COFFEE WITH THE BIRDS
Event Discussion Resources
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON Coffee with the Birds and how to join the MUG CLUB: https://news.miottawa.org/2021-cwb/
To pre-submit questions for discussion at a future CwB event: https://forms.gle/YfrXBMyfH9Qx8FmE8
Birding Resources Page: https://www.miottawa.org/Parks/birding.htm
To register for public programs with Ottawa County Parks: www.miottawa.org/Parks/programs.htm
March 6th, 2021
Cleaning Feeders & Bird Baths
The Spruce: Bird Feeder Cleaning Tips
All About Birds: How to Clean Your Bird Feeder
VIDEO: Leslie the Bird Nerd – Why EVERYONE should keep their Bird Feeders CLEAN
The Spruce: How to Clean a Dirty Bird Bath
Audubon: Why You Should Keep Your Birdbath Clean
Attracting Cardinals
Bird Watching HQ – Attracting Cardinals
Bird Watching HQ – Feeders for Cardinals
March Migrants & Songsters
Be on the lookout (and keep an ear open) for these birds as March progresses. For more information and on each of these species and to hear their songs, go to: AllAboutBirds.org For a sampler video of what birding there is to come very soon, check out the Maplewood Park Virtual Birding video below.
- Singing Cardinals, Titmouses, Chickadees, Mourning Doves, House Finches, Song Sparrows, etc.
- Drumming Woodpeckers
- Red-winged Blackbirds & Grackles
- Killdeer
- Horned Lark, Snow Bunting & Lapland Longspur in farm fields (see video below)
- Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets
- Sandhill Cranes (flying overhead)
- Waterfowl (as lakes thaw out)
VIDEO: Virtual Bird Walk Maplewood Park – 3/26/20
VIDEO: Winter Birding – Farm Field Flocks – 2/20/21
Binoculars
Choosing Binoculars (1:02:50)
Birds of Ottawa County Book:
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (invasive species)
Bird Feeding and Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (Video segment from CwB)
VIDEO: CwB Behind the Scenes
Birding Tidbit – Bird Profile: Tufted Titmouse
All About Birds – Tufted Titmouse
American Bird Conservancy – Tufted Titmouse
A Life-History Study of the Tufted Titmouse (1957)
February 13th, 2021
Backyard Bird Count
Bluebirds & Robins in Winter
Stokes Birding Blog – How to Help Bluebirds Survive Winter
AllAboutBirds.org Bluebird Range Map and Migration
eBird E Bluebird Animated Abundance Migration Map
American Bird Conservancy – Do American Robins Migrate?
AllAboutBirds.org American Robin Range Map and Migration
eBird A Robin Animated Abundance Migration Map
Cleaning Bird Feeders & Bird Baths
The Spruce: Bird Feeder Cleaning Tips
The Spruce: How to Clean a Dirty Bird Bath
All About Birds: How to Clean Your Bird Feeder
VIDEO: Leslie the Bird Nerd – Why EVERYONE should keep their Bird Feeders CLEAN
Winter & Spring Birding Programs
Winter Birding Field Trips 2/20/21 Register using links below:
Winter Waterfowl (10am-1pm)
Birding the Barrens (2pm – 5pm)
Spring Birding Programs (and ALL Ottawa County Parks Programs) Register Online at:
www.miottawa.org/Parks/programs.htm
Barrow’s & Common Goldeneye
USFWS Waterfowl Identification – Goldeneyes
AllAboutBirds.org – Barrow’s Goldeneye
AllAboutBirds.org – Common Goldeneye
Long-tailed Duck Videos
Long-tailed Duck up close diving and preening
Long-tailed Duck synchronized diving flock on Lake Michigan
Ovenbird
eBird Ovenbird Animated Abundance Migration Map
January 9th, 2021
Snowy Owl Identification
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Owl/id
https://www.thespruce.com/snowy-owl-identification-385992
https://naturescapeimages.wordpress.com/2017/12/14/snowy-owls-2017/
https://www.dvoc.org/OrnithStudy/Presentations/Presentations2012/Snowy%20Owl%20plumages.pdf
US Fish & Wildlife Feather Atlas: https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/browse.php (click “list all species” and scroll down to “Snowy Owl” for images of feathers seen in program)
Migration and Tracking: https://www.projectsnowstorm.org/
Snowy Owl Viewing
OCP Safe & Respectful Snowy Owl Viewing: https://news.miottawa.org/snowy-owl-viewing/
Respectful Observation: https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/respectful_observation.html
Taking Photos the RIGHT way: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/winter-2016/let-pro-teach-you-how-take-great-owl-photos
Don’t Feed Owls: http://www.projectsnowstorm.org/no-need-to-feed-snowy-owls/
http://www.graysharbortalk.com/2015/01/15/snowy-owl-damon-point/
Videos:
Great Horned Owl Hooting
Great Horned Owl Overview and Recordings: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/overview
Great Horned Owl Vocalizations (International Owl Center): https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/ghovocalizations.html
Great Horned Owl vocalization and associated behaviors (Scientific Paper): https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/uploads/1/0/3/1/103197186/great_horned_owl__bubo_virgianus__vocalizations_and_associated_behaviours.pdf
Feeding Birds Suet
Suet: A Bird-feeding Staple: https://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/wildlife/suet-bird-feeding-ze0z1712zmcg
Historical Record by Florence Merriam Bailey in her 1898 book “Birds of Village and Field” (click image to read)
How to Make Suet:
Leslie the Bird Nerd VIDEO: https://youtu.be/2Z0u5T44lvA
Suet: https://baltimorebirdclub.org/by/suet.html
How to Make Homemade Suet for Birds: https://www.thespruce.com/simple-bird-suet-recipe-386579
Will wild birds eat bacon grease? http://lansingwbu.blogspot.com/2011/11/will-wild-birds-eat-bacon-grease.html
Bird Videos:
Huge Common Redpoll Flock Video: https://youtu.be/QO_ytEH1Tvs
Rare Smew Video: https://youtu.be/NFxHoIz8Ki8
December 5th, 2020
Birding Expo – Videos:
Owashtanong Islands Audubon Society: https://youtu.be/M6510YeeIJk
Muskegon Nature Club: https://youtu.be/WF2iRys6_EQ
Grand Rapids Audubon Club: https://youtu.be/ksiuZVKD46M
Holland Audubon Club: https://youtu.be/aQNe9gqSof4
2020 Photo Contest Video Slide Show
Birds of Ottawa County; An Annotated Checklist (VIDEO):
To order: https://www.miottawa.org/Parks/birding.htm
Video: https://youtu.be/dVWXl60mfy4
Bird Irruption Links:
Lesley the Bird Nerd 2020 Grosbeak Irruption Video: https://youtu.be/_pTgJcH_ZGY
Finch Network: https://finchnetwork.org/
https://finchnetwork.org/irruption-alert-evening-grosbeaks-are-moving-in-largest-numbers-in-20-years
https://finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-2020
https://birdsandbuds.com/2018/12/28/winter-bird-irruption/
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/inside-the-massive-winter-irruptions-known-as-superflights/
Bird vs. Mirror Problems:
https://www.thespruce.com/stop-birds-attacking-windows-386449
https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/birds/birds-attacking-windows
https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/american-robin-valiant-challenger
http://courantblogs.com/photo/2012/06/birds-of-a-feather/
Northern Saw-whet Owl:
Rockefeller Christmas Tree VIDEO: https://youtu.be/knbQsU7dNgQ
Carolina Wren – Climate Change Range Changes
https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/atlas/bird/7180
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/carolina-wren
“Cassiar” Dark-eyed Junco Sighting during CwB
We witnessed a “Cassiar” Dark-eyed Junco at the feeders during the event. Watch at 37:50 in the video and then again at 41:02. This unusual sub-species of Junco is a hybrid of Slate-colored and Oregon Juncos, giving it a scientific name of Junco hyemalis cismontanus. Read more at the links below. Look for the “cismontanus” photo on the 2nd link for a match to our bird.