Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

View the FeederWatch Live Cams

A Blue Jay at a peanut feeder was submitted to BirdSpotter by Susan Grove from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
A Pine Siskin and American Goldfinch share a window feeder in this photo by Linda Petersen from Terril, Iowa.

Enjoy live views of birds visiting the feeders on both sides of the border in Canada and the United States – in Ontario and New York. Each of the cooperating Project FeederWatch nations host a live video camera at an exciting feeding station where you can witness the live action during any daylight hour. You can also enjoy some prime Video Highlights provided on each webpage, along with a “Species Info” section with photos of some of the birds you may see; and if you click on a photo an introductory description of the species will appear – all part of the fun.

The Canadian FeederWatch Live Cam Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: Forest Heritage Trail project seeks local history stories at Dec. 9 online meeting

Forest Heritage Trail project seeks local history stories at Dec. 9 online meeting

A new segment of Michigan’s Iron Belle Trail currently under development will add about 20 miles to the trail’s planned 828-mile biking route, but project managers also plan to add layers of story to this stretch that connects Higgins Lake Nursery and the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at North Higgins Lake State Park with Hartwick Pines State Park – and you can help.

Led by the Michigan History Center, this heritage trail project in Crawford County – unofficially dubbed the Forest Heritage Trail – is welcoming local history stories. The Center is partnering with Central Michigan University and local stakeholders to identify the unique and critical history of the area and plan for a series of interpretive informational signs for people to enjoy while exploring the trail. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: time to check trees for hemlock woolly adelgid

Invasive pest already confirmed in five southwest Michigan counties

The recent discovery of hemlock woolly adelgid as far north as Ludington State Park in Mason County is a reminder of the importance of checking hemlock trees for signs of the invasive insect.

The Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development encourage those who have eastern hemlock trees on their property to take time this winter to inspect the trees for signs of hemlock woolly adelgid. Anyone taking to the woods can help by looking for signs of the insect while hunting, hiking or enjoying any outdoor activities.

Winter is the optimum time to look for evidence of an infestation, according to Robert Miller, MDARD’s invasive species prevention and response specialist.

“Cooler temperatures trigger feeding activity,” Miller said. “As hemlock woolly adelgids feed, they secrete a white, waxy material that creates ovisacs. The presence of these small, round, white masses makes it possible to identify infested trees.”

As they feed, these tiny, soft-bodied insects consume a hemlock’s stored nutrients, slowly sucking the life from the tree. Read more

Wildlife

Help biologists gather information during annual bird count

Enjoy birdwatching? Help biologists gather information during annual bird count

VERNAL — If you’ve ever watched birds, you know how unique and interesting they can be. Whether you’ve just started birdwatching or you are an advanced “birder,” consider heading outdoors this month and in January to help gather important data about birds during the 121st Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

As part of the annual nationwide bird count, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to host their 16th local bird count at the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge at 19001 E. Wildlife Refuge Road in Randlett, Uintah County, on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Read more

Wildlife

Introducing the R2K Scouting Camera from Black Gate Hunting Products

Higher standards and lower prices. That’s the name of the game for Black Gate Hunting Products. When that mantra is applied to the trail camera industry it results in the ultimate lineup of trail cameras money can buy. That’s exactly what hunters get when they use the new R2K from Black Gate, an innovative new trail camera that is packed full of impressive features and won’t break the bank.

The R2K features a high-definition 20 MP camera that is capable of shooting photo only, video only, or photo plus video modes. Super-fast trigger speeds of as low as 0.2 seconds will ensure you capture even the fastest moving activity in front of your camera. An infrared, black, no glow flash with a range of 80 feet makes sure your camera remains stealthy and captures all the traffic, both near and far. The built-in microphone and 2.7k video recording capabilities allows for HD quality recording ensuring you’ll see and hear every detail, no matter what settings you’re using.

The R2K has multiple still-shooting quality settings including 3 MP, 5 MP, 8 MP, 12 MP, 16 MP, and 20 MP. With this flexibility you’re sure to find a setting that captures the right level of detail and maximizes your storage capacity. And speaking of storage capacity, load up the camera with images and videos thanks to SD card capacity of up to 512GB. When you’re ready to view your images and videos, use the built-in speaker and the LCD color display to quickly locate your favorite clip or image of that target buck or bull. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: Friends of Negwegon State Park join #GivingTuesday challenge

Friends of Negwegon State Park join #GivingTuesday challenge

The Friends of Negwegon State Park and the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan are working together to help raise park funds through the Giving Tuesday Northeast Michigan event, set for Dec. 1.

Giving Tuesday is celebrated the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and was created to inspire people to give back, while collaboratively taking action to improve local communities.

This 24-hour online fundraising event will help raise additional dollars for the park’s endowment fund through the community foundation. The endowment fund will help preserve the park now and into the future by leveraging grant dollars used for park projects, including invasive species control, interpretive programming, dark sky events and threatened and rare species research.

To make an online donation, visit CFNEM.org between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, and select Friends of Negwegon. Every penny donated goes directly to the selected charity. Read more
Fishing, Wildlife

Massive Land Gift in Osceola County, Florida

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Thanks to the tremendous generosity of Elisabeth DeLuca, more than 27,000 acres of iconic Florida prairie and wetlands habitat have been permanently protected through a unique partnership between Ducks Unlimited (DU) and the University of Florida.

The land was donated to the University of Florida by Elisabeth Deluca, and a conservation easement was set up through DU’s land trust, Wetlands America Trust. The easement will protect important wildlife habitat and natural values on the property in perpetuity.

“This Kissimmee Prairie landscape is in the Everglades headwaters, yet at the edge of central Florida’s tourism and development core and is now a permanently protected piece of the conservation puzzle,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam. “For generations to come, students and researchers will make new discoveries alongside migrating waterfowl, endangered red cockaded woodpeckers and grasshopper sparrows on this massive outdoor laboratory. Future ranchers, waterfowlers, nature lovers and wildlife scientists will be able to apply what they’ve read in textbooks to what they’re observing on the landscape, thanks to Elisabeth DeLuca. This partnership between the University of Florida and Ducks Unlimited benefits waterfowl, wildlife and millions of Floridians who value clean water and the protection of the natural landscape.” Read more

Wildlife

The BirdSpotter Photo Contest

Enter your feeder bird photos in the BirdSpotter photo contest, and vote for your favorites too. This close portrait of a male Northern Cardinal was photographed Bob Vuxinic.
How can you beat a spread-wing photo of an Eastern Bluebird? Mary Santangelo took this stunning photo at her feeding station in Effingham, Illinois that ranked as one of the Grand Prize winners in last year’s Bird Spotter photo contest. 2 Attachments

Each year, Wild Birds Unlimited co-sponsors the popular BirdSpotter photo contest in conjunction with Project FeederWatch. You can win a number of prizes, and every other Monday a new BirdSpotter photo challenge will begin. Whether you submit photos or not, you can always view the photos submitted and vote for your favorite. The first Category is “Birds with Food, or at the Feeder” which continues through November 26th, followed by Category 2: “How many species can you get in one photo?” that runs from November 30 to December 10.

What’s in it for you? You get to enter your favorite photo in each two-week challenge, you get to vote for your favorite photo; and if you win, you can get one of the quality prizes provided by Wild Birds Unlimited stores and the Cornell Lab. You could win a $100 or $250 gift card for purchases of your choice at Wild Birds Unlimited stores plus a Lab prize.

For all the information and a list of all this season’s challenge topics, see https://feederwatch.org/birdspotter2020-21/#weekly-categories and for more information about Wild Birds Unlimited stores and online shopping, see https://www.wbu.com/

Wildlife

Michigan: share your thoughts with the DNR at upcoming virtual meetings

The Department of Natural Resources is committed to providing Michigan residents the opportunity to share input and ideas on policy decisions, programs and other aspects of natural resource management and outdoor recreation opportunities. One important avenue for this input is at meetings of the public bodies that advise the DNR and, in some cases, also set policies for natural resource management.

With COVID-19 public health and safety in mind, most upcoming meetings have been changed to virtual meetings or conference calls. Frequently check the DNR boards, commissions, committees and councils webpage for updates.

The links below will take you to the webpage for each group, where you will find specific virtual and teleconference meeting information and, when finalized, meeting agendas. Please check these pages frequently, as meeting details and agendas may change and sometimes meetings are canceled.

December meetings

Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan: have your deer tested for bovine tuberculosis

Don’t forget to bring your deer head to a DNR deer check station or drop box to be tested for bovine tuberculosis, especially if you hunt in Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Otsego, Oscoda, Presque Isle or Roscommon counties. We need samples from these counties to meet surveillance goals, which will help biologists understand the scale of infection in the local deer herd.

Sixty percent of deer that test positive for bovine tuberculosis show no signs of the disease, so testing is important. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife
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