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This thread has two paths: 1. The first is to celebrate conservation and the importance of providing habitats for avians - in this case Laysan Albatross, Black-footed Albatross and the extremely rare Short-tailed Albatross. To this end I would like to share this 'birth announcement' attached below. This is the opening salvo: World’s oldest known wild bird hatches another chick A Laysan albatross known as “Wisdom” – believed to be at least 62 years old – has hatched a chick on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge for the sixth consecutive year. Early Sunday morning, February 3, 2013, the chick was observed pecking its way into the world by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Pete Leary, who said the chick appears healthy. Wisdom was first banded in 1956, when she was incubating an egg in the same area of the refuge. She was at least five years old at the time. Pretty cool, yes? 2. The second is to refresh our resources on the availability of web cams for nesting birds. We had a robust list of resources shared in our community last spring, and there is the hope that we will refresh our list and share web cam sites and conservation stories on this thread. Thanks a bunch for reading and posting. ~patty

Attachments

Laysan_Albatros_Wisdom.docx (0.06 Mb)

Here are some wildlife cams to check out; you might also be interested in underwater cams on fish and salmon runs as well as on other wildlife populations. there are archives and some video available for teacher use. Eagle Cam Archive from Norfolk Botanical Gardens: http://www.wvec.com/eaglecam Current Eagle Nest Cams: http://www.eaglenestcams.com/ (from 10 different locations) Hancock Wildlife Cams (including owls): http://www.hancockwildlife.org/index.php?topic=cam-sites Bird Cams from Cornell: 1. General Cam for Educators entry page: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/?pid=2422 2. Red-tailed Hawks: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/?pid=2422 3. Great Blue Herons: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/8/Great_Blue_Herons/ 4. General Feeder Watch Cam: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/38/FeederWatch_Cam/

Hi Patricia,
I was tickled to see 'Bird Populations and Web Cams' open as a new thread!! Bird Web Cams are a highlight in my students' spring entries of their science journals. I will be setting those links as 'Favorite Sites.'

My middle school students enter the classroom, immediately take out their journals and begin writing personal reflections on an idea, quote,question from previous material or what we are exploring at that point in time.

Their Science Journals are a valuable resource for my personal reflection and review. A few ways I utilize Science Journals include checking for understanding and possible consideration of reteaching a specific skill to whole group or individuals, ticket out of the classroom, oral sharing when we have a few minutes at the end of class, formative assessments.

To add to your excellent source of Web Cam sites, I have discovered a site that provides free downloads of bird photographs.

Enjoy your viewing, Alyce

Hi Alyce, Try this new site for some interesting avian behavior, too. It is from Cornell. Science and Beauty Converge on New Birds-of-Paradise Website Come along with us in the next phase of the Birds-of-Paradise Project: a new website that uses high-definition video to explore the science of these exquisite birds. The site features 35 videos, expert narration by the project scientists, plus sounds, slideshows, and downloadable lessons for educators. We’ll show you how the males create their jaw-dropping colors, shapes, and dances. And we’ll show you why it’s the subdued females that end up in the most powerful roles. Explore the site. http://www.birdsofparadiseproject.org/?utm_source=Cornell+Lab+eNews&utm_campaign=f01396cf18-Cornell_Lab_eNews_2012_10_11&utm_medium=email

Hello Birding Friends,
I discovered an additional Web Cam for our thread's list! 'Eaglecrest Estate' in Prather, CA has partnered with The Raptor Resource Project of Decorah, Iowa and now have 12 streaming video cameras.

Originally the camera was focused on a Red-Tailed Hawk nest. The nest was nearly destroyed by a windstorm, and later taken over by a pair of lively (and vocal) Canadian Geese. There are several links that take you to other WebCams throughout the United States!

If you are a member of Facebook, consider 'Liking' the Raptor Resource Project page. With over 75,000 'Likes' it is constantly being updated with Birding Events.

My middle school students have begun asking to view specific nests...wanting to follow-up on the prior days' activities. I have also emailed site addresses home in my weekly classroom newsletter, and several parents have noted that when their students arrive home the WebCams are on for all the family to enjoy. This morning (Saturday) I received an email from a mom that stated lovingly that the WebCam will be on all day for their children to view as they enjoy President's Weekend!!

One small golden nugget of joy from passing on our love of nature to young scientists!
Alyce

Alyce, Thanks for the additional information and the 'science gem.' Teachers like you reach out and 'touch the future stars.' A bit of an ad lib from "I teach. I reach for the stars." Bringing science home in any configuration is wonderful! It may stimulate conversation around the dinner table. ~patty

Osprey Migration and Arrival: The first ever Osprey cam was in NJ two decades ago, sponsored by National Geographic. Critter cams abound now and the story of the rebounding of the Osprey in addition to the Eagles and Peregrines is a good one. Tune into this webcam if you and your students wish to follow these Ospreys. Generally NJ Osprey are on nest and have eggs hatching by the end of May. The Osprey Camera live feed is now streaming at Edwin B Forsythe NWR visitor Center as well as www.friendsofforsythe.org and www.conservewildlifenj.org. The cam is located on the first nest platform directly across from the boardwalk. So far no sign of their arrival. The Osprey Cam project is owned by Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ with the main sponsorship from Friends of Forsythe NWR for the research and education of Ospreys in NJ. ~patty

Hello,
I received a mailing today from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Nest Watch. Cornell has invited all lovers of birds to become citizen scientists in the NestWatch Project. This citizen-scientist project monitors the status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds across the United States, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laiid, and how many nestlings survive.

I visited the site and found the criteria for participation easily adaptable to my middle school classroom. We have a small grove of trees on campus that is seldom bothered by traffic and an excellent source to observe bird activity. I am also going to share this site through my parent newsletter.

Students are currently creating observation templates in their personal Science Journals; utilizing Cornell's data collection criteria. Students will be encouraged to revise and/or add illustrations, weather observations, tables or graphs as they make observations. I would also like to use this opportunity for students to reflect on their personal growth in taking observing, taking notes, and reflecting on a long-term project.

I look forward to reading posts on outdoor lessons you are adapting for use in the classroom!
Enjoy your day, Alyce

Alyce, Thank you so much for this posting. Even if teachers are unable to participate, the Cornell nest cams are up and operational and the Red-tailed hawks are on nest with three eggs. Here is the recent Cornell blurb and the red-tail url http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/ Red-tails Return to Bird Cams With a Trio of Eggs Big Red and Ezra, the two Red-tailed Hawks watched by thousands last year from a live-streaming camera high above the Cornell campus, are back this year and already incubating three eggs. The hawks threw us a curve by deciding to nest in a new site—our Bird Cams team just managed to set up a camera before the eggs arrived on March 14, 17, and 20. (Picture quality is generally excellent, although viewers may see occasional brief outages as we finalize network connections over the next two weeks.) If the eggs hatch on a schedule similar to last year, start looking for fuzzy chicks around April 21. Watch on our live cams. Did you miss the egg-citement? Watch an archived video of Big Red laying egg #3.

On Kauai, the bird being addressed are the shearwaters. Our island no longer has Friday Night football games, the lights are too bright for the birds and they get lost by the lights. Here is a link to get more information: http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/fbrp/shearwaterlights.htm Also the Kauai Humane Society has a "sos" program. You can read about it at this link: http://kauaihumane.org/services/saveourshearwaters We also have a "The Kaua'i Seabird Habitat Conservation Program" (KSHCP) project is a joint effort of the State Department of Land and Natural Resources - Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR-DOFAW) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). With funding from the federal section 6 grant program, DLNR-DOFAW is preparing the KSHCP to provide interested businesses and agencies with a streamlined, cost-effective way to attain legal authorization and coverage for unavoidable incidental take of endangered and threatened seabirds due to light attraction (and other utilities) and to achieve net conservation benefits for Kaua'i’s endangered and threatened seabirds.

I just noted on the listserve that the Cornell Ornithology lab is running a series of [url=http://www.birdsleuth.org/webinar-series/]webinars [/url] Jennifer Free posted this I just wanted to let everyone know about the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s new webinar series for educators. You can attend one or more sessions to learn science content, teaching strategies, and receive resources and activities you can use with your students. Each of the five webinars focuses on a different topic: bird communication, nesting, ecosystems, migration, and citizen science. We’ve worked hard to make sure the content and activities are connected to the Next Generation Science Standards, so you’ll learn content and get resources you can use now and into the future. Participants receive a certificate of participation, and optional Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credit is available from Cornell University if you take the entire series. For a limited time, you can use the promotional code SleuthWebDisc to take $5 any webinar in the BirdSleuth online store. Please see the BirdSleuth website for more details on the series and credit options. Best wishes as everyone heads back to school… I hope this webinar series might offer you some new ideas for getting kids outside for science this year! Sincerely, Jennifer

Take part in the longest-running citizen science wildlife census in the world during the 114th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Join thousands of Americans who will conduct the annual bird survey across the country during December 14 to January 5. Volunteers spend a day counting all the birds they see within a designated area. Some people go outside to do this, while others can track birds visiting feeders in their yards. The data collected is used to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action.