Monday, September 29, 2014

The Bird Crew is Back!


Northern Cardinal, also called a Redbird traditionally, Cardinalis cardinalis.
After a two-year hiatus, the Bird Crew is back in action. Need a refresher on what the Bird Crew does? We strive to educate interested folks on campus about the bird life that surrounds us on this beautiful campus by offering guided walks, where we will teach participants bird identification skills, including how to ID birds by their songs and calls. See our first post for a fuller description of what we hope to bring to the campus community.

We will also begin to offer a movie night, showing both Nature Documentaries like the BBC’s Life of Birds with David Attenborough and fun bird-related feature films (Alfred Hitchcock, anyone?). Behind closed doors, the Bird Crew works on small projects like designing a short field guide to the common birds of WWC and sorting through the bird specimens in our Biology lab that our classes use. We’ve installed Barn Owl boxes with the Wildlife Department to encourage these majestic owls to inhabit the edges of our farm fields—the species is suffering population declines due to habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea
So come check us out, walk the trails, learn how to recognize a bird or two! We can’t wait to meet you!


Here is our schedule:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 (8-9:15am)
On campus walk with Charlie on the River Trail.
We will provide binoculars and field guides
.
Meet by the fountain in front of Morse.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 (9-11am)
On campus walk with Nora on the River Trail and to Owen Ponds.
We will provide binoculars and field guides
.
Meet by the fountain in front of Morse.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 (8-9:15am)
On campus walk with Nora on the River Trail.
We will provide binoculars and field guides
.
Meet by the fountain in front of Morse.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8 (7-9 pm)
Movie night in Morse 208
"The Life of Birds" with David Attenborough (two 50-minute episodes)


FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 (8-9:15am) HOMECOMING
On campus walk with Nora on the River Trail.
We will provide binoculars and field guides
.
Meet by the fountain in front of Morse.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 (8:30-11am)
Birding at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary
We will provide binoculars and field guides.
Meet at the loading dock at the back of Witherspoon. PLEASE RSVP so we know what type of van to bring! Thanks!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 (8-9:15am)
On campus walk with Charlie on the River Trail.
We will provide binoculars and field guides
.
Meet by the fountain in front of Morse.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27 (8-9:15am)
On campus walk with Nora on the River Trail.
We will provide binoculars and field guides
.
Meet by the fountain in front of Morse.


WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 (7-9 pm)
Movie night in Morse 208
Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"