You Can Make the World a Better Place for Birds
You Can Make the World a Better Place for Birds
Thank you for your support!
Have you ever tried to identify a warbler that’s perched high in a springtime treetop – with a video camera pointing right at you?
Ashley
Cameron
Donna
Harold
Miko
Will
That’s what six SWMLC friends graciously put up with one crisp, sunny morning this past spring when we followed them around with cameras and microphones while they tried to watch birds at Portman Nature Preserve. But we weren’t trying to trip up their game . . . instead, they were helping us make a fun, inspiring video that invites birders of all levels to make real contributions to global bird research while contributing to a local citizen science project, with global reach.
We know the birds are out there . . .
Our Birdathon Team counted 103 species in just one chilly day on Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s public preserves earlier this spring.
But we need more detail to truly understand how well these areas function as bird habitat – and we’re hoping that the birding community can help supply it!
SWMLC’s public nature preserves are amazing places for people to explore and enjoy the outdoors. But did you know that they also provide critical habitat for birds? From familiar backyard birds to rare and declining species, SWMLC’s nature preserves provide the food, shelter, nesting habitat, and migratory pitstops that birds need to survive.
SWMLC actively restores and manages over 4,000 acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife, providing the food, shelter, nesting habitat, and migratory pitstops that they need to survive.
But how well are we doing? Are these efforts working? Do the birds like what we’ve done?
We can’t ask them, so the next best thing we can do is count the birds that use and live in the preserves – and this is where we need YOUR help!
We’re asking birders – at all levels of expertise – to visit SWMLC preserves throughout the year, to watch and listen for birds, then record your observations on The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird app (it works on both Android and Mac, and is available for free on both Google Play and the App Store).
Your observations are important.
By using eBird to record them, you will make real contributions regarding bird populations to global research – and help SWMLC gain a better understanding of how, when, where, and in what numbers birds are using our public nature preserves.
So the next time you’re heading out to look for birds, please consider visiting a SWMLC public nature preserve – and then recording your findings.
You can help make the world a better place for birds.
This project has been made possible through generous funding provided by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative.
Sedge wren photo by Aaron Kortenhoven. See more of his work on Instagram.
Story and other photos by Amelia Hansen.
This project has been made possible through generous funding provided by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative.
Sedge wren photo by
Aaron Kortenhoven.
See more of his work on Instagram.
Story and other photos by
Amelia Hansen.
