2017 PBC Minigrant Projects: Conservation and Education

The 2017 PBC Minigrant Program awarded funds for four projects in the Piedmont area. All four great projects are completed or nearing completion. The projects include five bluebird boxes installed in Greenhill Cemetery, a native perennial garden with a bluebird box installed near Fairview Elementary School in High Point, support for the development of a website on North Carolina hummingbirds, and the replacement of Wood Duck boxes on Lake Brandt.

Read about one project –  replacement of Wood Duck boxes.
Many thanks to all 2017 awardees. Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2018 PBC Minigrant Program in September

Good Resource: BirdCast Migration Forecasts

Want to know what spring migrants are on your doorstep? What the next species of warbler in your backyard should be? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's BirdCast site provides a regional analysis of migration patterns and a forecast for arriving and departing species in the week ahead.  Check out BirdCast to see what you can find this week and for the rest of the spring.

Newly-Added Resource on the Website

A link has been added to the PBC website’s Species Lists page to an online species list at eBird, showing weekly frequencies of 273 species throughout the year for Guilford County, based on observations reported to the eBird system. The list is dynamic, updating as fresh observations are entered over time. Click here to go to the Species List page to learn more.

With the spring migration season under way, Guilford County birders can use this list as another resource to learn the species to expect each month. 
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FYI, the Species List page also has a button to download a “spring arrivals” list for the Piedmont Triad region compiled by PBC member Dr. Lynn Moseley.

Welcome to our New Members


  • Jill & Glyn Styles
  • Barbara Haralson
  • Andrew White
  • Carolyn Hunt
  • Ronald Tatro
  • Henrietta "Hank" Neal
  • Carlee Bane
  • Melanie Rice Peters
  • Linda Castaneda McLean
  • Vincent & Virginia Morton
  • Patty Potter

Join Us


    

May/June 2017 - The Veep's Peep

PictureCarolina Wren by Eric Abernethy
It’s baby season!  The business of bird breeding is all around us, and parents are working overtime to feed their young’uns.  Nest-building, egg-laying, incubation, feeding growing nestlings and taking care of demanding fledglings – all these activities require a lot of time, energy and commitment.  And then some species do it all again – bluebirds and wrens, for example, may produce several broods in a season.  Others, such as nuthatches and many warblers, have only one brood, although they may re-nest if the first nesting attempt fails.
PictureEastern Phoebe fledgling by Eric Abernethy
If you’d like to have birds nesting in your yard, the most important things you can do for them are: provide the right habitat, keep them safe from predators, provide fresh water, and offer food.  Since this year's nesting season is already well under way, here are some tips to consider in preparing for next spring:
  • Put up boxes for cavity-nesting species such as bluebirds, brown-headed nuthatches, chickadees and titmice.
  • Install a baffle on each nesting box pole to keep predators away – raccoons, squirrels, snakes and chipmunks love to munch on eggs and nestlings.
  • Keep cats inside.  According to the Audubon Society, between 1.3 and 4 billion birds are killed every year in the US by domestic cats, and this problem is at its worst during breeding season when vulnerable baby birds abound.
  • Try putting up a shelf under a porch or overhang, about a foot from the ceiling, to attract phoebes or Carolina wrens.  They are not at all messy, since the parents remove the chicks’ fecal sacs and carry them off and drop them away from the nest, and it’s fun to watch them at close quarters.
  • Provide shelter in the way of trees, shrubs, and other vegetation that offers good cover.  Open cup nesters - such as cardinals, sparrows, thrashers and mockingbirds – will all appreciate dense shrubbery in which to raise their young.
  • Replenish bird bath water daily, especially during hot weather, and keep those feeders filled.  The easier it is for breeding birds to find sustenance, the more time and energy they have for parenting.
​Anyone who has witnessed a baby bird making its first attempts to land smoothly, or noisily begging with wings fluttering, or that magical moment when it leaves its cozy nest box for the big outdoor world, can surely not help but smile and wonder at the miracle of such tiny creatures’ survival.  Enjoy!

The Piedmont Bird Club is always happy to hear from non-members, and we extend a warm and cordial welcome to anyone who would like to experience one of our outside or inside activities.  Check our calendar for details.
 
I look forward to seeing you very soon!
 
Jane Lawrence
PBC Vice-President
“North Carolina is a great place for birding. And the Piedmont Bird Club is a wonderful group of folks to bird with!”
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Last updated June 8, 2017