Stokes At Biggest Week in American Birding, Magee Marsh, OH, May 16th!

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Birders on boardwalk at Magee Marsh

We have been seeing beautiful migrant warblers coming into Florida for weeks and they and we are headed to The Biggest Week in American Birding Festival, Magee Marsh, Ohio "the warbler capital of the world." The festival is organized by Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Beautiful eye candy warblers gather on the south shore of Lake Erie before crossing and birders view them at close range from a boardwalk that runs through the important stop-over habitat at Magee Marsh woods.  We are giving a keynote talk there on Sat. May 16th at 4 pm and we will lead a special bird walk on Sun. May 17th at 8 am (for which you can register now). The festival runs from May 8-17th with lots of trips, speakers, birding vendors, warbler viewing and fun. We hope to see you there.

PAINTED BUNTINGS from every angle, eye candy

Painted Buntings are my favorite bird. That's why a Painted Bunting is cover image of our best-seller The Stokes Field Guide to Birds of North America. They're just an "Oh Wow!" wonder.

They're one of the most sought-after species for birders coming to Florida in winter.

We're lucky in that we have attracted them to our yard there. There a number of places where they can reliably be seen in winter, most notably at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, FL.

Here's a female Painted Bunting.

Painted Buntings can be attracted to bird feeders filled with white millet, a seed they favor. Here's a photography tip. Set up some perches near a bird feeder in good light with a background at a distance. Use a long telephoto lens and stay back quite a bit so as not to spook the buntings, or set up a photo blind. Then wait for the bunting to land on your perch.

Painted Buntings winter in the southern half of Florida and Cuba, Mexico and Central America. During spring migration, Painted Buntings may be seen at coastal southeast migration hotspots. The breeding range includes coastal southeast states, Gulf Coast states and up into OK,  KS, AR and MO. Occasionally they wander out of this area and have even been seen in New england. Wherever you see them you're lucky.

Unfortunately the eastern population of Painted Buntings has been in decline for several decades most likely due to habitat loss. A group of scientists are studying this population. You can help if you live in NC, SC, GA or FL by reporting your Painted Bunting sightings to the Painted Bunting Observer Team website.

Young Birders Unite!

There is now a Young Birders Network whose goal is to provide resources for young birders to connect and learn, while giving adults resources to help them. It's important to get kids involved in birding, as they are the future of this hobby and the future guardians of birds. Birds, like this Bald Eagle, can be such a magnet for budding birders. 

Kids need to be taken out into the field, allowed to look through optics and get close-up views of special birds.

Don letting some kids look through his scope.

They need to be guided by caring adults, who will be role models for the kids.

Martha Kreik, right, is a third grade teacher, who encourages lots of kids to learn about birds and says these children are the ones who will take care of these birds in the future.

There are many resources for young birders, ranging from school and nature organization programs to the young birders clubs springing up across the country.
The newly formed Young Birders Network is a coordination between Black Swamp Bird Observatory and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, for kids from 12-18. The young birders themselves wrote much of the content. There is even a Young Birders Club Toolkit for adults and young birders wanting to start their own club.
There is also a Young Birders Home Page of the American Birding Association website for kids 10-18, where kids can sign up for the ABA Young Birder of the Year Contest, find out about their Young Birder Camps, read their blog and connect with other young birders.
So if you are a young birder reading this, or an adult who wants to help young birders, what are you waiting for, get started soon!