Stokes Birding and Photography Tour

Roseate Spoonbills

White Pelican

Reddish Egret

Pied-billed Grebes

 American Alligator

Brown Pelican chasing Double-crested Cormorant

At our annual Stokes Birding/Photography fundraiser tour for J. N. Ding Darling NWR, I had a tram full of photographers who I taught and we all had wonderful photo ops. Here are some of the photos I took with the Canon SX 50 camera. The tour occurs on friday when the refuge is closed to the public so we all had the refuge to ourselves. All funds raised go to the refuge.

Reddish Egret, the rarest wading bird in North America!

Reddish Egret, J.N. Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel, FL recently, doing it's typical "drunken sailor" hunting behavior to catch fish. This is the rarest wading bird in the country according to authorities, with populations dropping. Research (by the Avian Research and Conservation Institute) on these birds is going on at J. N. Ding Darling NWR, with some (not this one) being fitted with satellite transmitters so more can be learned about its movements, habitat and feeding needs. Reddish Egrets need a relatively rare foraging habitat: just the right depth of water, a clear, firm sea bottom, the right tidal movement, and the right kind of small fish. They also need undisturbed nesting areas. Of the ones studied at Ding Darling so far, they have learned that these birds are very local in their movements, not moving very far. (Canon SX 50 camera in Sports Mode photos). We have seen 6 at a time foraging in Ding, so that is prime habitat for them, good thing it's protected!

Which Birds Are Most At Risk and How You Can Help!

Reddish Egret

Loggerhead Shrike

Snowy Plover

Red Knot

Painted Bunting, these are all on the lists of birds most a risk.

There's an amazing new list of the Conservation Assessment of Total Bird Diversity in the United States Including a Complete List of Birds of the United States with Conservation Rankings. The list is based on a study by the American Bird Conservancy, the first ever study to include the full range of bird diversity in all 50 U.S. states and U.S. dependent territories. Alarmingly the study found that one third of these birds need conservation attention. 

Here's the list of the most At-Risk birds in the 50 U.S. States. 
Gunnison Sage-Grouse
Sitka Sooty Grouse (ssp)
Lesser Prairie-Chicken 
Black-capped Petrel

Pink-footed Shearwater
Ashy Storm-Petrel
Hawaiian Storm-Petrel
Reddish Egret
Yellow Rail
Black Rail (both ssp)
Gulf Snowy Plover (ssp)
Alaskan Marbled Godwit (ssp)
Eastern Red Knot (ssp)
Kittlitz’s Murrelet
Guadalupe Murrelet
Scripps's Murrelet
Craveri’s Murrelet
Red-crowned Parrot
S. CA Olive-sided Flycatcher (ssp)
S. FL & Is. Loggerhead Shrikes (ssp)
S. CA Pinyon Jay (ssp)
Kauai 'Elepaio
Hawaii 'Elepaio
Eastern Bewick’s Wren (ssp)
Bicknell’s Thrush
SF Bay Common Yellowthroat (ssp)
Mangrove Prairie Warbler (ssp)
Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow (ssp)
Eastern Painted Bunting (ssp)
Maui 'Alauahio (Maui Creeper)

What can you do to help conservation? Here are some things,

- Look at the list and familiarize yourself with what birds need help

- Join and participate in national, state and local organizations that are working to conserve bird populations.

- Educate others about the importance of conserving birds

- Share your love and knowledge of birds with others, including kids. People will be more ready to conserve the things they know and love

- Become a better bird identifier and get involved in citizen science projects such as,

ebird

Christmas Bird Count

North American Breeding Bird Survey

ProjectFeederWatch

- Drink Shade Grown Coffee

- Plant a bird friendly yard with native trees and shrubs and eliminate the use of pesticides, get our Stokes Bird Gardening Book

- Prevent window strikes 

- Keep cats indoors it's safer for them and birds.

- Donate your old binoculars to conservation through Birders' Exchange

- Reduce your carbon footprint 

If we all don't help conserve birds, who will?