KidsWhoBird featured speakers!

This Thursday, Dec. 15, our KidsWhoBird will be doing their own presentations for the Baton Rouge Audubon Society monthly program.  Alex will be talking about his experience at the ABA Young Birder's Camp this past summer.  Claire, Cole, and Steven, will be talking about their own bird experiences.  Come one, come all!  Meeting is at 6:15pm at Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center in southeast Baton Rouge.  Come early and get a Christmas cookie!

Raptors!

At our November meeting we'll be talking about birds with big, pointy...feet!  Raptors, to be precise. Eagles, Hawks, Kites, and Falcons...all manner of fierce and wonderful birds.  We'll talk about how to tell them apart when you see them flying over, as well as fascinating facts about each type of bird.  Come one, come all!  And, of course, there will be cookies!

Alex and the Weird Birds

Sounds like the title to a great story!  Come hear Alex's story about his adventures this summer at the American Birding Association Camp in Colorado Springs, CO this summer.  Alex was awarded scholarships from Baton Rouge Audubon Society and LA Ornithological Society to be able to attend this camp.  He came back stoked and ready to share his experiences.

Because it's October and a good time for weird and wonderful, we'll also talk about weird and wonderful birds!  Bring your favorite picture or book about weird birds to share.

One of my favorite weird birds -- Roseate Spoonbill!  Who coulda thunk up such a bird?

And, as always...there will be cookies!

Meet future ornithologists!

Our next mtg is Thursday, September 22nd. I have asked 3 ornithology students to come and talk to the group. I've asked them to share how they got interested in birds, some of the adventures they've had related to birding and bird research and why they've decided to choose a bird-related field for their life's work. They're going to bring pictures and stories and it will be very interactive -- the kids will be able to ask all the questions they want. And, of course, there will be cookies :-) Hope to see everyone there!

Bird Walk and Hummingbird Talk!

The next KidsWhoBird meeting will be next Thursday, August 25 at 6:30 pm in Foster Hall on LSU campus. Since we'll still have some daylight left, we'll take a bird walk for a bit and see what we can see and then we'll talk about Hummingbirds and Fall Migration. The meeting will last until about 8pm. And, of course, there will be cookies!

Please let me know if you think you'll be able to come and how many to expect so I can buy the right number of cookies!

Field Trip!

We're scheduled to have a meeting next week, but it's going to be on WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, rather than Thursday because I'm going out of town on the 26th.

I've been trying to decide where to hold the meeting.  Since the days are longer and since the weather is still relatively nice, I thought it'd be nice to do a field trip and look for birds rather than be inside the museum.  Under normal circumstances, an alternative to The Enchanted Forest would be the levee by the Vet School.  However, with the current river situation, that's a no-no.  I've been trying to think of another decent birding location near downtown or campus.  I think what I've come up with is Pennington Biomedical Center&  Perkins Rd. park.   It's not too far from downtown/LSU but if go to the Pennington side, it shouldn't be overrun with people.

We will meet at the parking lot in Pennington at (or near) 6:30pm.  Take the entrance into Pennington from Kenilworth and go to the first parking area on the right.  I'll try to be there promptly at 6:30, but I have to come from downtown, so it will depend on traffic, of course.  

Here's a google map link that may help:
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=hilltop+arboretum&fb=1&gl=us&hq=hilltop+arboretum&hnear=0x86243867325f74cb:0x2123f1db91579a1d,Baton+Rouge,+LA&cid=0,0,6277665360031110389&ll=30.397753,-91.119039&spn=0.007662,0.016319&t=h&z=17

I'll bring the binoculars and the cookies.  Wear long pants and closed toed shoes -- we might go off trail to look for the Painted Bunting!

See you next week!

Wading Birds - and Happy Birthday JJ Audubon!

next KidsWhoBird club meeting Thursday 4/28 at 6:30 pm in Foster hall on LSU campus. Starts w/ bird walk and then we'll learn about Wading Birds (Herons, Egrets, etc). See you then!

Migration!

The next KidsWhoBird meeting will be next Thursday, March 24, at 6:30 pm at the LSU Museum of Natural Science. We'll be talking about migration -- spring is here and the migrating birds are starting to arrive! And, of course, there will be cookies :-)

Congratulations to Alex!

Congratulations to one of our KidsWhoBird Alex Haun who was the recipient of scholarships from the Louisiana Ornithological Society and Baton Rouge Audubon Society and will be attending Young Birder's camp in Colorado this summer! Go Alex!

The Raptor Show - Jan 20, 2011

The next KidsWhoBird meeting will be next Thursday, January 20, at 6:30 pm at the LSU Museum of Natural Science in Foster Hall on the LSU campus.

The subject this month will be raptors. Not the dinosaur "veloci-" kind but the kind with feathers -- specifically hawks, falcons, eagles and the like. The predator birds with sharp beaks and sharp talons who hunt for a living! Richard Gibbons, a PhD candidate in ornithology will take us back into the specimen area of the museum and do some show and tell about different raptor species. I've never even seen this part of the museum collection, so I'm really looking forward to it! We'll also probably have some other activities, and, of course, cookies! :-)

Let me know if you think you can make it! (Education@braudubon.org)

September meeting - Wed 9/29

The next KidsWhoBird Meeting will take place next Wed evening, Sept 29, from 6:30 to 8pm. We'll meet at the LSU Museum of Natural Science in Foster Hall on the LSU campus. The subject of our meeting will be Hummingbirds! We'll talk about our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and also learn about the western hummingbirds that come to visit us in the fall and winter. These tiny birds are miracles with wings and it'll be fun to learn all about them. As always, refreshments will be served!

Also, please mark your calendars for our event on October 2. Dr. Van Remsen has invited us back to his house for another banding session. In addition to some of the birds that we saw the first time, we may encounter some fall migrants this time of year. We'll meet at Dr. Remsen's house in St. Gabriel at 7am and stay for a couple of hours. If you think you'll be able to attend, send me a message and I'll provide driving directions.

Please let me know if you think you'll attend next Wednesday's meeting!

KWB Meeting Aug 25

KidsWhoBird will meet next Wed, August 25 at 6:30-8:00pm at the LSU Museum of Natural Science in Foster Hall on the LSU campus. This month we'll be taking a look at some birds up close and personal. The museum is lending us some of the bird study skins so we can look up close at the physical features of birds and talk about their characteristics and habits. You'll have a chance to look, to touch, to ask plenty of questions. And, as always, there'll be cookies! (We'll wash our hands first, Mom!) Please let me know if you'll be able to come.

--Jane Patterson
www.braudubon.org
www.kidswhobird.org

Meeting 7/28/2010 - Wading birds!

They're big, they're beautiful, and they're easy to identify...well, mostly :-) The next meeting of the KidsWhoBird club will focus on Wading birds -- herons and egrets and such. Louisiana is a wading bird mecca!

Meeting will be at the LSU Museum of Natural Science in Foster Hall on the LSU Baton Rouge campus from 6:30 to 7:30. At 7:30 (or so) we'll leave to go see some actual birds as they come in for the night to roost in cypress trees at the LSU lakes.



As always, refreshments will be served!

Please email me at Education@braudubon.org if you think you'll come to the meeting.

Visiting Wings of Hope Wildlife Sanctuary - May 2

The KidsWhoBird will have an outing on Sunday afternoon May 2nd, which is just right around the corner. We'll be visiting Wings of Hope wildlife sanctuary in Livingston. WoH takes in orphaned, abandoned, and injured wildlife and tries to rehabilitate them to life in the wild. Spring is a busy baby season for the sanctuary -- here's a video of some of the babies: http://vimeo.com/11034808. The website is located here: http://www.wingsofhoperehab.org/ We'll plan to meet there at 2pm and tour the facility to see the animals. It's really fascinating and I'm sure the kids will enjoy the experience very much. Families are welcome -- please let me know if you think yours can come! The address of the sanctuary is 20591 Abe Hoover Rd. Livingston, LA 70754 if you want to map the directions.

Trip to Bluebonnet Swamp

John shows Alex the location of an Eastern Screech Owl nest while on our bird walk at Bluebonnet Swamp

April Meeting 4/21

The April meeting of KidsWhoBird will be held on Wednesday, April 21 at 6:30pm at the Museum of Natural Science on the LSU Campus in Foster Hall. Since it's staying light out a little later these days, we'll start out with a bird walk and see how many species of bird we can find as we walk around the campus. After that, we'll talk about migration and discuss some of the other birds that are beginning to arrive now for the spring and summer seasons.

Binoculars will be provided for the bird walk. Cookies will be provided, too!

Hope to see you there!

Field Trip Sat 4/3

Field trip to Bluebonnet Swamp on Saturday. We have permission to go in early, escorted by local volunteer naturalist and photographer extraordinaire John Hartgerink. Please meet in the parking lot at 6:45am. We'll bird for a couple of hours and then visit the nature center to pay ($3/person) and see the exhibits and some of John's great photography. He says he knows where there are 2 Barred Owl nests this year! There is a threat of rain, and we'll cancel for heavy rain. Please RSVP if you plan to attend and give me a contact phone number so I can call you if we decide not to go.

Hope to see everyone there!

What a great day to band a bird!

Dr. Van Remsen invited the KidsWhoBird to watch him band local songbirds in his yard. The kids not only got to see and hold the birds, but also gained an understanding of the importance of banding to bird science. The kids (and adults!) all had a great time and we thank Dr. Remsen so much for sharing this with us and giving so generously of his time.

Click on the link below to view the photo album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/seejanebird/KidsWhoBirdBirdBanding03202010#

March Meeting - March 24, 2010

Our March meeting will focus on Birding by Ear. That is, learning about the sounds birds make -- calls, songs, etc. Since it's spring and the birds are singing up a storm, this is the ideal time to learn to tell them apart by their voices!

Our meeting will be at the LSU Museum of Natural Science in Foster Hall on the LSU campus. Email me (Education@braudubon.org) if you need directions. We'll start at 6:30 and wrap up about 8:00pm. Refreshments will be served.

Bird Banding - March 20, 8:30-10:30

Please join the KidsWhoBird club for a special event coming up on Saturday, March 20 from 8:30am to 10:30am. Dr. Van Remsen, whom many of you met at the LSU Museum of Natural Sciences, will be doing a bird banding demonstration for us that morning. The process for banding birds involves setting up a "mist net" into which the birds fly and from which they are gently extracted, and then a tiny aluminum containing identification information is applied to the bird's leg. The birds are released unharmed. Information regarding each bird is entered into a central database. This process marks the bird and helps scientists know where birds travel, how long they live, and other important scientific information. What's fun for us is that we get to see, touch, and photograph the birds up close! The attached picture of me features a beautiful Buff-bellied Hummingbird that was banded last week -- I got to hold it for a few moments when it was released.

Please look at your calendars, and if you think you can participate in this event, please send me an email and I will give you address and directions to
the location for the bird banding demonstration. I hope you will all take advantage of this great opportunity!

Our March meeting will be held on Wed. March 24. More info later for that...