member? And, will I view it as a new family member, or an object that I simply want to have power and control and ownership over? And, do I want it just because it's a cute cuddly furball at 15 pounds but once it becomes a slobbery 65 pound adult dog will throw it in a pen in the backyard and other than tossing food to it every day I'll have no interest in it? Or, perhaps, it's a cat, so if I decide I don't want it I can just turn it out on the streets. Argh! There is an orange and white kitty hanging around our house that seems to have no home. She's pretty friendly, if you take your time with her, but a bit timid. We see her sporadically, and yesterday noticed she's pregnant. We called the Fayetteville Animal Shelter to evaluate our options, and found out that they are SWAMPED - they received SEVENTY animals in a SINGLE DAY last week. A single day! This is one shelter in one city in one state in one country - and they received seventy unwanted unloved animals in one single day. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in the U.S. each year. This is inexcusable. PLEASE make sure, if you get a pet, that you are getting it for the right reasons! And PLEASE adopt from an animal shelter! Contrary to what many believe, animal shelters don't harbor nasty stinky ugly flea-ridden scoundrels, but some of the nicest dogs and cats, mutts and purebreeds, that you'll ever run across! Don't support breeders (and potentially puppy mills)- adopt a pet from an animal shelter! You can see pets for adoption in your area on Petfinder.com (and can even look them up by breed, age, etc.).

We got a GREAT dog from the animal shelter a year ago, who became fast friends with our old girl Haley. Scooter has really rounded out our family!

If anyone lives near Fayetteville and wants a sweet orange cat, leave a comment with your email/phone and I'll make it happen!

Oh How I Love Spring! (Why can't it be like this year round?)

There's nothing better than waking up to a sunny day with cardinals singing and being able to walk out on your back deck in a t-shirt and feel the warm sunshine! I pulled on my jeans and tennis shoes, grabbed the dog's leash and headed out to hike the Frisco Trail, part of Fayetteville's new multi-use walk/bike trail. I hit a sweet spot full of birds, and stopped to pish them in: Northern Cardinals, White-throated Sparrows, Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, Carolina Wrens, Carolina Chickadees and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets came to check me out. I was lucky, because the kinglet decided to give me his full-on display, flashing his ruby-crown at me numerous times. Haven't seen that in a while! After walking about 1.5 miles from my car and back, we proceeded to the Fayetteville Farmer's Market, where I saw my friend Richard from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter (with some adoptable dogs on display) and Marcia from Spay Arkansas (who, by the way, is hosting an art sale today if anyone is interested!). The place was packed! Most vendors were selling handmade crafts or cut flowers, but I did purchase some free-range eggs. If anyone is looking for something to do in the area on a beautiful spring day, check out my article on Travel in Northwest Arkansas.

Travels with Mom

Mom and I spent my spring break traveling through Kentucky and Indiana, touring historical sights and visiting friends and family (she grew up in Indiana, I grew up in Kentucky). A series of articles about our journeys are posted here on my blog, but the personal details aren't included, like how on the second night I got the chance to jam-out to Mountain's Mississippi Queen with my dad and little cousin Kasey on Rock Band, and visit with my Mammaw who I only see 2-3 times a year. Or how when at the Lincoln Birthplace Memorial there was an exhibit on "Women in Conservation" (since Obama designated March Women's History Month with a focus on women saving the planet), and alongside heroes of mine such as Rachel Carson and Jane Goodall they profiled - get ready - Sarah Palin. Yes, believe it or not, they included the devil herself, Mrs. I-hate-wildlife-and-want-to-shoot-wolves-from-airplanes-and-grant-permits-to-hunt-threatened-polar-bears Palin. After an email to the administration I was informed the exhibit was pulled and in the future information would be verified before being put on public display. Sheesh. Or how we got to visit the Winchester KY fire station, sit in the fire truck, and get a tour from my dear cousin Ashley. I recently found out that I am distantly related to Abraham Lincoln (my mother and others in my family are very interested in geneology, and Dana Brown has published a book on my great great grandfather Thomas Lynch, who was Abraham Lincoln's cousin), so I became very interested in learning about Lincoln on our journeys to his memorials/parks. In Spring Mill State Park (which was gorgeous), we saw a beaver and heard a Barred Owl in mid day, and photographed lots of sunning turtles (Painted perhaps?). On nearby Patoka Lake I got a lifer- Horned Grebe! There were 6 birds, but 1 was in breeding plumage- so cool! I wrapped up the trip by spending some time with my Nannie and Pappaw in Indiana, who I also see about twice a year. I sifted through some OLD family photos (we're talking early 20th century), taking some to have scanned and burned to a disc. My Pappaw has carved over a hundred ducks (and we're talking amongst the best carvings you've ever seen, he's INCREDIBLY talented), and I found an article the newspaper ran on him and his craft- he's amazing! Interestingly, I also found 2 photos of my grandparents as a young couple at Spring Mill, where we had just come from, in 1939, the year the park opened! These are posted in my Spring Mill article. I also had the chance to talk with my cousin Elizabeth about her upcoming trip to Africa (I'm so jealous!) and visit several other family members, not to mention the fact that I got great quality time with mom!