Ornithology -- March 5, 2025

Ornithology - Unit 12 in your textbook. Complete the optional quiz HERE

Sam Crowe, a lifelong birder, author of Photographic Guide to the Birds of North America (2020), and a member of the BPTMN Class of 2022

Read Sam's BIO

1. Look over Unit 12 in your textbook. Complete the optional quiz HERE

2. Watch our speaker's pre-recorded presentations and answer questions

Is it a Bird? (17:15)

The Big Sit (8:43)

3. Watch video lessons on the basics of ornithology.

Inside Birding: Size and Shape (9:45)

Bird Migration in the Western Hemisphere (8:31)

4. Check out the birds that have been observed in Collin County HERE

5. If you didn’t watch the iNat videos or take your species pics in week two, get that done for this week.

Introduction to iNaturalist (17:19)

TPWD video featuring Sam Kieschnick aka. "Master iNaturalist" (6:11)

Take 4-6 pics of ONE species, but don't upload to iNaturalist yet 

Optional Bird Activities

Twenty Common Birds (7:37)

Light Pollution Affects Migrating Birds(2:59)

Climate Change Affecting Chickadee Distribution (2:04)

Download Backyard Birds, with bonus info on creating bird habitat, using bird feeders, choosing bird seed, as well as a PDF copy of the presentation on Twenty Common Birds.

Visit the Migratory Bird Treaty Act site and see if your favorite bird is protected.

Complete the activity on Using eBird Species maps HINT: Find abundance animation on the White-Throated Sparrow here.

Respect points awarded for playing the Bird Song Hero game 

Listen to a podcast about birds listed here 

Optional iNaturalist Activities

iNaturalist FAQs (2:14)

iNat how-to video (1:24) 

Make-up Classes

Do you already know that you will have to have to miss a class because of a conflict? Contact your pod guides to make arrangements for a make-up class as soon as possible. Right now, we have plenty of opportunities for make-up classes, but we'll have fewer choices every week.  

Logging Hours

Try to log your hours by Friday night.

Opportunity: Init Training-Class 04

Date: February 26, 2025    

Hours: 3.0     

Description: Mammalogy with Bryon Clark

Upcoming Field Trip

Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

Saturday, March 1st

12:00-2:30pm

turn left to park inside Brockdale Park parking lot

Advanced Training (AT) Opportunities

• • Friends of Hagerman Bird Walk with Jack Chiles. March 8th, 8:00-10:00am. Registration is required. See event details and how to log hours by clicking event link on the Chapter Calendar.

Volunteer Service Opportunities

• • Project Feederwatch This is already an approved Volunteer Service opportunity.

  • Saturday, March 1: 7-9am - Sunrise Bird Count "Little Sit" at Hagerman NWR, see event details on the calendar

  • See chapter calendar for other approved VHAT opportunities

• ·All About Birds - website

• Merlin Bird ID from the  Cornell Lab of Ornithology

• Beaks: Bird Feeding Adaptations - video from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

• Prairies and Timbers  Audubon Society - serving Collin and surrounding counties

• Texas Ornithological Society (TOS)- website

• The TOS Handbook of Texas Birds 

• The Feather Atlas  - From the US Fish & Wildlife Service Forensics Lab.

• Audubon Texas - website of the Texas branch of Audubon

• Basics of Birding - video from Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.

• My Life As A Turkey - PBS production about Wild Turkeys

• Six Steps to Choosing Binoculars You'll Love - article at All About Birds

•  Recent:  Master Naturalists Present Fun Facts about Hummingbirds

WEEK FIVE CLASS UPDATE

Great class last night. I loved the skins & skulls. Moving on to birds, here's your weekly update. 🙂

Week Four leftovers

If you signed up to volunteer at Connemara Meadow but haven't received an email from Bob, it's because he couldn't read your handwriting. Send HIM an email and let him know that you signed up and are interested. His email is rmione@aol.com.

March Mammal Madness 2025 - info, brackets, etc.

Week Five: Feb 27 - Mar 5

Pre-Work:

Get ready for next week's ornithology class by completing the pre-work prior to class. 

VMS:

Remember to log your class hours by Friday. You can see EXACTLY how to log them at VMS Information.

Blackland Prairie Raptor Center:

Our next field trip is this Saturday. If your plans change, please update the SUG. Don't know how? Read here.

Make sure to turn LEFT and park in the Brockdale Park parking lot. That is where the tour will begin.

1625 Brockdale Park Rd, 75002

The tour will start promptly at noon. Please arrive in time to park and walk in.

The field trip will immediately follow their First Saturday event which is held 9am-noon. If you have never been to one of those, it includes, a live raptor program, guided tours in the prairie, and family activities. The theme for March is "Baby Shower" for the kickoff of raptor baby season. You are welcome to attend solo or with your family. The fee is $15 per adult and $10 per child. Please note that the field trip is for class members only. Your family members would need to leave at noon without you.

ZOOM:

We have a handful of pods who will be meeting to practice their Zoom skills. 

You will need to be able to:

• Join the meeting,  How to Join a Zoom Meeting (3:30)

• Mute your audio, Basic In-Meeting Navigation (3:54)

• Stop your video

• Share your screen, Sharing Your Screen (3:41)

See you next week,

Nancy

Nancy Casillas, Training Director

Texas Master Naturalist, Blackland Prairie Chapter

nancyc@bptmn.org

214-725-2309