Green

At the Mic: Brian Quindlin Brian "BQ" Quindlen is an elementary school teacher in Garnet Valley School District and the Upper Main Line YMCA Earth Service Corps coordinator. BQ is celebrating his eleventh year at the Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and has served as lead coach for the World Series of Birding teams for the last six years. An active birder in the northeastern United States, BQ is a member of the conservation organization Friends of Exton Park and leads bird walks for the Cape May Bird Observatory. --=====-- New Jersey Audubon Society celebrated the 30th annual World Series of Birding on Saturday, May 11th and for the first time a youth team took home the cup! The Upper Main Line YMCA’s “B.B. Kingfishers”, comprised of three high school students from suburban Philadelphia, tallied 186 bird species for the historic win. Senior Director of Youth Development Brian Raicich (left) and birding coach Brian Quindlen (far right) stand with the B.B. Kingfishers and the Urner Stone Cup, won for achieving the highest bird count of the World Series of Birding. Center: Nathaniel Sharp, 17, Ben Bussmann (captain), 18, Austin Smith, 16 (Photo by Kriston J. Bethel)  The B.B. Kingfishers hail from the Upper Main Line YMCA Earth Service Corps, a teen environmental service-learning program in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. The team’s captain, Ben Bussmann, 18, and his teammates Nathaniel Sharp, 17, and Austin Smith, 16, participate in our year-round YMCA program. In addition to the B.B. Kingfishers, the YMCA was also represented by the middle school team, Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck, Brant! Yusuf Romaine-Elkhadri, Liam Gallagher, Connor Simpkins, and team captain Tyler DiAndrea came in second place in the middle school division with an impressive 157 species. Team captain Ben Bussmann, a senior from Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, tipped his hat to all of the younger competitors at this year’s World Series of Birding awards ceremony. “I’m really proud of all the youth teams,” Bussmann remarked. “Of the top 12 teams, five of them were youth teams.” He is a seven-year veteran of the World Series of Birding with many career highlights, including one middle school division victory, one high school division victory, and now, the coveted Urner Stone Cup. Ben will be attending State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry this August. Austin Smith, 16, Ben Bussmann (captain), 18, and Nathaniel Sharp, 17, scan the trees in Stokes State Forest (photo by Brian Quindlen). Nathaniel Sharp is a junior at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, and his Urner Stone Cup victory marks his fourth year competing in the World Series of Birding. A meticulous and academic birder, Sharp is an active member in the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club and participates regularly in local Christmas and Spring Bird Counts. Last year, Sharp’s World Series of Birding team took home the high school division championship. The third B.B. Kingfisher, Austin Smith, is a five-year veteran of the World Series of Birding. A sophomore at Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Austin has captured one middle school division title during his years as a competitive birder. One of Smith’s most prominent mentors is his older sister, Dani Smith. Dani is an Ornithology Department intern at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and a decorated YMCA Earth Service Corps and World Series of Birding veteran. Marsh Wren at Jake’s Landing, NJ (photo by Brian Quindlen). This is my sixth year as the YMCA Earth Service Corps coordinator, and one of my responsibilities is to act as the lead coach for our World Series of Birding teams (in addition to my full-time commitment as an elementary school teacher). I began my career as a birder for the YMCA during its first year of competing in the World Series high school division eleven years ago. Once I graduated high school, I returned to th

Sequester guts wildfire prevention, sets up bigger blazes #green

Econ River Wilderness AreaThis morning I got up early and went to the Econ River Wilderness Area, hoping to see or hear a Common Nighthawk. No luck there, but the early morning foggy light was really nice, so I took the above photo of some trees in the fog. And on the way back to the car, a singing Eastern Towhee became very photogenic. For some reason, I get my best towhee pictures at the Econ River WA.Eastern TowheeEastern TowheeEastern Towhee

We recently jumped on the butterfly-watching wagon, but the drought conditions here in the Valley made for slim pickin’s. Recently, however, we have had plenty of rain. (Thunder rolls around us as we write this.) The rain has sparked a surge in plant growth and along with the new growth has come a new crop of butterflies. It is shaping up to be an interesting summer.

Opine away. Via cartoonist Stephanie McMillan

Spring Green Preserve is an awesome place for the nature photographer; there's something for every nature enthusiast to enjoy and appreciate. From fascinating insects and reptiles, wildflowers, to beautiful scenery, and of course, lots of interesting grassland birds. Given yesterday's gorgeous weather, it was an excellent place to spend my afternoon. Prickly Pear CactusOn the scenery side of things, I finally got to see the landscape of the prairie without the oak barrens that used to be in the southwest corner by the parking area. It's somewhat perplexing to consider this an improvement, as it was habitat for a multitude of bird species, including Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Brown Thrasher, and others. Aesthetically, it shielded the prairie from the road and town and also provided a degree of sound proofing. Steve Richter, The Nature Conservancy's director of conservation in agricultural landscapes, explains why this clearing was done at this link.Lark SparrowIt didn't take long to find a few Lark Sparrows. Spring Green Prairie is one of the few places in Wisconsin where this species can be observed in respectable numbers. This particular sparrow moved down from its perch to investigate something along the sandy trail.A little bit further down the trail, I found another handsomely perched Lark Sparrow surveying its domain. As sparrows go, these are especially attractive birds. I love their head and face patterns; every topological plumage feature is accented with stark contrast and color. Plus, they have an amazing song that's full of sweeping notes, trills, chips, and whistles.At first glance, the prairie's wildflowers seemed little subdued, but the keen observer will find flowering gems like this Blue Toadflax (below). There was also Birdsfoot Violet, Hoary Puccoon, Cream Wild Indigo, and more. You could spend all day simply appreciating the prairie's unique flora. It changes every couple of weeks, too, so a return trip may yield an entirely different wildflower experience.Blue ToadflaxAnother bird I was hoping to see was the Grasshopper Sparrow. They're a member of the genus ammodramus, which are my favorite sparrows. This particular bird was perched on the west side of the trail, so I didn't have an especially good angle on the late afternoon light. Still, the backlighting gave the sparrow pleasing chestnut color accents that aren't as apparent with direct light. He sang on and off the entire duration of my visit.Grasshopper SparrowAll images © 2013 Mike McDowell

Today I’m showing you Dan Louche’s Tinier Living tiny house. He’s the owner of Tiny Home Builders and you’ve most likely seen his other tiny houses: Tiny Living here and here Tiny Retirement here and here Tinier Living: A Really Tiny Tiny House Even though it’s super small one it’s well designed so that it feels much larger than it is, thanks to smart window placement. I just love Dan’s designs. I’m a big fan of his work and would proudly own one of his homes. Interior You can see the most recent interior photos although the house isn’t completely finished yet. I’ll send out an email update once I get completed photos in. Notice the micro storage loft above the entrance. Cabinets still need to be installed below. View of the Sleeping Loft with Windows Floor Plan The house is 12′x8′ with a road height of 13’5″. Loft height is 3’2″. For more details and dimensions for the house including buying the plans click here. Dan also offers a construction guide, videos on building tiny houses and workshops. Join our free daily tiny house newsletter here. If you found this post useful “Like” and share using the buttons below and as always the action is always in the comments below. Thanks!

Tens of thousands of endangered birds have been shot, trapped and poisoned on one of England’s largest shooting estates with the approval of the government agency responsible for protecting the species, a Guardian investigation has found. The government has licensed an annual cull of lesser black-backed gulls on the Abbeystead estate on the Bowland Fells in Lancashire for decades, officially to stop water pollution. However, some experts believe the culling was also partly to protect grouse shooting interests. ‘Confusion’ over the legal protection status of the lesser black-backed gullhas allowed culling to continue, despite its population crashing in recent years. Photograph: Ellie Rothnie/Alamy Abbeystead gull cull map The regulator Natural England now admits that, since a government-led bird conservation review occurred in 2001, “confusion” over the legal protection status of the species has allowed the culling to continue, despite its population crashing in recent years. Chris Packham, the BBC Springwatch presenter and naturalist, has described the situation as a “travesty” and the RSPB is now calling for an urgent review. The 23,500-acre Abbeystead estate was bought in 1980 by a trust “on behalf” of the Duke of Westminster, one of the UK’s richest landowners. The duke’s Grosvenor Estate manages the Abbeystead estate, which hosts pheasant and grouse shoots. The estate was first allowed to cull the gulls in the 1970s on the grounds that droppings were polluting the watercourse. The licence to cull was last renewed by NE in 1999. But a former Abbeystead gull surveyor has admitted that the culling has been conducted, in part, to protect the “economy of the shooting estates”. The species is known to eat grouse eggs. Documents released to the Guardian under freedom of information laws show that techniques deployed over the years have included the use of a poison called alpha-chloralose, cannon-netting, gas guns, flag waving, falconry and shooting. Until 2003, 4,000-10,000 birds a year were being poisoned on the estate, according to one NE document. It is not known which culling techniques have been used since then. The bird is a migratory gull with dark grey wings and distinctive yellow legs and bill. It has “amber” conservation status due to “serious concern about declines in many parts of its range”. The UK, which it visits to breed during the summer months before returning to Portugal and west Africa in the winter, is home to 40% of the European population and more than half of these are found at fewer than 10 sites. NE surveys of the Abbeystead population obtained by the Guardian show that in 1998 the Bowland Fells site of special scientific interest had recorded a peak population of 13,776 pairs. In 2001, 18,080 nests with eggs were recorded. The surveys concluded that a baseline of 6,768 breeding pairs – the average population from 1983-87 – should be maintained in Bowland, but that a “loss of more than 25% is unacceptable”. However, in 2012 the NE survey showed that pairs had fallen to the lowest level since records began in 1980, with just over 1,000 nests with eggs at Abbeystead/Tarnbrook. It warned that the “entire Bowland population is significantly below the level at the time of SSSI notification and is considered in unfavourable and declining condition”. The survey also reported “significant and widespread culling and disturbance measures” in the area in 2012. In 2001, government adviser the Joint Nature Conservation Committee published a review of the UK’s Special Protection Areas, the sites classified in accordance with the European commission’s birds directive, which seeks to legally protect endangered species and their habitats. It concluded that, alongside the hen harrier and the merlin, the gull was now a “qualifying species” within the Bowland SPA because it “supported a population of European importance”. However, 12 years later, the official SPA citation

Pulling up weeds to soften the nest. Moving things around. Getting more comfortable. Showing off. Almost looks like a two-headed swan. At first I thought the black swan was flirting but I think he was pushing the white swan away from his nest which was right on shore where they were swimming. There are a couple of light gray swans at the lake. I’ve heard two versions of these swans. One person told me it was a juvenile black swan and would turn all black later. Another person told me it was an offspring of a black and white swan. I can’t find any information on gray swans that is concrete. Anyone have an idea? I did learn that the term “black swan and gray swan” are financial terms used to identify uptrends and downtrends in the economy. I thought it was only bull and bear. How’d that white pelican get in the picture? Does he think he’s a swan? There are still a few of them hanging around the lake. They should be home up north by now. Not a swan but a great blue heron. Hanging out along the edge of the lake with the swans. Just a few things I saw walking around Lake Morton looking for babies. Goose, duck, swan. They will all be having babies soon.

Memorial Day is just around the corner, and you know what that means: It's the official kickoff of the summer barbecue season! While you may have enough to do to get the party started, here is...