You never know what you're going to find. There's been a weird bird show up in Illinois and I results showed up. And that birds from the Arctic Circle.
You never know what surprises you can find in your own backyard. I'm Steve fast. And this is random acts of knowledge presented by Heartland Community College, where we talk to experts of many fields, they share their knowledge with us. And hopefully, we learn a little something. So let our expert introduce himself.
I'm Dave West, and I teach a birdwatching class here at Heartland. It's a lot of fun, this would be my seventh time teaching it. So I have a lot of fun with it. So even if I don't see birds, I practice my standup routine with them. So I like to have fun with them.
When is the best time of year or is there a best time of year for birdwatching.
You can find birds anytime the year but early May through May is when migration in spring, and the birds are all in their breeding plumage. And it's kinda like Christmas for a burger, that whole month, fall migration has spread out more, they're not as big of a hurry to get back home, as they are in the spring of breed. So then anytime of the year, I mean, you can find different birds around, but probably may as the key month.
So when did you get into this?
I was I was always a bird fan when I was a little boy. And then I as life comes along, you get out of it. And I had a rare bird show up in my backyard. Maybe it was over 10 years ago. And this is before Facebook and everything I posted the sighting on what used to be a Google group got back home that night, check my email, and there was just a bunch of people wanting to come sit in my backyard and I let them and that's how I met the local burgers and felt comfortable with them. And it just kind of grew from there for me.
How do you most often approach identifying birds do you do by sight? Do you do by sound? Do you listen? And then look, How's it go?
I uh, depends on the bird. So I'm you're gonna see first like a bald eagle, large bird. They've spotted some birds. And I try to teach my classes that you're going to hear him before you see him and you may never see them. Little birds like to hang out in the tall grass or whatever. So I'm a big fan of what I call it's called birding by here. And people get frustrated with that they'll walk along with me. And they're like, how do you know these calls, and I kind of put like music. If your favorite song comes on the radio, you know what it is if it's the Beatles or whatever. And so once you do it enough, it's just become second nature. That's a Carolina room. It's calling or whatever. And I will sit. It's one of the weird things I do. But I'll sit quietly. And I'll make my mind. Listen to how many birds are calling. And you'd be surprised how many are jabbering at one time. But
Well, are you ever out watering your lawn or something? And one will catch your ear when you're not even paying attention? Oh, definitely.
And then I'm searching for him. Yeah,
what do you do, then you hear the call. And let's just say that we're not as advanced as you. Let's say that I hear a bird. And a lot of times in my neighborhood, I hear this little almost like a rat a tat chirp of a bird. Okay. And I go looking for that guy. Because I want to know where he is because he's allowed. Where should I first start looking? Should I look up? Should I look at lower branches? I mean, is there a methodology I should follow to try to identify it by sight?
Yeah, I guess I don't want to lead you astray because it could be up high. But then some birds prefer to stay down low. So depending on the bird is where you it's just something you kind of learned over time. Most brands are gonna hang down low. Because you may be hearing a Carolina run in your neighborhood or a house rent or something. And they'll they'll stay low. Or as a lot of birds prefer to go up in the trees. So I guess yeah, just patience more than anything.
So does it depend what time of day, I would hear this as to where I might look or to what birds I'm likely to find
birds are most active first thing in the morning like soon as the sun comes up, is most of them are hungry, haven't slept all night without food and their little systems need food. So that's when they're most active. And then they're most active again, towards dusk. They're starting to eat to get the rested.
Let's go through the exercise here. Let's let's go through the basics. Now, as somebody that doesn't know anything about it, I'm thinking that when you're trying to identify a bird visually, and you're looking around that there are certain things you want to maybe check off the list color, I would think it would be obviously a factor shape. What are some of the things that you're looking forward to try to figure out what it is that you're seeing
advanced bird or start looking at wing bars, you know, markings on the wings, or you can look at the color of the legs. One of the key things a lot of times is the shape of the bill. Because finches have a different bill as compared to a wren because it's all based on what they eat. Is the shape a different matter a lot of times I try to base because everybody knows what a Robin and about the size of a rock Haven't so people are trying to figure it out, is it larger or smaller than a Robin? And we can narrow it down from there. And then I'll ask him a word to see it. And a lot of its environment where you'll find a bird. Certainly, like I say, the rental hangout and scrubby areas and that type of thing, whereas Robins will be out in your lawn. But yeah, shape, size, color color is going to be the key, especially in spring falls a little tougher because they they're no longer in their breeding plumage. And there are a lot duller, shall I say, color wise that vide was but yeah,
you mentioned that you look at where they are and what they're doing. If I were trying to find a red first of all, am I going to find five different kinds of friends? I'm going to find 100 Different kinds of friends in central Illinois. What am I looking for? Let's say that I got one task. I'm gonna go go find a wren in my yard tonight. What do I do?
Okay, it's probably and they're probably gone already this time of year, but house rent or a Carolina run is most likely to get what's going to be around here your house. There's a couple of other little runs that migrate through the marsh rent a sedge Wren and a winter run that you won't find the house rent, the Carolina run stays year round house friends here for the summer breeding season. The other ones that are just kind of migrating through. So odds are you're gonna find a house run.
Okay, so if I'm looking for a house run, what am I looking for? And where am I looking a little
brown bird that'll sing all day long, even in the hottest summer day and javelin along and they they love, you can put up little housing in your in your yard, because they like being around people. And so that's more than likely what you'll find.
That's interesting, me, I wasn't aware that any birds liked being around people. I'm always afraid I'm gonna scare away the birds. Even if I have set out food for them. If I have a birdhouse, some of them are more tolerant of people than others.
Yes, they've adapted they've had to because we just keep taking more of their area. I mean, you could go to a park and the way those ducks act, they've adapted to being around people, as opposed to maybe a one run to at the lake, maybe a little more skittish. But
because they're looking for Habitat because they're looking for food, what are those wrens looking for?
Habitat, food wise, they eat insects and everything. So they're not dependent upon the feeders, but we're the ones that put up the little houses for him. So it gives them a place to stay and like purple martins, they will only nest and manmade structures, this side of the Mississippi. So if we don't put the houses of form, they're not going to nest here.
What other structures might they nest cavities and
trees, natural cavities that will find the side for some reason they've taken over to just manmade structures?
Are there any particular things that draw a bird to build some nesting area outside of a tree? I've noticed sometimes you'll see a nest someplace you're not expecting it like, you know somebody's porch in the corner or something like yeah,
Robbinsville nest on top of your porch light. The barn swallows sticking nest up on a shelf, they've all adapted to homes. I think they feel secure in some ways. If they're under your porch, from predators.
probably makes sense. fewer of them are coming up to the top of the porch. They're harder to climb that in the tree. Yeah. So do ups.
Man, I think they're all right.
So what are some things that you can do, if you have a yard of any size, a small yard, or maybe even a big place to make your area more bird friendly, and possibly draw some of these birds to your own backyard.
Birds have three basic needs. And that would be shelter, food and water. Water is sometimes the most important even in the lot of people don't think of it but in the wintertime, that's when they need water most because they can't get it in a little stream or a puddle and food of course in the winter because it gets tough. And plant native plants, even like berry producing shrubs that will produce berries in the fall that they like any native plant certain flowers, any red flower attracts hummingbirds, you can put Zinnias out or you know cardinal flower or whatever, but native plants just give him someplace to hide if they have to. If he got the room and I have one of my own backyard, but I've produced a brush pile, it's a place for them to dive in and they'll spend winter nights in there or whatever seek shelter. So
if you want to put out a feed or any tips on where to put it and what kind of feed use
as far as feed, it depends on what you want. If you want finches, you get the thistle seed or you can just get a common one of the mixed feeds. But try not to get the cheaper and because there's a lot in there that they won't eat like the little red millet and stuff. Maybe spend a little bit extra, not one of the big box stores and get a decent feed. And as far as placement, you always want to have a little bit of you don't want near a shrub where a neighbor's cat can hide. But you want it close enough that they can dive in if something comes in and maybe not too close to A home to avoid window strikes that type of thing. No matter where you can pull it and pull it off and feed my little friends. It's makes me happy.
One of the things that has changed a lot when I think of birdwatching, you traditionally think of people might want to, you know, get some binoculars or getting a bird identification book, that sort of thing when they go out. But now there's a lot more opportunities. So are there any apps for instance, for your phone that are great for bird watching or for bird identification?
Yeah, there's several apps to go to field guide amongst burners is the Sibley guide to birds. And they have an app now, it's not free, but it's basically having a full field guide on your phone. Audubon has a bird app that's free, and it's got bird calls and and stuff on there. And then there's one from the Cornell Lab that is called Merlin. And people can actually upload a picture that they may have taken and helps try to identify it based on where you are, what time of year because the more people input, the more data they have, and the more likely they are to identify your bird. So
So when you've been doing this, have you ever been surprised by some of the birds that you've been able to find? Oh, unusual one,
it's a treasure hunt. You never know what you're going to find. I was just out this weekend, and peregrine falcon came swooping in and landed on a tree and I photographed it out at Evergreen Lake and there's been weird bird show up in Illinois and ivory Gulf showed up about a year and a half or so ago. And that birds from the Arctic Circle, and I just happen to be in Quincy, Illinois, and of course me and my buddy went down to find it. So yeah, you never know what's gonna show up. My daughter got hooked into birding because I took her out to find Western Greaves were reported at Lake Bloomington. He was in November of the year. But that bird is supposed to be on the West Coast. And it kind of triggered something with her. How does it end up here? So there are no boundaries for him. You never know what's going to show up. It's fun to find a rare bird.
Are there any birds that we're starting to see more or at a different time than we used to?
I believe so. This year alone. There was cormorants that hung out at Evergreen lake all summer and they usually were more of a northern breeder, maybe just into Wisconsin or whatever. You see pelicans more often, there's birds a Western kingbird nest. It's clear down by Havana but they've a lot of things are changing. The rains are western meadowlark hangs out by Tijuana here in town. So things are changing. And the more you follow it and keep track, you find these things out. It's it's fun.
Anything else in general, what people will learn in the class the things that might strike them to want to take the class,
I would say, I will try to teach you. A lot of people struggle with binoculars. I'll try to teach binoculars, even the use of a field guide reading range maps, some birding by ear, and we just have fun.
Alright, Dave, thanks so much for coming in and talking to us about this. Well, thank
you very much for having me.
Thank you. Happy birding
saved you.
Dave wealth teaches you to watch birds at Heartland Community College. For his class and other continuing education opportunities. Visit heartland.edu click on learn something new for fun. This has been random acts of knowledge presented by Heartland Community College thanks for listening
