The Next Birding Movie, Part 5: from Director Rob Meyer!

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Filmmaker Rob Meyer in action, on the set

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes:  Okay, here's the deal about being the director of a film.  It's like being God.  Only better, because people actually do what you tell them to do.

Or at least, that's what I would have told you a couple of years ago.  That was just based on impressions from things I'd read.  Cecil B. DeMille demanding that Victor Mature wrestle with a real lion during the filming of Samson and Delilah.  James Cameron screaming at the extras bobbing around in the water during the sinking scenes in Titanic.  And so on.  But until I visited the set of A Birder's Guide to Everything, I wouldn't have guessed that a movie director could be the most decent, kind person you could hope to meet.

I first connected with filmmaker Rob Meyer by way of an email introduction from our friend, the great nature writer Scott Weidensaul.  Scott told me that Meyer had a screenplay that involved birding, and he wanted some expert birder to read it over to see if it sounded plausible.  Of course I was intrigued enough to say yes.  

It quickly became obvious that this was no amateur with a pipe dream about making a movie.  Rob Meyer had solid credentials.  He had worked as a producer at Nova and National Geographic, and had received his MFA from the graduate film program at New York University.  He had already produced a short film, Aquarium, that had received awards at film festivals all over the world.

And the screenplay that he sent - coauthored with his friend Luke Matheny - was amazing.  Yes, it had birding as a central plot element, but it also had a wonderful story, well-defined characters, superb dialogue.  I was captivated.  (And I wasn't the only one: Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley had read the script, and had tentatively agreed to star in the film.)  I promised to help in any way I could.

So over the next few months, as Rob and his colleagues worked to pull together the funding to produce the film, I had occasional email contact about bird-related elements in the screenplay and in the plans for the set designs.  And finally in August 2012 I traveled to just north of New York City, to meet Rob Meyer in person and to watch a few days of the filming of A Birder's Guide to Everything.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, it was amazing to watch all the dedicated professionals working on myriad details on the movie set.  And it was impressive to see Rob's directing style.  The director is the person in charge, of course, but this director wasn't acting like a dictator - more like a "first among equals."  Rob is a young guy, and some members of the crew probably had been working on films before he was born, but he had earned their respect and he in turn respected their experience.  A powerful collaborative energy pervaded the set, everyone striving together to make the film as good as it could be.  

On one day we took over a local school, where the principal let us convert his office into the offices of the fictional "Birder's Way" magazine.  Here, Rob Meyer pauses to check out the monitors while several members of the crew are setting up the next shot. 

Working on a tight schedule and tight budget, working very long days, dealing with a billion pesky details, Rob obviously was under an extraordinary amount of pressure.  But it didn't show in his interactions with people: he was phenomenally courteous, thoughtful, and considerate to every single person involved, at any level.  In the innumerable discussions about how to set up each shot, he was respectful of every opinion, even if he ultimately wound up going a different way.  Whenever anyone helped out with anything - people delivering supplies, people serving as extras in the background of a scene - he made a point of personally thanking them.  When someone new arrived on the scene - even a birding consultant from Ohio - he went out of his way to make them feel at ease.

In short, Rob Meyer is a brilliant writer and director, but he's also the most thoughtful, courteous, considerate, kind person that you could imagine.  He's talented enough that he wouldn't have to be as decent as he is, so it's just a reflection of his genuinely good character.  That's part of the reason why I'm sure he's going to be hugely successful.  In the movies, you know, you want the good guys to win.  

Rob Meyer and Kenn Kaufman on the set of A Birder's Guide to Everything

I'm sure some of my birding friends are still waiting for birding content in this post (and more than the fact that I'm wearing a Black Swamp Bird Observatory T-shirt in the photo here).  Okay, consider this.  Rob Meyer himself is not a birder - or at least, he didn't become one until he started developing the film - but he takes this hobby seriously.  In a recent interview in IndieWire, he said that one theme of the film was "an ode to birding and the restorative power of nature."  In answer to a later question, he said, "I'm hoping everyone who sees the film wants to go birding."  When I read that, I thought, Wow!  What a great idea!  When the film The Big Year came out in 2011, its portrait of extreme birding may have seemed out of reach to the average person.  But in A Birder's Guide to Everything you have appealing characters going birding on a local level, in a way that should be accessible to audiences.  This film might make a lot of people decide that "Hey, I could do that!"  

Regardless of how it impacts the birding scene, I think this film will earn a lot of kudos and recognition for the talented young Rob Meyer.  Of course, I haven't seen the film yet!  But Kimberly and I are heading off to New York to attend the premiere, and we will report back after we see it!

As a final note, I enjoyed a longer interview with Meyer in which he talks about writing, acting, birding, and a wide variety of other things.  Clearly this is an individual who is thoughtful, original, and talented, someone with a brilliant career already under way.  The link is here.

The Next Birding Movie, Part 4: Meet Kodi Smit-McPhee

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Kodi Smit-McPhee, who stars in the forthcoming film A Birder's Guide to Everything, is a young actor with phenomenal talent and a brilliant future.

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes:  Last August, as I described in a previous post, I spent a few days with the crew that was shooting Rob Meyer's forthcoming film, A Birder's Guide to Everything.  I was involved as a consultant on the film, which has birding as a major plot element.  But while I was there, I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the craft of filmmaking.

A movie looks very different when you see it from that perspective.  When you're in the theater, the actors and actresses loom larger than life, occupying all your attention.  On the movie set, there may be dozens of people hurrying around, focused on dozens of important tasks - lighting, sound, backgrounds, props, script details, makeup, costumes, and so on.  Everyone is a professional, everyone's work is essential.  When the cameras are not rolling, the actors almost disappear into the background, waiting to contribute their part.  

Personally, I was interested in every aspect of how the film was made, but I think most members of the public focus on the actors, the people that they see on the screen.  It occurred to me that the second-most-important person (after the director) in the creation of a film might be the person in charge of casting all the actors.  In the case of A Birder's Guide to Everything, that would be Avy Kaufman.  She's no relation to me, as far as I know, but she's a brilliant casting director who has assembled the casts of actors for scores of major films, including the 2012 blockbusters Lincoln and Life of Pi.  Ms Kaufman obviously knows what she's doing, and the people that she found to star in A Birder's Guide to Everything are remarkably talented.  

Undoubtedly the best-known actor in the film is Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley, who plays an expert birder, author, and editor.  I may write about him in a separate post; for the moment, suffice it to say that it was astonishing and inspiring to see him at work.  James LeGros, a well-known film and television actor, plays a major role as the father of the main character.  I had a chance to talk with him and found him to be funny, intelligent, with wide-ranging knowledge and interests; for example, we had a great conversation about water policy issues in the western states.  

The young stars of the show: Katie Chang, Alex Wolff, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Michael Chen

But the main characters in the film are all teenagers, and the teens that play those parts are all exceptional.  Katie Chang is just as poised, smart, and independent in real life as the character she plays in the movie.  Alex Wolff is a talented musician as well as an actor, and also a practical joker, making things a little too lively around the set at times.  Michael Chen can play a slightly nerdy character if he has to, although he's a cool kid in real life. 

The central character in the film, a 15-year-old birder named David Portnoy, is played by the remarkable Kodi Smit-McPhee.  When I met him last August, Kodi had just recently turned 16, but I was powerfully impressed by his level of maturity and professionalism.  He was courteous, friendly, and totally focused on the craft of acting.  The screenplay for A Birder's Guide to Everything places a lot of demands on him: he has to convey a wide range of complex and subtle emotions.  For the scenes that I saw being filmed, he totally nailed it every time.  Even when the same scene was being shot over and over and over - because the director wanted to try different camera angles or lighting, because someone else flubbed their lines, etc. - Kodi came through with a stunning performance every time.  It was a striking confirmation, if I had needed one, that acting is a true art.

Of course, even at the age of 16, Smit-McPhee is already a seasoned professional.  He had already had many roles in television series and small films before his breakout role in the post-apocalyptic drama The Road in 2009, where he starred alongside such heavies as Viggo Mortensen and Robert Duvall.  He has been very busy since then, starring in Let Me In (2010) among other films, and landing major roles in several others that are now in the works, including the next installment in the Planet of the Apes franchise.  I predict that it won't take long for Kodi Smit-McPhee to gain the recognition he deserves as a major talent in acting.

At one point while the cast was waiting for the crew to set up the next shot, Kodi spotted a distant Red-tailed Hawk.  He was watching it through binoculars, and wanted to know more about it.  That was the extent of the birding that we did together.  With his busy schedule of film projects, I doubt that Kodi will have time to take up birding as a hobby.  But in A Birder's Guide to Everything, I think he's going to make birders look very appealing to the general public. 

In just over a week, Kimberly and I will be attending the premiere of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival, and we can't wait to report back to you about our reactions to the film!

Introducing, "The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book"

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From homebase in Ohio, Kimberly Writes: The Destination Nature team of Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer are celebrating the release of their new Falcon Guides book, The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book: 448 Great Things To Do In Nature Before You Grow Up.

The cover alone makes this book worth owning! 

Since a lot of our time and energy is devoted to getting young people interested in spending more time outside, Kenn and I are SUPER excited about this fabulous book, and we're honored to be a part of its official launch! 

To let people know about the book, we invited our friend Ken Keffer to do a guest post. He is writing about Mothing, which is summer activity #21 in the book. We hope you enjoy the post, and if you want to win your own copy of the book, visit Stacy and Ken’s website.

MOTHING! by Ken Keffer 

Moths are the new birds. All of the reasons people love birds apply to moths, too. Plus you get bonus fun with moths, including fermented bananas and black lights! Mothing can be an especially appealing activity to do as a family, which is why we put it in our book as one of the essential checklist items. Here are some tips for getting started.

MOTHS ARE EVERYWHERE

People enjoy birding because birds are widespread. During the warm summer months, moths are everywhere, too. Don’t believe me? Leave you porch light one night. It won’t take long before you’ve got more flying action than your bird feeders have seen all month.

While some moths will have certain habitat requirements, many species are abundant in neighborhoods and backyards across the country. A few are downright striking, and many have a subtle beauty, similar to sparrows. My personal favorites are the underwing moths. A mix of gray and brown above, they flash brilliant pinks, yellows, and oranges when they spread their wings.

Kimberly likes to call them "Underwear" moths

MOTH BAITING & BLACK LIGHTING

You might casually encounter a few months from time to time, but using attractants is far more satisfying. I’ve hung a small window feeder filled with fruit in the summer to attract moths as well as butterflies. Then a few times each summer I’ll bust out the moth bait and the black light for a full-fledged night of mothing.  

            

All the moth baiters have their own secret recipe. The basic ingredients usually include mixing smashed bananas (the browner the better), canned beer (the cheaper the better, although microbrews can be used to bait additional moth watchers in), and sugar (I like brown, others use white, I’ve even heard of people using molasses). Once you have the recipe mixed, just paint the bait on bark in the early evening and you’ll be set for the night.

            

You can also use black lights projected on a light colored sheet to bring in the moths from near and far. Here’s a little trick—if you use a paisley patterned sheet, you’ll have a built in scale for your photos, plus it’ll be easier to ID. And remember it’s not just moths you’ll attract. You can see tons of cool night life.

Backlighting with Kenn and Kimberly and friends! 

Remember, mothing is a leisurely activity. The kids can run around and frolic outside as the sun goes down. Then they can pop in and out as their interest desires.

            

CHECK IT OFF YOUR LIST

Despite the vastness of moth diversity, there are a few all-stars. The Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North American  has a solid selection of moths represented. Pick out a your favorites. It might take you years, but someday you could be rewarded with seeing the moth of your dreams. One of my favorite Biggest Week in American Birding memories was when a Cecropia Moth showed up. This thing created as much buzz as any of the warblers that year. After laying binoculars on it, numerous people exclaimed it was a lifer moth for them.

So set a goal of spotting a few moths this year, and then check them off your list. By the way, it’s okay if it takes you a little while to ID moths and have success attracting them. I hear Kenn Kaufman has a certain month that eludes even him. (Psst—it’s the Harris’s Three-spot.) Good luck mothing this summer, and to you too, Kenn!.

For 447 other great things to do in nature before you grow up, pick up a copy of The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book. 

The Next Birding Movie, Part 3: World Premiere Coming!

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Katie Chang, Alex Wolff, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Michael Chen starring as young birders on a quest in the new Rob Meyer film, "A Birder's Guide to Everything."

From out on the road, Kenn writes:  It's official!  The next birding movie will have its world premiere next month in New York City!

You may recall that I've previously written about A Birder's Guide to Everything, the feature-length film-in-the-making by Rob Meyer.  Last July I introduced the film in this blog post.  Later I visited the set while the film was being shot on location north of New York, and I wrote about the experience (and about the amazing amount of hard work involved in movie-making) in this post.   Since that time I've been following the progress of the post-production work, as Rob Meyer and his team have worked through massive job of editing, mixing, and turning all the raw footage into a finished film.  Of course, I still haven't seen the finished product, but I'm excited and optimistic about it: the screenplay was outstanding, the actual shooting of the film involved hugely talented people both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras, and birding was treated as a central element in the story.  Best of all, the main characters are teenaged birders, and they are treated respectfully by the screenplay.  What's not to like?  

And now there is serious news: A Birder's Guide to Everything will have its premiere in April at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York!

This year's Tribeca Film Festival runs April 17-28.  There's more information here, but it's a challenge to dig out; at first glance, the website may seem a bit obscure to outsiders.  But don't be put off: search around and you'll find that this birding movie is indeed one of the features included in the "Viewpoints" section of the festival (linked here). 

The schedule of screenings for the entire festival can be found here, but to cut to the chase, these are the times and places for A Birder's Guide to Everything:

Sunday April 21, 6:00 p.m., AMC Loews Village 7
Monday April 22, 6:00 p.m., Clearview Cinemas Chelsea
Wednesday April 24, 3:00 p.m., AMC Loews Village 7
Friday April 26, 6:00 p.m., Clearview Cinemas Chelsea

Buying tickets may be something of a challenge - right now only full ticket packages are available, and single tickets for individual screenings apparently won't be available until April 14 or 15 (more information here).  Regardless, if you're anywhere in or near New York, I urge you to make the effort to go and see this film!  I'm willing to bet that it will be extremely good, and that it will help to improve the overall public image of birding and birders.  Kimberly and I are betting on it - we're going to New York (in the middle of a very busy time for us) to attend one of the first two showings.  Maybe we'll see you there?

Snowbird 2.0

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American Tree Sparrow: Always at home in the snow.

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes:  When I was a kid, first learning about birds, I read that "snowbird" was the Dark-eyed Junco's nickname.  Juncos are easy to recognize, and for many people in the eastern U.S., they are characteristic birds of winter.  But for me, the real "snowbirds" are American Tree Sparrows.  Strictly winter birds anywhere south of the Arctic, they arrive with cold weather, and they visit Kimberly and me only when the snow flies.  

American Tree Sparrows belong to the genus Spizella, which makes them relatives of familiar birds like Chipping Sparrow and Field Sparrow.  The main difference is that Tree Sparrows have their center of distribution at least a thousand miles farther north.  Indeed, "Tree Sparrow" is a misnomer:  many spend the summer far north of treeline, on the tundra, where the largest willows are only a couple of feet tall.  In winter, flocks range through brushy fields, marshes, and open country.  Trees aren't really important to them at any time of year. 

Range of the American Tree Sparrow. Red represents the summer range; dark blue is the main winter range, while pale blue shows where it is less numerous in winter. The gray area in between shows where the species passes through in migration.

For years I lived in Arizona, where it was a major challenge to find American Tree Sparrows at all.  If we searched hard enough in the northeastern part of the state in winter, we might eventually find a flock of three or four.  Here in northern Ohio, though, we are blessed with an abundance of these beautiful sparrows in winter.  On Christmas Bird Counts, we tally them by the hundreds.  Flocks move ahead of us along the hedgerows, across the weedy fields, making a soft, musical tinkling chorus as they go.

American Tree Sparrow: soft colors, musical callnotes, active flocks in the brushy fields of winter.

Where Kimberly and I live now, in the country north of Oak Harbor, flocks of Tree Sparrows are nearby all winter.  They're half a mile away, in the willows along the canal, along the edge of the woodlot, in the overgrown fields.  But they don't come to our yard except under certain conditions.  We have more than a dozen bird feeders out, and lots of birds visit every day: goldfinches, cardinals, House Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, and more.  But the American Tree Sparrows don't come to the yard - until it snows. 

Whenever it snows, American Tree Sparrows move in from the surrounding countryside to feed on birdseed in our yard... at least until the snow melts.

Every time it snows, the number of Tree Sparrows in the yard goes from zero to 20 or 25 within a matter of hours.  They'll be all around the house, hopping on every feeder, sitting in the tops of the shrubs outside every window, taking advantage of our generous supply of birdseed.  (It's almost enough to make me look forward to snow!)    

American Tree Sparrow posing outside our window.  Like all of our native North American sparrows, it shows beautiful feather patterns if we take the time to look closely.

One of the most appealing things about these little visitors from the Arctic is that they do, in fact, leave the yard each time the snow melts. It suggests an admirable level of independence.  Other birds stick around the yard for easy pickings, but the Tree Sparrows only drop in briefly, and they will soon head out to wilder pastures again.  In a few months, when spring comes, when other sparrows come back from the deep south, the American Tree Sparrows will fly away, far to the north, to lands farther north than any junco would go, to lands where it might snow even in summer.  Yes, these are snowbirds, all right. 

When Wind Energy Development Isn't Regulated - Birds Lose

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An update on Black Swamp Bird Observatory's struggle to 

protect birds from poorly placed wind turbines in the 

critical migratory bird stopover habitat in northwest Ohio. 

You've all seen that play, right?  The runner has the ball, he's fighting off defenders like a mad man, dragging tacklers down the field, making forward progress in spite of the odds, and then...

WHAM!   

He gets clobbered by the one he didn't see coming.

The image below is the one we didn't see coming.

A large wind turbine ready to be installed at the 

Erie Business Park in Ottawa County, Ohio. 
Only a few miles from Magee Marsh.

Would that it were only a game. And when the play ended and the whistle blew, we could simply shake off the hit and return to real life. But it isn't a game. This is real life. The playing field is critical migratory bird habitat. The players are just ordinary people with an EXTRAordinary level of dedication to protecting bird habitat. And we are really feeling this latest hit. 

The turbine above is NOT the Camp Perry wind turbine that Black Swamp Bird Observatory has been fighting for months.  No, this is ANOTHER wind turbine that no one knew anything about. Not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  Not the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).  They learned about it from us, and we heard about it from a private citizen who just happened to be in the area and noticed the massive structure lying on the ground. This turbine is in something called the Erie Business Park, just west of the Camp Perry facility.  DEEP in the heart of some of the most bird-sensitive habitat in northwest Ohio. In an area where there are more than 60 Bald Eagle nests. In an area where songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl by the millions stop over in migration to rest and feed during their journey. In an area where you'd think it would be easy to protect birds, right? 

Wrong. 

Take a look at the size of the tower sections compared to the utility pole in the picture. This is not a small turbine.

Now take a look at the Erie Business Park's website, at the link called "The Future." If you look carefully at this stylized map, you'll see plans for SIX large wind turbines across the back of the property. Perhaps this is nothing more than a vision at this point.  But with one turbine already on site, they appear to be putting that vision into motion. 

And this is all we know. The person listed as the contact for the business park is not taking calls or returning messages, so no one knows anything more. 

And, in spite of BSBO's efforts to stop the Camp Perry turbine, in spite of all the official support for our position from state and national conservation organizations, after state and federal wildlife officials told Camp Perry that the project's Environmental Assessment (that they paid a lot of taxpayer money for) was riddled with inaccuracies, misleading statements, and erroneous findings, and Camp Perry ignored wildlife officials and issued their own "Finding of No Significant Impact.." we have heard nothing--no response at all--from the officials at Camp Perry about that project, either. 

We've contacted the local media and there's a story in the works.  We'll wait to see if it tells the real story or if we can just add it the pile of news stories that completely and utterly miss the point.

A bit about regulating wind energy development
Regulation of commercial-scale wind projects is complex and complicated. When a wind project exceeds 5 megawatts, the Ohio Power Siting Board has to review it. Most of these single turbines do not exceed that limit, so they stay under the radar in most cases.  Local level zoning and certain grants that require federal wildlife review are the only real "regulations" that stand in their way--even in the most bird sensitive areas. For the most part, there is no consideration of environmental impact on these single turbine application at all. They can literally go up without anyone knowing or reviewing the impact.  

The current USFWS guidelines for commercial wind energy development are VOLUNTARY - and they fail miserably to protect birds.  And, while the country's conservation organizations focus on commercial-scale wind development (and rightfully so), these single turbine projects are busting through any barriers that might have protected birds in these incredibly sensitive areas. Bottom line, if you string enough single turbines together you have a wind farm.  And commercial developers know it! 

We've already lost the battle to stop three large wind turbines at Oregon City Schools to the west of Magee Marsh. Two at one location and a third at another school. 

Two large turbines at
Eisenhower Middle School
near Maumee Bay State Park

Those turbines are up and operating--and not without continued controversy. Here's a quote from Debbie Paul, the external affairs manager for Toledo Edison about the issue with the Clay High School turbine. 

“The turbine that they have at Clay is huge – the largest of its kind on our system. It really needs to be on a wind farm. That’s what it was designed for – not for a distribution system. Either system could backfeed into the other when a generator over-commits and pushes energy back into the system. We have guys working on our system every minute of every hour of every day. To think a line is de-energized when it’s energized – that’s a huge safety risk on our part.”

Add the Oregon City School turbines to the ones at Camp Perry and Erie Business Park, and you start to see what birds are going to be up against before long. 

It is going to take citizen action to stop this. Birders who care have got to step up, band together, and speak out about this. As individuals, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and depend on wildlife officials to protect wildlife habitat.  They need our help. 

If you care about migratory bird habitat in northwest Ohio, then we urge you to let some of the "powers that be" know about it. 

Contact the Ottawa County Commissioners office and let them know that you expect Ottawa County to protect the habitat that migratory birds depend on for survival - or you will not spend your money in their County!  


Let Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur know how you feel about wind turbines threatening migratory bird stopover habitat in her District. 

Ohio Office
One Maritime Plaza - Sixth Floor
Toledo, OH 43604
(800) 964-4699 - Tel: (419) 259-7500
Fax: (419) 255-9623

Please, do what you can to educate yourself about wind energy development and speak up for the protection of wildlife habitat.  The voice of the people is the best hope for the future. 

Rocking the birds at Rockport

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Roseate Spoonbills are not challenging to identify, but they certainly brighten up a day of birding. Spoonbills can be found at all seasons in the region of Rockport/Fulton on the central Texas coast.

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes:  In early March, much of North America still will be struggling to shake off winter, weary of the cold and impatient for spring.  But on the central Texas coast, things will be hopping, as the abundant wintering birds mix with the first spring migrants.  And we will be there also.  We will be reviving a tradition that aims to increase the enjoyment of birding.

Marbled Godwits, photographed in winter at Rockport, Texas. A wide variety of shorebirds can be found  here  through the winter, with more joining them during migration.  For learning to identify shorebirds with confidence, it's especially helpful to see them in mixed flocks, where direct comparisons are possible. 

In the early 1990s, Victor Emanuel and I started a series of birding workshops at Rockport, Texas.  The first edition of my Field Guide to Advanced Birding had just been published, and we used the principles in that book to plan our activities in the field.  These workshops turned out to be tremendously inspiring and fun: in a radical departure from the usual tour experience, we moved slowly in the field, studying birds in new ways, trying new approaches that would apply to the field identification of all birds.  And although we weren't trying to run up big lists of species, we wound up seeing a lot of birds, simply because that area of the Texas coast is so rich in bird habitat. 

These workshops were popular for several years, but eventually I had so many demands on my time that I couldn't continue doing them, so we let them lapse for a while.  But after the brand-new edition of my Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding was published in April 2011, Victor and I decided to bring them back.  Victor Emanuel Nature Tours is holding another Rockport Birding Workshop in March 2013, and I couldn't be more pleased and excited.  

An adult Sandwich Tern. Many of the terns are easy to identify when they're in breeding plumage and sitting still in front of us, but they can be more challenging when they're flying at a distance.  We'll break down the challenges and take the mystery out of tern identification.

The Rockport Birding Workshop is scheduled for March 7 - 11, 2013, and more information can be found at this link.  Kimberly and I will join Victor Emanuel and Barry Lyon in teaching the workshop.  Our days in the field will have a relaxed pace but an intense focus; we will divide into small groups and rotate regularly, so that everyone has a chance to go birding with each leader. The daytime sessions in the field will be supplemented by evening programs focusing on specific groups of birds.  If you join us, I guarantee that you will improve your skills at identifying birds.  

Sparrows can be tough to ID at times, but they become easier to understand if we start by looking at their behavior and habitat and shape, breaking them down into groups, before we start looking at specific markings.  It's often possible to identify Savannah Sparrows like this one before we've seen a single actual field mark.

The beaches near Rockport host several kinds of small shorebirds.  Their markings may not be very helpful in identifying them, but their shapes and facial expressions are worth noticing.  Looking at the face on this Piping Plover, we hesitate to say that it looks "cute," but that's actually a good ID clue. 

Just a plain brown duck?  No, it's actually a Mottled Duck, a specialty of the Gulf Coast.  During the Rockport Workshop, we'll talk about approaches for identifying ducks up close and at a distance.  

The theme of the workshop is the same as the subtitle of the latest edition of Advanced Birding: "Understanding what you see and hear."  By the way, don't be put off by that word "advanced."  Our focus is on the basics, on principles that would be helpful even to beginners. 

I've always felt that birding should be, first and foremost, enjoyable.  It's more enjoyable when we can recognize more of the birds we're seeing - and when we understand why we can't recognize some of the others.  Understanding is the key.  We say that the workshop is focused on field identification, but "bird appreciation" might be an even better description.

White-tailed Kites are uncommon but regular year-round residents of the coastal prairies near Rockport.

White Ibises (immature on left, adult on right) are among the many species of wading birds found in this region. 

Even though we won't be trying to run up a big species total, we will undoubtedly see a good variety of birds, including the Whooping Cranes that winter in this area.  In early March their migration will be just beginning, so most of the wintering flock should still be present. 

The main wild flock of Whooping Cranes, nesting in north-central Canada, spends the winter in the area of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge just north of Rockport.  We will take a half-day boat trip through the protected waters of the refuge to see the cranes (and many other birds) up close.

In closing, I can't resist going back to the theme of "bird appreciation."  Victor Emanuel and I have been friends for many years, and that's partly because we both appreciate birds in the same way.  Since Victor runs one of the world's most successful nature tour companies, he has made many trips to every continent and has seen many of the rarest birds on the planet, but he still takes genuine delight in seeing everyday, backyard birds.  If you've read our blog in the past, you know that Kimberly and I feel the same way about the most common birds - we love them all!  And Barry Lyon, whom I've known since he was a teenager, is similarly committed to appreciating all of birds and nature.  And we all love people, too!  There are still some spaces open for our Rockport Birding Workshop, and we hope you'll consider joining us!  Once again, more information can be found at this link.  

Not all birds in the Rockport area are as easy to identify as the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. But whether they are easy or challenging, common or rare, we will study them closely as part of our approach to field ID.

Peace on Earth

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Tidings of joy!

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Eagle Grabs Baby: stupidity goes viral

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Unlike the bird in the viral video, this actually is a Golden Eagle.

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes:  I have spent my whole life trying to teach people about nature.  When I see someone intentionally misleading the public with dangerously false ideas, and others repeating the misinformation without even attempting to fact-check it, I can’t help but be angry. 

Late at night on December 18, a video showed up on YouTube that purported to show a Golden Eagle swooping in to snatch a small child in a park in Montreal.  After a few labored wingbeats, gaining several feet off the ground, the eagle drops the child and flies away, while the videographer (screen name “MrNuclearCat”) rushes over for a closeup of the scene. 

After a few shares on Facebook, the video went viral, exploding all over the Internet.  By the morning of the 19th, the clip was being played on television news shows, and millions of people had seen it. 

But it’s faked. 

To determine that, you don’t have to know anything about computer graphics, or about the weight-lifting capacity of eagles.  All you have to do is look at the bird in the video.  A Golden Eagle in Montreal would be a notable rarity, but this bird is not a Golden Eagle at all.  The pattern of white in the wings immediately rules that out.  The exact identity of the bird is still being studied, but whatever it was—assuming it was a real bird at all, and not entirely computer-generated—it wasn’t anything native to North America. 

The sport of falconry—keeping hawks, falcons, or eagles in captivity, and training them to fly after prey—is still practiced.  Some falconers have exotic raptors that don’t occur in North America, or hybrids that don’t exist in the wild at all.  The bird in the video looks most similar to certain eagles in Asia or Australia.  The most likely explanation is that this was a falconer’s bird, and that it was trained to perform this stunt for the video. 

So:  was it a real baby in the video?  If so, using the child for this stupid stunt was a crime of child endangerment, and the authorities should be looking for “MrNuclearCat.”

Was a falconer’s bird trained to swoop in and pick up a doll that looks like a child?  If so, that is insanely stupid; it would never be safe to take that bird out in public again. 

Were large parts of the video simply done with computer graphics?  If so, why?  Why would anyone do this at all?  People in modern society are too far removed from nature as it is, and all too ready to believe scary stories about wild animals.  Why go to all this effort to create fear about harmless and beautiful birds?

Perhaps the most disheartening thing is the way the story spread, the way people were so willing to believe it.  Let me emphasize that I don't fault the individuals who saw it online and shared it; at first viewing, for most people, it probably looked both scary and realistic.  But I can't understand why several morning “news” shows on American television ran the video as if it were legitimate.  What ever happened to principles of journalism?  What ever happened to fact-checking? 

By now, a little over 12 hours after the video first appeared, it is being questioned in some online media.  I just spoke with Curtis Rush from the Toronto Star, who has already questioned the video online and is working on a second story, and this may help to get the facts out.  It would be wonderful if “MrNuclearCat” would post a follow-up, to explain how he made the video and to clarify that eagles don’t pose a threat to children. 

But people have limited attention spans, and any retraction or correction will never have the reach of the original video.  Vast numbers of people, only peripherally aware of nature in the first place, will come away with the lingering impression that eagles sometimes carry away babies, that nature is dangerous.  And that will represent one more sad break with reality, one more piece of damage done, one more falsehood to carry us all farther away from a real understanding of the natural world. 

UPDATE: It has just been confirmed that the video was produced for a class assignment by three students at Centre NAD, a school in Montreal.  Both the "eagle" and the baby were completely computer-generated.  More information at this link:

So no actual children were harmed or threatened in the making of this video.  But my final complaint about the video still stands; many people will never see the retraction, and they will be forever rendered a little more suspicious and fearful of the natural world, thus darkening their lives and the lives of their children.  

So long, Rich

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Rich Stallcup, as he appeared about the time I first met him in the 1970s. Photo by Van Remsen.

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes: This past Saturday, December 15, was the annual Christmas Bird Count at Point Reyes, California. One of the largest CBCs in North America, Point Reyes regularly fields around 200 observers and records around 200 species, a testament to the fabulous birding culture of Marin County.  This year, for the first time in many years, one observer was conspicuously absent: the legendary Rich Stallcup, beloved leader of the Marin birding community for the last half-century. Rich had been battling illness for many months.  As the bird counters gathered for their compilation Saturday evening, he slipped away across the horizon.  

To say that Rich Stallcup had a massive influence on birding and natural history in the great state of California would be a huge understatement.  Everyone knew him, everyone had learned from him.  But his influence spread far, far beyond the boundaries of California.  I was lucky enough to meet him when I was still a teenager, and to spend quite a bit of time with him over the following 15 years, and his impact on me was immeasurable.  

When we first met in the 1970s, I was 18 years old, on my first hitch-hiking trip to California.  Rich was only about a decade older than me, but he was already recognized as one of the top birders on the continent.  I was ignorant and inexperienced, but he never made me feel stupid.  A natural teacher, he invited me along on field trips with him and his friends, sharing knowledge freely, as he did with thousands of others.  And he shared a key idea, too.  When we met, he was going all-out to do a Big Year for the state of California.  I was considering doing my own Big Year later, with all of North America as my target area. When I asked him about his year list attempt, he told me, "The list total isn't important, but the birds themselves are important.  Every bird you see.  So the list is just a frivolous incentive for birding, but the birding itself is worthwhile.  It's like a trip where the destination doesn't have any significance except for the fact that it makes you travel.  The journey is what counts."  That statement affected me so profoundly that I wrote it down in my field notebook that night, and later when I did my own Big Year and wrote a book about it (Kingbird Highway), I quoted it verbatim.  Decades later, that still strikes me as the perfect perspective on bird-listing games. 

In the following years I had many chances to go birding with Rich Stallcup, and we even led several tours together in Arizona and Mexico.  I was constantly learning from him.  Although his knowledge was extraordinary, for me his knowledge was overshadowed by his wisdom.  And, yes, I use that term intentionally.  He truly was wise in his approach to birds, nature, and people.  Endlessly reveling in the joy of nature, endlessly patient and generous with beginners, he inspired everyone to greater awareness and kindness.  

I recall one time when we were staying at a hotel in Arizona, and members of our group were nervous because a sinister-looking character was hanging around the parking lot.  Rich said, "There is no need to worry" - in a singsong voice, as if he were not just commenting on the moment, but repeating a basic philosophy of life, as perhaps he was.  Striding out into the parking lot, confident and friendly as you please, Rich struck up a conversation with the sinister character.  Of course the man turned out not to be sinister at all, and for half an hour the two were talking like old buddies.  

Another time, in California, several of us were watching an American Redstart that was flitting about in some willows.  Redstarts are somewhat uncommon in California, but not extremely rare.  After a few minutes, everyone had lowered their binoculars - everyone except Rich, who was still watching the bird.  "Come on, Rich," said one of his friends. "You've seen redstarts before."

"Yes," said Rich, agreeably. "But I hadn't seen this one."

I know these stories sound like small things.  Taken individually, they are.  But similar things happened over and over, many times per day, whenever Rich was around.  Layer on layer, these little examples built up into powerful lessons about life as a joyful adventure, nature as a grand treasure.  And these lessons were passed on, directly and indirectly, to vast numbers of people throughout Rich's active life. 


I didn't hear about Rich Stallcup's passing until almost 24 hours after the fact, and I learned of it when I came in from our own local Christmas Bird Count here in Ohio.  My old friend Keith Hansen, a great bird artist and practically a neighbor of Rich's in Marin County, called to give me the news.  We were both choked up at first; but within ten minutes on the phone we were chuckling, even laughing, as we shared stories of adventures with Rich.  And I think that is fitting.  All over California, all over the world, thousands of people are undoubtedly having the same experience right now, sharing stories and smiling at memories of a man who lived so passionately and gave so much.  

Gifts That Give Twice, Part 1: Great Reading All Year Long

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From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes: Two days from now, tens of millions of people will be storming the stores and decking the malls for the annual shopping explosion of Black Friday.  Perhaps you'll be among them, and if so, we wish you the best of success.  Perhaps, like us, you'll stay far away from stores on Friday, and take part in Shop Local Saturday at small businesses the next day. But if you're gearing up to shop for holiday gifts, I'd like to make a couple of modest suggestions.  

Of course, buying gifts is already challenging enough. It can be tough to find just the right item for that special person. But buying a gift is an act that can have an impact in both directions: not only for the person receiving it, but back along the line for everyone involved in selling and producing that gift. So with some careful thought, not only can we thrill the recipient, we can also make a positive difference in the world in other ways. We can give a gift that will, in effect, give twice.

If you're reading this blog at all, you're probably involved with birding or nature study in some way. And if you are like Kimberly and me, you already think of birders and naturalists as a community, or even as a big, extended family. So here's the suggestion: think about buying holiday gifts in ways that will support the community. The more the birders support each other, the more support there will be for bird conservation and for the future of the natural world.  

With that in mind, we're going to write a few blog posts with some specific ideas about things to buy and about where to buy them. The first one involves a fine idea for anyone who like birds, anywhere in North America.

Suggestion 1: Give a gift subscription to BirdWatching Magazine.  

This fine magazine (formerly Birder's World) has been a staple of the birding community since the 1980s.  Earlier this year, despite heroic efforts by editor Chuck Hagner and his staff, longtime publisher Kalmbach concluded that they would have to cease publication.  Last month's issue would have been the last one -except that another experienced publishing company, Madavor Media, decided that BirdWatching was too good to allow it to slip away.  Madavor bought the magazine and arranged to keep publishing it without missing an issue.  Chuck Hagner and Matt Mendenhall are still editing the magazine. Established contributors like Pete Dunne, Laura Erickson, David Sibley, Julie Craves, and Eldon Greij have stepped up to keep the content flowing, and Brian Small and I are still producing our "ID Tips" columns for each issue.  

But now here's my question for you: Will the birding community step up and show our support?  Will we show Madavor Media that they made a wise choice?  BirdWatching is a fabulous magazine (and not just because I write for it!), and any bird enthusiast on your list would love a year's subscription.  You can find all the info you need to subscribe for a friend (or for yourself) at this link.

An ill wind threatens a world-class bird migration hotspot

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Kirtland's Warbler: North America's rarest songbird species. The only known consistent stopover area  for this bird during its migration is in northwestern Ohio - the area now being threatened by wind power development.

From Oak Harbor, Ohio, Kenn writes:  Our book tour of New England was wonderful, but it was cut short by the approach of Superstorm Sandy.  We had to cancel our last appearances on October 29 and 30, and since all flights were cancelled as well, we drove our rental car back to Ohio through the rain and high winds, arriving safely at home on the 30th. 

Once there, however, we were dealing with an ill wind of another kind. 

As many of you will know already, Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) has been leading an attempt to stop construction of a large wind turbine at the Camp Perry Air National Guard Station, on the Lake Erie shore in the heart of Ohio's premier bird migration hotspot of Magee Marsh / Crane Creek / Ottawa NWR. This is the area popularly known as the "Warbler Capital of the World," the area that attracts tens of thousands of visiting birders annually, pumping tens of millions of dollars into the local economy.  For more on the spring birding in this region, see this link:  http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/   

For more on BSBO's efforts regarding wind power, please see the second item under this link:  http://www.bsbo.org/

BSBO has been working to convince local officials to relocate the wind turbine project to another site that would be less threatening to bird populations. This effort has won the endorsement and support of other organizations, including National Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, League of Ohio Sportsmen, American Birding Association, American Bird Conservancy, Ohio Ornithological Society, and several others. In addition, both the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Ohio's Division of Wildlife have submitted comments highly critical of the Environmental Assessment of the wind turbine project. In spite of all this opposition, the leadership at Camp Perry appears to be going ahead with their plans.

Currently there's an opportunity for citizens to send comments to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) regarding a "Federal Consistency review." Basically, because Camp Perry is on the lake shore, it falls under federal regulations applying to "Coastal Management." ODNR is required to accept public comments before certifying that the wind turbine project is consistent with the enforceable policies of the Ohio Coastal Management Program.

My take on it: the wind turbine project is NOT consistent with those policies. Even with a very narrow interpretation, Ohio Coastal Management Program Policy # 29, "Wildlife Management," requires that the Division of Wildlife is to protect native wildlife and to protect species threatened with statewide extinction. Allowing the wind turbine to be constructed at Camp Perry would represent a failure on that obligation.

Here's why. The Environmental Assessment (EA) of the project - available at    this link - is totally inadequate regarding threats to bird populations.

The EA totally fails to acknowledge the fact that the lake shore represents stopover habitat, where vast numbers of migrants are pausing during their migrations to rest and feed before continuing their journey. The EA repeats (on p. 61) the tired argument that "a vast majority of nocturnal migration of song birds, waterfowl and shore birds occur at altitudes greater than the height of most modern utility scale wind turbines." This is true - most nocturnal migration occurs at least several hundred feet above the ground - but it's irrelevant when we're talking about stopover habitat, where birds are dropping in and taking off in the dim light of predawn and dusk. Anyone who has been out on the Lake Erie beach at dawn on a good spring migration day will know that vast numbers of birds are flying low, paralleling the shore, in a repositioning flight at dawn. During their arrival, departure, and repositioning flights, these birds will be very vulnerable to more tall structures in the air column.

As another example of inadequacy in the EA, it refers (on p. 60) to numbers of waterfowl using the Darby Unit of Ottawa NWR, and backs it up with duck survey results from October 4, 2011. As any experienced birder or biologist knows, peak waterfowl migration in this area occurs in late fall. The use of numbers from the beginning of October must reflect either ignorance or a willful attempt to mislead.

Huge numbers of migratory waterfowl, like these Lesser Scaup, stop over in the Lake Erie Marsh region surrounding Camp Perry - but not in early October, the only date quoted in the Environmental Assessment.

The EA also understates the threat to local Bald Eagle populations, which are just now bouncing back to healthy levels after being almost wiped out. Ironically, the EA makes reference to the Altamont Pass wind factory in California, without mentioning the fact that alarming numbers of Golden Eagles and other raptors have been killed there.

In short, the sections on birds in the EA are slanted, inadequate, and inaccurate. It's no wonder that both the federal and state wildlife agencies were sharply critical of the EA. The fact that their comments (and ours) are being ignored should be deeply disturbing to anyone who cares about wildlife and about transparency in government.

The public is allowed to comment on this from now through November 30, and you don't have to be a resident of Ohio to comment. To see the information on the comment period, here's the link:     
The Camp Perry wind turbine is currently the first item under that link, under Consistency ID # 2012-073. As you'll see at that link, comments can be emailed to the Department of Natural Resources at  coastal.consistency@dnr.state.oh.us  - but the comments have to be sent in before the end of the day on November 30th. And to be effective, comments should specifically mention flaws in the Environmental Assessment and its failure to address Ohio's Coastal Management Program.

I know, this all sounds like a lot of government red tape.  To anyone who has actually read this far: Thank you!  I know that for some, birding is an "escape," and they'd rather not think about conservation issues.  We'd rather not have to think about them either. But this will be harder to ignore if this project is allowed to proceed without opposition, and if Camp Perry puts up a giant bird-killer in the middle of prime stopover habitat. 

This is a test case.  If this single turbine is built, it will almost certainly open the door for more.  And if we allow wind turbines right in the middle of the most sensitive habitat, in the worst possible place, how will we ever keep them out of any important bird habitat?

If you have read this far, would you please consider spending a few more minutes and emailing comments to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at the link above?  And if you want to do more, would you consider checking out the additional information on the BSBO website and writing letters to a few key individuals?  This kind of thing is no fun - believe me, we know.  But your effort might make all the difference in ensuring that future generations will be able to witness the miracle of bird migration.  

350 Species...and so much more

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What We Did On Our Book Tour Today 

by kimberly kaufman 

We began our day in Portland, Maine, where we did a radio show by phone with Jack Holcomb from Jack's Backyard on WEEU in Reading, PA. We then headed northwest towards North Conway, New Hampshire, where we led a nature walk at 3:00 PM sponsored by Tin Mountain Conservation Center.  Following the walk, we gave a program and book signing at White Birch Books. 

---And it was AWESOME!  

The radio show was great, the walk at Whittaker Woods was incredible, and the program tonight at White Birch Books was really fun. It was such a pleasure to meet Laura Lucy, owner of this lovely store. 

Our walk today was a real highlight of the trip for us, for a number of reasons.  

When we arrived for our walk, we were at 339 species, having picked up British Soldier Lichen and an Ichneumon Wasp at an information center just south of North Conway.  We hadn't set any high hopes for finding lots of things on the walk this afternoon as we'd never hiked these particular trails and had no idea what to expect.  And besides, we really just wanted to enjoy being outside with nice people on a gorgeous day.  

I love-love-love British Soldier Lichen!  

It's like a little world growing on top of this stump! 

The trails at Whittaker Woods are beautiful.  

On one section, the path perfectly frames a stunning view of Mount Washington. 

The photo doesn't do the view justice,
but you can see the pinnacle of Mount Washington in the distance.

While we hadn't set our expectations high, as soon as we set foot in the woods we started finding new and wonderful things for our 350 species list.  Partridgeberry, Yellow Birch, Indian Pipe, and American Witch-hazel. 

Bracken Fern, Common Juniper, and under a rotting log, this adorable creature...

...a Red-backed Salamander!

Oh, I was just so tickled to share this with everyone.  Many of the people on our walk had never seen a salamander, despite the fact that they walk these trails on a regular basis.  What fun to introduce them to their special little "neighbor!" 

The species kept coming: Red Pine, Bigtooth Aspen, and Beech Drops. It wasn't long before we realized that we were just one species away from 350! And then, in the fading light of late afternoon, in the shadows of a giant White Pine,  we found the lingering leaves of Starflower -- and we had done it!   350 species in 12 days - and in the midst of an ambitious book tour, no less!  

Our group of new friends pauses to celebrate our 

350 species accomplishment with us! 

Nature is so accommodating, so giving, so bountiful.  We needn't travel to pristine wilderness to find nature's gifts.  They are everywhere. On the edge of parking lots where the tough and rangy wildflowers refuse to yield.  Along the highways where Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels eke out a living.  Outside a school yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where a class of 6th graders discovered the lovely heart-shaped leaves of Shepherd's Purse. At the lights of the local convenience store where interesting moths and insects frequently gather. There is treasure out there - if we just go out looking for it. 

This quest for 350 species was nothing more than a silly game, of course, but it got us out there looking and searching at every opportunity. And ultimately, we found more than just the species we needed to reach our goal. We found hope and joy and new friends. And we learned a lot, too.  As my favorite person in the universe once said, "It's good to go on a quest. But it's better to go with an open mind. The most important thing we find might not be the thing we were seeking."