Spring Bird Watching With Kenn Kaufman
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-05-31/spring-bird-watching-kenn-kaufman
Every spring, billions of small migratory birds travel thousands of miles across North America, flying from Central and South America to summer homes as far away as Alaska. Then, weeks later, they turn around and head back South. This chaotic spectacle first captivated Kenn Kaufman as a teenager, when he hitchhiked across America on a yearlong bird-watching trek. Today, he's one of the most respected naturalists in the country. He joins Kojo to discuss the frenzy and beauty of spring bird migrations.
Guests
Kenn Kaufman
Naturalist and Writer; Author of "Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding" and "Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder" (Houghton Mifflin)
Comments
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Fascinating show, I love birds and your story, Kenn! Working in my yard near a large thorn bush I looked up and was eye to eye with a bird in a pouch nest. I could only see one yellow eye and part of its head. I backed off. Havent been able to find an image online of this nest. The nest was about 4-5 inches long, seemed to be made of grasses and reeds. It's been there about 3 weeks... What bird do you think it might be?
2nd question: I grew up about 50 miles north of where I live now. In the 1960's there were lots of whippoorwills in the mixed fields/woodland wetland landscape up there north of DC. Now in So. Md., I have never heard a whippoorwill (except as rendered by a mockingbird). Could it be a habitat difference or are their numbers dwindling?
Thanks!
Eileen
None of my environmentally correct friends believe outdoor cats have an impact on bird populations. Can you address this?
Thanks
I look forward every winter to the return of the swans to Pope's Creek at George Washington's Birthplace National Monument Park. It is a joy to listen to their calls each winter.
I also love to sit along the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, VA and watch the birds year round.
Right now I call it the bird superhighway due to the sheer number of osprey, great blue herons, geese, and cormorants.
Sitting by the river I have twice seen a bald eagle chase an osprey until the osprey finally gave up and released the fish it caught. The eagle then dove to catch the fish in mid-air.
It is a spectacular show!
Lynda
Fredericksburg, VA
We keep several bird feeders going in our Bethesda yard. We always have goldfinches. For a long time they would devour niger seed from a feeder with the seed hole under the perch - an upside down feeder. a year ago we started keeping a feeder full of shelled sunflower seed. Now the goldfinches skip the niger seed and only go for the sunflower. Could it be the type of niger seed is not to their liking, or have they learned to prefer the sunflower? Should we stop putting out sunflower?
Linda