Bird Watching No. 2 hobby in Canada

By Robin Galenza. Canadian

Wildlife enthusiasts will soon be able to enjoy the beauty of the Camrose Creek valley and it may turn into a major tourist attraction if the Rotary Club of Camrose has its way.

The Rotary Club of Camrose broke ground on its butterfly garden, hummingbird sanctuary and crocus meadow June 26 after months of planning and discussions with experts in the field.

“The number one hobby of Canadians is gardening and number two is bird watching. At one time the Battle River valley had more songbirds than any other valley in Alberta and we would like to return to that... We are not here looking for funding, we’ve had extensive discussions with Leisure Services and with the Wildlife Stewardship project,” Rotarian Dan Olofson explained during a presentation to city council to outline the project last year.

The Rotary Environmental Park will include a butterfly garden, hummingbird feeders on the front of the teahouse and a crocus meadow. In addition, Olofson said they would like to develop the teahouse into an interpretative centre.

The club hopes that the camping area would continue to be used, but by attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to the area tourists will follow. In addition, converting the teahouse into an interpretative centre would attract school tours, turn the facility into a rest centre for trail users, provide food services for campers and attract tourists and people who like to look at gardens.

...tea houses, butterfly park and humminbird feeders will sure attract people for bird watching...

Camrose Canadian, Camrose, AB

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Hokie Bird Taken

If you've been to Blacksburg, you've seen them all around town. The Gobble De Art Hokie birds are becoming a popular sight. But one Hokie bird was taken from his perch at the Huckleberry Trail entrance early Sunday morning.

Leiutenant Joe Davis with Blacksburg police says "one of our officers was exercising on the Huckleberry trail and noticed that the Hokie bird that normally stands at the head of the trail, had been moved a couple hundred yards down the trail." So the officer picked up the bird and took him back to the Police department just a block over and kept him in their custody.

The bird is missing a toe and his hiking stick which was taken 2 weeks ago. But what may have been a funny prank will now end up costing the town some money. According to Diane Akers with the Blacksburg Partnership Foundation, each Hokie bird is insured but there's a $1,000 deductible. So the foundation will have to cover the first thousand dollars of the damage. For now, the police department is doing a little more "bird watching" and asks that everyone else does the same.

The bird will be taken back to the foundation's office where the artist will look it over to decide how it can be fixed, they'll also have to find a new home for the Hiking Hokie bird.

If you have any information please call the Blacksburg Police Department at 540-961-1150.,

...pranksters...

WSLS.com | Hokie Bird Taken

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Rare and Unique birds in Belum-Temenggor forest

By TAN CHENG LI.

New finds in the Belum-Temenggor forest give more grounds to preserve the forest.

SCIENTISTS have long believed that the Belum-Temenggor forest in Perak harbours countless rare and unique species, and recent findings back up this belief. The area’s 274 species-strong bird list has been bolstered by yet another one – the long-tailed jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus).

In early June, ornithologist Lim Kim Chye and his wife, Lim Swee Yian, spotted the bird swimming feebly in Temenggor Lake.

The long-tailed jaeger is a sea bird which breeds in the dry tundra of Russia, Alaska and Canada. To escape the bitter winter cold there, it seeks refuge in areas in the south Pacific, making it a very rare visitor to Malaysia.

The jaeger or skua is a sea bird which breeds in the dry tundra of Russia, Alaska and Canada. To escape the bitter cold winter there, it seeks refuge in areas in the south Pacific, making it a very rare visitor in Malaysia. The species was spotted only one other time –near Tioman Island in 1986. 

They normally visit open seas far from land, so it was a great surprise to the Lims, both Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) volunteers surveying hornbills in Belum-Temenggor, to find a jaeger stranded in the middle of Temenggor Lake which is some 100km from the closest seashore. 

Hornbills such as the great hornbill build nests in holes found in old tall trees. --Pictures by Lim Kim Chye

“The adult hornbills were very wary and silent when approaching the nest tree and would not go directly to the nest hole but will take several minutes, before going to feed the chick,” he says.

Started in 2004, the MNS hornbill survey aims to identify the birds’ feeding, nesting and roosting sites and conservation needs, especially that of the globally threatened plain-pouched hornbill. 

The sightings of the jaeger and great hornbill nest further support Belum-Temenggor’s position as an Important Bird Area known globally for its high bird diversity.  

It hosts all the 10 hornbill species found in Malaysia and has one of the world’s greatest concentrations of hornbills. Its old growth forest rich with fig and other large trees is most suitable for hornbills, which feed on figs and build nests in mature trees. 

However, wildlife in the 130 million-year-old forest, including the hornbills, now face an uncertain future as the Temenggor forest is being logged. The MNS has urged the Perak Government to stop the deforestation to protect the forest’s unique biodiversity.

...protect and safeguard Temenggor forest, its habitants and birds...

In need of safeguarding

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Scotland - Perfect for birdwatching

By GORDON MUNRO.

Scotland is a wonderful country and ideal for birdwatching in the summer.

Visit Muirshiel Country Park, Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire

How to get there: It's 18 miles south-west of Glasgow between Paisley and Largs on the A760 near to Lochwinnoch. Just down the hill from the visitor centre is a little picnic area with a few tables.

Chaffinches will come very close to you looking for titbits while you relax by the River Calder.

The reserve is ideal for all the family, as the trails, bird-watching hides and visitor centre are easily accessible.

In the winter you may see a wide variety of wildfowl and goosanders.

...Scotland and birdwatching...aye

The Daily Record - NEWS - PIC A PERFECT SPOT

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Bird watching is in Vogue

VISITOR attractions in Scotland are hoping for another bumper year after enjoying a 2.8 per cent rise in admissions last year.

If the good summer weather continues, it should be good news for Scotland's outdoor attractions.

Professor Lennon said: "Places like the Landmark Visitor Centre at Carrbridge do well because they have good indoor and outdoor facilities. They have terrific nature walks and a very good adventure playground as well as an excellent visitor centre.

"The Forestry Commission have also done a lot of work to attract visitors at places like Glentress in the Borders, which has become a great venue for mountain-biking."

They have set up a range of routes to suit all abilities and it paid off last year with a 26 per cent rise in visitor numbers from 268,000 to 339,000."

He added: "Bird watching and nature has been in vogue and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has done a lot of work promoting sites such as Insch Marshes on Spey side and the Osprey Centre at Boat of Garten.

...bird watching in Scotland sounds grand...

The Daily Record - NEWS - NATIONAL TREASURES: DIVERSITY IS THE KEY

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