Friday, July 14, 2006

Birdwatching by a Remote Monastery

On a trip last month through the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia, where we were reporting on the budding recovery of the Georgian winemaking traditions and efforts to combat wine fraud, we decided to take the long road back to Tbilisi, the capital, and use our travel time to tour Georgia's border with Azerbaijan. There, we heard, we would see not only some of the earliest and most remote sites of Georgian Christianity, but we might glimpse the beginning of the spring raptor migration, a wonder even more timeless. Our next appointment in Tbilisi was not until the night; we risked a few-hours jog off the main route.

The trip took us from the lush southern slopes of the Caucasus, the snow-cloaked peaks and black soils of Georgian wine country, to the semi-arid desert that borders the Azeri steppe. The road, a buckling stretch of Soviet asphalt that eventually gives way to a dirt track, passed from Sagarejo to David Gareji, an ancient monastery, where we planned to climb the dry ridge into the wind, to see what was soaring northward, bound for the breeding season ahead.

WHY: For me, watching birds has two principal meanings. First, it is about slowing down, about noticing. I have watched for birds since childhood, almost always as a complement to other things. This has been especially true in my fishing and hunting, where the process of entering the environment, and silently attuning yourself to water and land from which you hope to feed, opens your senses to the wild sights and sounds that envelop you throughout each day - if only you let them in. This occurs not just when I am outdoors in search of a meal. Birds are almost always there, somehow, to be seen on hurried walks to the subway station, or from passing trains and cars. Looking for birds allows me to pick up the currents and natural borders that a working life can obliterate from view and from thought. Even the most incidental bird watching delivers insights and affirmations about the vagaries of the seasons, the subtle shifts of streams and tide, the boundaries of vegetation and habitat, and motions of air, weather and planet.

Second, birds are about serendipity. They endlessly surprise. I rarely watch birds solely for the sake of watching birds, and have never been a list keeper, one of the highly committed birders who endeavor to see all of everything, by category. I cannot tell you my life "count," because I do not know it. I take what comes, and merely by watching, always looking, m
y memory brims with spontaneous sights.

The view from a cave near David Gareji, an ancient Georgian monastery

...one of the rarest birds the lammergeier, or bearded vulture, can be seen here if you are lucky...


Birdwatching by a Remote Monastery - New York Times

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Ten free things to love in Woburn - here's one birdwatching

By Megg Crook.

The summer, while wonderful, can seem long, especially if you have young kids home from school. Going to the zoo can get old and costly, so how about doing something free? And there are plenty of things to do in Woburn, you don’t even have to leave the city.

Why not pack a picnic lunch, and eat it on the grass anywhere along the pond. How about bird watching? Check out the WREN Web site (www.gowren.org) for tips and suggestions, then bring a pair of binoculars and see what you can find. Or, bring a Frisbee or soccer ball to throw or kick around. Take a few friends and start up a game. There are plenty of open areas around the pond for any type of activity.


10 free things to do in Woburn!

Go bird watching.

Attend a free concert.

Visit Whole Foods for their Sampling Saturdays. Or sign up for a cooking class.

Visit Horn Pond, help clean up trash, walk the trails, picnic or play a game in the grass.

Pick out a library book.

Write a letter to the editor.

Cheer on kids at a wiffleball game.

Volunteer at the Food Pantry.

Maintain a traffic island for a month. Attend Family Night, put on by the Recreation Department.

...bird watching is number one on the list...

TownOnline.com - Local News: Ten [free] things to love in Woburn

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Bird watching in Central Idaho

People in rural Central Idaho will get much-needed economic stimulus—and for Custer County (which is more than 95 percent federal land) we think that help is merited and long overdue. And, after all, a healthy rural economy is good for all Idahoans. Motorized recreation enthusiasts will get reasonable certainty as to which trails and areas around the Boulder-White Clouds will remain for enjoyment by their families, particularly trails they have identified as priorities. Idaho families and visitors who prefer to find quiet recreation under their own power—for bird watching, fishing, camping, hunting, hiking, and so much more—will have the assurance that long favorite, but unprotected, wilderness haunts will at long last get the protection of law.

The way we see it, CIEDRA will go down in the books as a historic landmark for Idaho: good for the land, good for the economy and good for our communities.

...quiet recreation and bird watching...

Idaho Mountain Express: Let's protect the Boulder-White Clouds - July 14, 2006

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It's all Bird Talk

By Sarah Harasymchuk.

An array of dead birds, a swooping hawk and a bright telescope adorn the Interpretive Centre, which attracts many tourists in the summer months.

Tom Brighouse, secretary of the Shuswap Naturalist Club, helps manage the centre."

The purpose is to keep Salmon Arm aware of its need to keep in harmony with nature."

The centre's name stems from the fact that it is a place to go to interpret nature."

We're trying to interpret the natural values of the bay for anyone who will listen."

Brighouse has been in love with birds since he was six."

Oh, we were always looking for birds' nests," Brighouse reminisces. "We collected birds eggs.
That was before the age of enlightenment."

Brighouse grew up in the country with three sisters in England. Now that he has more free time in his retirement, he has travelled around the world looking at birds.

Some of the places he has been include Portugal, India, Pakistan and Costa Rica.He says the Interpretive Centre is a place for people to go who want to see the bay and find out about any kind of North American bird.

A computer in the centre plays the call of all types of birds, so visitors can walk along the trails and recognize the voices."

The first thing you do when you get out of the car is listen for birds," Brighouse says.Western grebes are a popular sight in Salmon Arm in the summer, one of the few breeding sites in Canada.

Although there were once more than five breeding grounds in B.C., just two are left due to interference by people, Brighouse says.

There are, on average, 50 grebes per year here. The best year saw 175 grebes and the worst five. The grebes are a rare bird to see, which makes them popular in Salmon Arm. They have dark feathers, long pointy beaks and eat slow-moving fish. Grebes continue to come here in part because of the large food supply. When they are excited and during mating, grebes do an energetic dance in the water.

Other common sights are osprey, ducks, geese and the great blue heron. Bald eagles and hawks nests can also be seen. Two hundred and thirty species of birds exist in this area.

Brighouse said some of the best places to spot the birds are from Peter Jannick Park, Heron View and the Prestige Inn. From these places there is a wide view of birds to the east, west and north, on land and water.

The Interpretive Centre also showcases many of these birds. The stuffed birds are purchased and donated.Brighouse said a question he is often asked is, "Are those real live dead birds?"

Other common questions are: "Where's the bathroom?" and "Why can't we have parking here?" he jokes. But he says tourists are definitely interested in nature."

It's all very exciting to lovers of nature," Brighouse said. "Natural values of Salmon Arm Bay are for everybody to find out."

The Interpretive Centre has an uncommon practice of counting birds weekly and has done so for the past eight years.

Doris and Frank Kime have been counting birds for more than 17 years."

What you miss, you miss and what you see, you see," Frank said.

He said it is important to count birds from the same location with the same telescope each year. He visits the Apple Yard, Raven and the Lakeshore Drive pull-in for his weekly counts.

The Interpretive Centre also boasts a butterfly collection.

The Naturalist Club maintains the centre on behalf of Nature Trust B.C., who owns the land.

There are two full-time staff at the Interpretive Centre and it is open seven days a week from June to October. The centre sees as many as 80 people a day in peak tourism season.

Anastasia Fominoff is one of the full-time workers.

Fominoff said she is there "to educate people on Salmon Arm Bay and the waterfront."

She has videos and pamphlets for any visitors to the centre. People can also pick up maps with the best places to go bird watching.

Although the centre is focused mostly on birds, there is also information on all wildlife found in Salmon Arm.

 







Bird talk: Salmon Arm Bay Nature Enhancement Society Interpretive Centre staffer Anastasia Fominoff shows a wood carving of a yellow-headed blackbird to Ryley Bender and Scott Swiston while Mariella McMahon looks over literature from the centre.

...so go visit and you may appreciate nature's gift

BCNG Portals Page

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What bird is that on Cayman Islands?

National Trust's "What Bird is That?"The National Trust is inviting everyone to join them and Peter Davey for a late afternoon of bird watching on Saturday 22 July at 4:00 pm. Suitable for all ages. Some binoculars and bird identification cards will be provided. CI$5 for Trust members; $10 for non-members.

...is it a bird?  well yes...

Cayman Net News: Local notices and information

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