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Parched, cracked earth may be one sign of global climate change. This photo shows an area in Guilford County during a recent drought.
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Save the Songbirds:
Climate Change & Birds
What: Monthly Meeting
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 14 (refreshments at 6:45 p.m.)
Where: KCE Family Branch Library at Price Park, Greensboro
Who: Heather Hahn, Executive Director, Audubon North Carolina
Heather Hahn, Audubon North Carolina's Executive Director, will present the latest information collected by the National Audubon Society regarding the effects of climate change on birds over the next 65 years.
Audubon scientists have determined that of the 588 North American birds 314 of them are at risk of losing 50% of their habitat by 2080. Even worse, the data gathered over the seven-year Audubon study, predicts that 126 of our birds will lose 50% of their habitat by 2060.
These predicted losses are only from climate change and do not take into account effects from other causes. This is a greater level of detail than we have ever had about which birds are threatened and where.
Heather will discuss with us what we can do today and tomorrow to shield our birds from these climate change effects. She says, “This new information about the threat climate changes poses to birds will add clarity and urgency to our work in a way that few things have before.”
Heather is a wonderful speaker and delightful person and we are indeed lucky to have her at the Audubon helm in North Carolina. Please join us for this program and discussion about saving our birds.
Climate change is the elephant in the environmental room and we need to talk about ways to shoo it out the door. Join us about 6:45 for snacks, drinks and conversation.
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Let's Visit Richardson-Taylor Nature Preserve
What: Second Sunday Nature Walk
When: Sunday, May 10, Meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Whole Foods parking lot, 3202 W. Friendly Ave., for carpooling
Where: Richardson-Taylor Preserve, Guilford County
Our Second Sunday Nature Walk on May 10 will be to one of Guilford County’s newest natural areas, the Richardson-Taylor Preserve.
This 444-acre preserve has walking trails down to a marsh and beaver dam where there is a colony of Red-headed Woodpeckers. We often see Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, and Broad-winged Hawks soaring above the marsh from an overlook platform that was constructed as an Eagle Scout project. Red-winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows and Belted Kingfishers are common in the marsh.
The trail through the upland portion of the preserve passes through a pine forest, a large patch of American Holly, and deciduous hardwood forest. The forest floor has several interesting native wildflower species including an uncommon fern and at least four species of small orchids.
The woodland is home to Wild Turkeys, deer, ‘possums, raccoons and other critters, although we’re likely to just see their signs in the middle of the afternoon.
As usual, we will meet 1:45 next to Friendly Avenue in the Whole Foods parking lot, 3202 W. Friendly Ave, Greensboro, NC 27408. We plan to leave at 2:00. If you would prefer to meet us at the site, we plan to be there about 2:25. For GPS purposes, the Richardson-Taylor Preserve is just east of 451 Plainfield Road, Greensboro, NC 27455 (a private residence not part of the preserve) about half way between Lake Brandt Road and Church Street.
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Wood Thrush, a species we will look for that is in peril due to climate change
Beginning Birder Walk on May 17
Join us for our Beginning Birder Walk on Sunday afternoon, May 17, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. We will meet in Price Park in front of the KCEF Branch Library, 1420 Price Park Road, Greensboro. It’s near the intersection of Hobbs and New Garden roads.
As we’ve said for our earlier beginner walks, this is designed to be a fun, laid-back experience especially for beginners, although more experienced folks enjoy these walks, too.
The emphasis is on learning to identify birds using clues such as size, shape, markings, habitat, and behavior; and we have fun finding and watching the birds in a relaxed, no-pressure setting. It won’t matter if we make mistakes because we’re here to learn and have fun doing it.
As in the past, we’ve called it a walk, but there won’t be much walking involved. We’ll be in Price Park around the KCEF Branch Library. We’ll walk slowly, check out the bird feeders, and practice building our identification skills by watching common birds.
This outing is especially for people who think of themselves as beginners. The knowledgeable birders in our group started at the beginning, and we will, too.
We won’t even need binoculars! Birds can be identified without binoculars or field guides, which are just tools to make it a bit easier. On the other hand, if you have them, bring them. We’ll talk about how to use these tools, and we’ll try to answer any questions participants have.
As always, supervised older children are welcome, but no pets, please. We hope that you’ll join us for this late spring/early summer bird walk on Sunday afternoon, May 17!
Contact the leader, Dennis Burnette, at deburnette@triad.rr.com, if you have any questions.
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The April Second Sunday Nature Walk was a delight for 26 participants. We found three different species of salamanders, and several people got down and dirty in the creek at Guilford College Woods to find them.
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Hummingbirds at Home: Helping Hummingbirds in a Changing World
From the National Audubon Society
When you travel, do you like to plan your destination in advance? Do you like to know where you will stay and dine when you arrive? Hummingbirds like to know this too.
Hummingbirds must sync their migration with the flowering of nectar-bearing plants so that they can refuel after their long journeys. They can lose as much as half of their body weight during their migration. But what if they migrated and rather than finding their expected nectar plants, they found wilted flowers dry of nectar?
Scientific research will be essential for helping to understand how climate change is affecting hummingbirds and for learning how to mitigate those impacts. But it’s not that simple. Collecting the necessary scientific data across large areas is difficult and costly.
That’s where you come in. You can help make a difference for hummingbirds by becoming a citizen scientist. Thousands of volunteers now routinely go out and record feeding hummingbirds through Audubon’s newest citizen science program, Hummingbirds at Home. The purpose is to gather data that will help Audubon better understand how changing flowering patterns and supplemental feeding by people relate to the timing of hummingbird migration and breeding success. Moreover, we can learn how hummingbirds are impacted by feeders, non-native nectar sources in gardens, shifting flowering times, and climate change.
You can help protect hummingbirds by capturing this crucial data with just a few clicks. It’s easy – just submit your observations using Audubon’s free app for smart phones or through the Hummingbirds at Home website.
To get started, go to hummingbirdsathome.org
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Calendar
May 2 (Sat) Spring Bird Count. Contact: Elizabeth Link 336-273-4672
May 10 (Sun) Second Sunday Nature Walk: Guilford County Open Space Preserve – Richardson-Taylor Nature Preserve
May 14 (Thur) Program: “Save the Songs: Climate Changes and Birds” Speaker: Heather Hahn, Executive Director of Audubon North Carolina
May 17 (Sun) Beginner’s Bird Walk at the KCEF Library starting at 1:30 PM, joint program with PBC
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