Summer 2016 | Sea Island Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2016

APPS FOR BIRDERS Some birders help scientists track certain species. by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. With a few simple questions and location information, the app helps birders sleuth out the animal they just spotted—or heard—and learn about the species in their area. TOP PHOTO BY STEPHANE BIDOUZE/SHUTTERSTOCK Birds of a Feather Though there are plenty of resources for budding and experienced birders to learn more about the pastime, many enthusiasts love the hobby for the opportunities to interact with its active community. Some bird-watchers put their skills to work helping scientists track species populations at public bird counts. “This is a valuable contribution for scientists and land managers to know where birds are at different points of the year,” Gordon says. One of the most popular is the Great Backyard Bird Count, a four-day event that takes place every February and includes birders in more than 100 countries. A similar program, Project FeederWatch allows birders to contribute to national ornithological data by providing information about the species that visit their feeders, gardens and birdbaths every winter. Birders that want to participate in the research year-round can log onto eBird. org. Founded in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the site is an online tool that records species sightings 365 days of the year. Attending festivals is an equally useful way to learn about birds and meet other enthusiasts. These events take place all across the country; for instance, The Biggest Week in American Birding spans 10 days in Ohio every May. The schedule for participants includes guided birding tours, workshops in photography and bird identiﬁcation, and presentations from distinguished speakers. Top Birding Haunts Because bird populations span both urban and rural locales, bird-watching enthusiasts can attend events and even spot unique species in cities. “Last winter in Washington, D.C., we had snowy owls,” Mizejewski says. “Birding can be as simple as looking in your own backyard.” Though Mizejewski has had the experience of being surrounded by blue-footed boobies in the Galápagos Islands, he says his best birding experience was seen from the window of his car outside of Washington, D.C. While sitting in rush-hour trafﬁc, he watched a bald eagle swoop to stealthily retrieve a ﬁsh from the Potomac River. However, reserves, refuges and parks are often the best places to glimpse rare birds or coastal species. The National Wildlife Foundation has highlighted some of the best places for birding in the U.S. On the list is Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a band of barrier islands in North Carolina, where terns and jaegers abound and bird lovers can venture on land or sea expeditions. Also mentioned is Louisiana’s Grand Isle, where springtime is ﬁlled with migrating songbirds such as vireos, tanagers, orioles and grosbeaks that rest in forests called oak cheniers. On the opposite side of the country, the Copper River Delta east of Cordova, Alaska, is a remote locale, but the sight of numerous tundra swans, cranes, dunlins, sandpipers and other waterfowl reward ardent birders willing to travel. In fact, up to 20 million birds stop on the 65-mile stretch of land on their way to the Arctic, including raptors such as peregrine falcons. “There are enough bird species in the world that will keep a birder busy for a lifetime, but it’s not such an overabundance that it’s hard to tell one bird apart from another,” Gordon shares. “And you don’t have to approach birding as an academic discipline. Learning about birds, especially in your own area, is within everyone’s grasp.” ❍ PETERSON FIELD GUIDES An easy

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