Peregrines, Tree Swallows, Banding, Oh My!

June has indeed been a fun month for Junior Audubon! Instead of having our single program for the month, we decided that the opportunity to have two was just TOO good (heh, heh) to pass up. So we didn't! Last Friday (June 20th) we were so incredibly excited to have received the opportunity to witness one of Grand Valley State University's Biology Professors, Michael Lombardo, band Tree Swallows and other birds found on property owned by the university and used by Dr. Lombardo and his research team. So awesome! He walked us through the banding process and allowed us extremely close looks at the measurements that he took of the birds' beaks, wings, tails, etc. We even got to follow him and his research team to the nest boxes on site to see them extract birds to band. Dr. Lombardo and his team extracted one female Tree Swallow and one female Bluebird to band, as well as a couple of Tree Swallow nestlings. Club members and their parents walked away that day having learned about the significance of bird banding and how the process is conducted. This is especially awesome because there aren't many places where birds are banded in Michigan. The closest station to us is Kalamazoo, which would be a bit of a hike for our crew to make for a program. So yes, we were VERY thankful to Dr. Lombardo and his team for having allowed us to come out to GVSU for the morning and observe his station! 

Our second program for the month of June took place on Saturday, June 21st, at GVSU's downtown campus in Grand Rapids. We invited local Peregrine expert Elaine Kampmueller to present on her work with the now-famous falcons and show us the nest boxes that are placed atop of the Kent County Courthouse building downtown. She did us one better, however! She not only gave an excellent presentation on the falcons that interested both adults AND kids, but later led the group up to Crescent Park where everyone had the chance to peer through a scope and observe the falcons showing off their aerial acrobatics. It's as if the falcons sensed they were being watched by some of their biggest fans; they were so active! On top of that, the weather was clear and beautiful. What more could we have asked for? A big thanks for Elaine for teaching us about our feathered celebrities as well as for tipping the birds off that we were watching them ; ) 

Dr. Lombardo checking our female Bluebird for ectoparasites such as lice and mites. Those are the two most commonly found on birds such as Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. 

Little Caleb getting a look at the Peregrine Falcons at Crescent Park! 

Dr. Lombardo performing a beak measurement on a female Bluebird as club members watch intently.

Jenna watching anxiously as GVSU undergraduate assistants prepare to extract a female Tree Swallow to band.

Falcon watching atop the city! 

Watching on their own - our kiddos getting some looks for themselves! 

A Cause for Ceruleans

With its sky-blue plumage, distinctive white wingbars and adorably small size, the Cerulean Warbler is a strikingly beautiful bird that stimulates a great deal of satisfaction when you finally get a glimpse of it. These birds prefer to nest and hunt for insects in the canopies of large, deciduous trees and can be difficult to spot even after you hear their buzz-y song. Talk about a neck ache, this bird is the single muse for the popular term that birders use to describe the pain that one's neck experiences after being cranked back for long periods of time looking for it - Warbler Neck. Ask any birder, though, and they'll tell you that straining their neck to see this elusive warbler was worth every second. It's a beautiful bird, and it's in trouble.

The Cerulean Warbler is the fastest declining songbird in North America. Loss of habitat both in the U.S. as well as in the birds' breeding grounds in South America is the primary cause for such steep population plummets. Current estimates count the Cerulean population here in Michigan to be only around 1,000 birds, while the global population only totals around 560,000. This past weekend was a very important one for the Cerulean Warbler because of the annual festival that's put on by Michigan Audubon called Cerulean Warbler Weekend. The hardwood forests of Barry County are some of the last standing habitat for Ceruleans and provide the perfect opportunity for visitors and locals alike to see and learn more about the precarious songbird through tours and presentations.  

One young fan that the Cerulean has on its side is 10 year-old David C. David is a current member of Jr. Audubon and is really, really knowledgeable about birds. Ask him what rare birds he's seen and he'll list off birds like the Whooping Crane, of which there are about 600 in the entire world due to habitat loss and over-hunting. His appreciation of the Cerulean Warbler because and the opportunity to "see rare birds that you don't normally see" drew him to the festival where he and his dad participated on tours to see the Cerulean Warbler (with success!) as well as the near-threatened Henslow's Sparrow and other birds.

One thing that makes David such a fantastic young birder is his appreciation for birds as well as his desire to see them have a fighting chance of survival in a world that doesn't always prioritize habitat conservation. When asked about why it's important to protect the Cerulean Warbler, David confidently responded by saying "There's no reason to not to protect it. It was put on this earth and should have a chance to live." For being only 10 years old, that statement struck us as profound. How many people do we wish would make better choices about how they manage their lawns, properties, businesses and governments if they agreed with David in that animal and bird species should have a fighting chance at living alongside us on this planet? Wow.    

Something that also sets David apart is his affinity for getting up before sunrise. Unlike most kids his age, David uses the word "fun" to describe getting up early when looking for birds is involved. He and his family have at least six bird feeders as well as various houses on their property so as to aid birds in their daily struggles for survival. Such passion and enthusiasm for birds and conservation is REALLY exciting, don't you think? We certainly do. We were so glad to have seen David at Cerulean Warbler Weekend and applaud his appreciation of a bird that really needs our help. It's youth like him that are going to continue conservation efforts to protect our birds and their habitats in the future!

David C. standing proud next to this amazing banner o' birds. So awesome that he came!  

If you're interested in the Cerulean Warbler and want to know what you can do to help protect it, be sure to check out key note speaker Katie Fallon's book "Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird." Click here to purchase it!