http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/05/nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on Rooting for Citizen Scientists! Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:47:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/05/nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on/comment-page-1/#comment-29 Darlene Mon, 12 May 2008 13:04:35 +0000 http://sciencecheerleader.com/?p=30#comment-29 Thanks, Martine. I think I'm thawing to birds now. Your lovely account of your bird watching experiences may very well help turn many others onto bird watching. As detailed in the Cornell Ornithology site, tracking the migratory habits and populace of birds is critical to monitoring our global environment so any effort to learn more about birds is a worthy one. And, of course, anything I can do to impress my family and friends (like stroking a birdie to sleep in the palm of my hand) is A-OK with me! Thanks, Martine. I think I’m thawing to birds now. Your lovely account of your bird watching experiences may very well help turn many others onto bird watching. As detailed in the Cornell Ornithology site, tracking the migratory habits and populace of birds is critical to monitoring our global environment so any effort to learn more about birds is a worthy one. And, of course, anything I can do to impress my family and friends (like stroking a birdie to sleep in the palm of my hand) is A-OK with me!

]]> http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/05/nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on/comment-page-1/#comment-4170 Darlene Mon, 12 May 2008 13:04:00 +0000 http://sciencecheerleader.com/?p=30#comment-4170 Thanks, Martine. I think I'm thawing to birds now. Your lovely account of your bird watching experiences may very well help turn many others onto bird watching. As detailed in the Cornell Ornithology site, tracking the migratory habits and populace of birds is critical to monitoring our global environment so any effort to learn more about birds is a worthy one. And, of course, anything I can do to impress my family and friends (like stroking a birdie to sleep in the palm of my hand) is A-OK with me! Thanks, Martine. I think I’m thawing to birds now. Your lovely account of your bird watching experiences may very well help turn many others onto bird watching. As detailed in the Cornell Ornithology site, tracking the migratory habits and populace of birds is critical to monitoring our global environment so any effort to learn more about birds is a worthy one. And, of course, anything I can do to impress my family and friends (like stroking a birdie to sleep in the palm of my hand) is A-OK with me!

]]> http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/05/nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on/comment-page-1/#comment-28 Martine Decamp Mon, 12 May 2008 12:56:07 +0000 http://sciencecheerleader.com/?p=30#comment-28 Oh!.... I'm one of those people who honestly, used to think bird-watching was for.....errr, not for me. Funny enough, after doing the usual stints that anybody with a degree in Ecology is good for (waitressing and cookie-baking) I finally found an internship in my field ---travelling through Texas, living in pitched tents, and watching and capturing bronzed cowbirds. First month was slow. I had a jar of instant coffee grounds that I downed with a splash of water, waiting for the d**ed birds to show up and do something. We were infested by ticks, shunned by locals who didn't like the East Coast, driven out of a camp-ground by a forest fire, bored out of my mind... After a while, I started warming up. The bronzed cowbird puffs himself up like a vampire and dances and sings in front of his female, then circles around her. If the female accepts, they start going at it, singing the whole time in bliss (so amusing). I learned how to capture birds in nets, and hold them in the palm of my hand --if they are on their back, they don't fly away. (I actually used this technique when I returned home and we had a bird stuck in the garage --impressed the whole family). Once we started travelling further south in more sub-tropical areas-oh my god. There are about 500 gabillion species of birds in the tropics with color splashes all over their bodies, unique whistles, and honest to goodness, personalities. I went to Costa Rica last year, and was excited when I saw a toucan sitting on a tree, and whatever else I saw (rainy season, so not much). But, now I see it!!! Maybe not in the northeast, but go to the tropics! Oh!…. I’m one of those people who honestly, used to think bird-watching was for…..errr, not for me. Funny enough, after doing the usual stints that anybody with a degree in Ecology is good for (waitressing and cookie-baking) I finally found an internship in my field —travelling through Texas, living in pitched tents, and watching and capturing bronzed cowbirds. First month was slow. I had a jar of instant coffee grounds that I downed with a splash of water, waiting for the d**ed birds to show up and do something. We were infested by ticks, shunned by locals who didn’t like the East Coast, driven out of a camp-ground by a forest fire, bored out of my mind… After a while, I started warming up. The bronzed cowbird puffs himself up like a vampire and dances and sings in front of his female, then circles around her. If the female accepts, they start going at it, singing the whole time in bliss (so amusing). I learned how to capture birds in nets, and hold them in the palm of my hand –if they are on their back, they don’t fly away. (I actually used this technique when I returned home and we had a bird stuck in the garage –impressed the whole family). Once we started travelling further south in more sub-tropical areas-oh my god. There are about 500 gabillion species of birds in the tropics with color splashes all over their bodies, unique whistles, and honest to goodness, personalities. I went to Costa Rica last year, and was excited when I saw a toucan sitting on a tree, and whatever else I saw (rainy season, so not much). But, now I see it!!! Maybe not in the northeast, but go to the tropics!

]]> http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/05/nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on/comment-page-1/#comment-4169 Martine Decamp Mon, 12 May 2008 12:56:00 +0000 http://sciencecheerleader.com/?p=30#comment-4169 Oh!.... I'm one of those people who honestly, used to think bird-watching was for.....errr, not for me. Funny enough, after doing the usual stints that anybody with a degree in Ecology is good for (waitressing and cookie-baking) I finally found an internship in my field ---travelling through Texas, living in pitched tents, and watching and capturing bronzed cowbirds. First month was slow. I had a jar of instant coffee grounds that I downed with a splash of water, waiting for the d**ed birds to show up and do something. We were infested by ticks, shunned by locals who didn't like the East Coast, driven out of a camp-ground by a forest fire, bored out of my mind... After a while, I started warming up. The bronzed cowbird puffs himself up like a vampire and dances and sings in front of his female, then circles around her. If the female accepts, they start going at it, singing the whole time in bliss (so amusing). I learned how to capture birds in nets, and hold them in the palm of my hand --if they are on their back, they don't fly away. (I actually used this technique when I returned home and we had a bird stuck in the garage --impressed the whole family). Once we started travelling further south in more sub-tropical areas-oh my god. There are about 500 gabillion species of birds in the tropics with color splashes all over their bodies, unique whistles, and honest to goodness, personalities. I went to Costa Rica last year, and was excited when I saw a toucan sitting on a tree, and whatever else I saw (rainy season, so not much). But, now I see it!!! Maybe not in the northeast, but go to the tropics! Oh!…. I’m one of those people who honestly, used to think bird-watching was for…..errr, not for me. Funny enough, after doing the usual stints that anybody with a degree in Ecology is good for (waitressing and cookie-baking) I finally found an internship in my field —travelling through Texas, living in pitched tents, and watching and capturing bronzed cowbirds. First month was slow. I had a jar of instant coffee grounds that I downed with a splash of water, waiting for the d**ed birds to show up and do something. We were infested by ticks, shunned by locals who didn’t like the East Coast, driven out of a camp-ground by a forest fire, bored out of my mind… After a while, I started warming up. The bronzed cowbird puffs himself up like a vampire and dances and sings in front of his female, then circles around her. If the female accepts, they start going at it, singing the whole time in bliss (so amusing). I learned how to capture birds in nets, and hold them in the palm of my hand –if they are on their back, they don’t fly away. (I actually used this technique when I returned home and we had a bird stuck in the garage –impressed the whole family). Once we started travelling further south in more sub-tropical areas-oh my god. There are about 500 gabillion species of birds in the tropics with color splashes all over their bodies, unique whistles, and honest to goodness, personalities. I went to Costa Rica last year, and was excited when I saw a toucan sitting on a tree, and whatever else I saw (rainy season, so not much). But, now I see it!!! Maybe not in the northeast, but go to the tropics!

]]> http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/05/nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Kitty Tue, 06 May 2008 20:38:48 +0000 http://sciencecheerleader.com/?p=30#comment-23 With over 2,300 NestWatch participants, we are starting to see our database grow, with New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania leading the way for the most number of reported nest attempts. With over 2,300 NestWatch participants, we are starting to see our database grow, with New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania leading the way for the most number of reported nest attempts.

]]> http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/05/nest_watching_sounds_awfully_boring_but_read_on/comment-page-1/#comment-4168 Kitty Tue, 06 May 2008 20:38:00 +0000 http://sciencecheerleader.com/?p=30#comment-4168 With over 2,300 NestWatch participants, we are starting to see our database grow, with New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania leading the way for the most number of reported nest attempts. With over 2,300 NestWatch participants, we are starting to see our database grow, with New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania leading the way for the most number of reported nest attempts.

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