Project FeederWatch

American Goldfinch at my Nyjer Feeder

Project FeederWatch

Project FeederWatch starts today, November 13th.

I am all signed up and look forward to counting the birds that visit my feeders for science. This project monitors the abundance of North American birds.

It is pretty easy. I choose two consecutive days to count, I choose Saturday and Sunday. I look out my window periodically during those days and count the birds. I record the highest number seen at one time of each species. This number I will enter online.

The numbers from Project FeederWatch have begin used in numerous scientific studies. By participating in this project, we are doing Citizen Science. It only costs $15 a year to support and take part in the project.

Or you can download the manual and tally sheet to keep records for your own knowledge and enjoyment. The tallies can be entered into your naturalist's journal.

I'll be posting about my FeederWatching throughout the winter.

Male Cardinal at my tray feeder with a peanut in his mouth

Naturalist News - November 2010

Here in Philadelphia...

The trees have lost most of their leaves. The beautiful golds, reds and russets colors are blazing against clear deep blue skies. There is a nip in the air. Winter jackets and hats have emerged from their summer slumber. They now are protection against the cold once again.

It is time to quiet down and flow with the season.





Nature Calendar

November  4 – 7, 2010 - Taurids Meteor Shower
November 6 - New moon
November 7 - Samhain
November 7 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 13 - First quarter Moon
November 17 - Leonids Meteor Shower
November 21 - Full Moon
November 28 - Last quarter Moon


What to observe right now

Birds - Winter residents begin arriving, last of raptors migrate
Flowers - The last of the goldenrods and asters bloom, dried flower stalks




What to photograph and draw right now

• fall berries
• acorns
• frost on grass and leaves
• mist rising from ponds, lakes and rivers

Photographs

• taking photographs on overcast days heightens the colors
• take photographs while standing in the shade, use cloudy white balance setting
• use the foliage setting on your point-and-shoot camera
• use the landscape mode to take landscape scenes

BBC News - Nature's sting: The real cost of damaging Planet Earth

BBC News - Nature's sting: The real cost of damaging Planet Earth

I always say it doesn't matter if you are an environmentalist or not, you will still pay the price for environmental destruction.

The damage we do to Earth's ecosystems is going to cost us.

When we have to start paying high costs for food, because farmers have to pay human workers to pollinate food crops, work bees and other pollinators did for free,

or when we have to pay landfill taxes,

or high costs for clothes due to floods damaging fiber crops,

then we will all be environmentalists.

The article discusses the costs humans will have to pay for environmental destruction.