Bird Watching and "Memoirs of a Farm Boy"

On Saturday, I went birding with the Williamsburg Bird Club. Let me say, first of all, that my new binoculars enhanced the experience tremendously. My Eagle Optics Ranger 10 x 50s were a Christmas gift from my husband. (Thank you, dear.) We watched a variety of birds from hawks to songbirds and I learned so much because I could really see the details! The Club records birds seen on 2nd and 4th Saturdays at New Quarter Park on Cornell Lab's eBird site, in case you want to look it up.

We didn't see many ducks on Queens Creek, however, and this was slightly unusual. After birding for awhile, be began to hear gunshots and eventually picked out the duck hunters' boat sitting next to the marsh at the place we call The Point. (In the center and to the right in this photo.) We saw about a dozen decoys anchored around them. Some of the birders grimiced and shook their heads every time we heard a blast. Poor, poor ducks.

On Sunday I read William H. Turner's book Chesapeake Boyhood: Memoirs of a Farm Boy (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf). It had been loaned to me by my cousin Ralph Anderton from Bohannon (Mathews, Virginia). Ralph grew up in that rural way too, and I have heard my birding friend Bill Williams mention a similar attachment to the land rooted in his childhood exploits. As boys, these men hunted and fished because that was what you did. Through hunting and fishing they grew to appreciate wildlife and the natural environment. I highly recommend this book to all who care about Virginia's natural history and Virginian's attachment to it. I hope some of my birding friends will read it so that they may develop greater empathy.

My favorite chapter was "Farm Life:"

"When I was growing up in the 1930s and 1940s, farm life on the subsistence level in Virginia revolved around certain routines ... There was little planning or expectation, but this does not mean to imply any monotony, shortsightedness, or boredom. To the contrary, we lived exciting and wholesome lives...

"One of the biggest jobs we had was pulling weeds and hoeing. No herbicides were ever used, and there were significantly fewer weeds than you have now. Somehow I think that the weeds have become immune to poison ... their immunity is keeping ahead of modern chemistry, and the art of pulling them by hand is lost.

"It was a good, simple, healthy life, enjoyed by young and old. But it is as extinct as the passenger pigeon."

Williamsburg Christmas Bird Count

I enjoyed joining the Jolly Pond Circle crew for the Williamsburg Christmas Bird Count. Left to right: Margaret, Alex, Lee, Sara, Shirley.

Here are clips from a Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily article about the day:

Christmas Bird Count Nets Some Surprises

For 20 years, Bill Williams has been a volunteer bird spotter for the Williamsburg Bird Club. "When I started, I was just in awe of how the experienced birders could spot subtle differences between the birds," he says.

Two decades of doing this will teach you a thing or two. Now, Williams is the official records committee chairman and compiler for the Williamsburg Bird Club's Christmas Bird Count.

This year's 32nd annual count on December 21 saw a few unusual species spotted, but also a reduction in some of the birds that used to be common in the area. Most exciting to Williams is that 53 volunteers, an all-time high, staked out spots in a 15-mile circle, centered at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center.

"Of the 53 participants, we saw 109 species, which is about an average year," Williams says. "There's usually very little change in that number."

... Among the rare finds was a northern gannet, spotted in the York River. Williams says it's the first time the shorebird has ever been spotted during the Christmas bird count. Usually, at this time of year, the gannet's range is far to the south and east of the Historic Triangle.

There were also two short-eared owls spotted in the Hog Island Wildlife Management Area. Williams says it's just the third time they've been spotted during a Christmas count.

... There are far fewer songbirds than there used to be. Williams says the rusty blackbird, which used to be seen in large flocks, have seen their numbers decline all through their range.

... Other species ... have seen numbers edge up. Williams says there were 49 brown pelicans spotted during the Christmas count.

O, Christmas Tree ...

As an environmentalist, I've read up on Christmas tree issues and have decided to go with the live variety. There are benefits, as discussed in the clips from an article in Williamsburg Yorktown Daily by Eileen Weldon, below. In addition, a tree purchased from a local tree farm helps the local economy and allows a farmer to keep farming his land. Read more:

"Before Christmas trees were commercially grown, people cut trees indiscriminately from the woods, with little consideration for the continuance of the forest. The organization American Forests started the tradition of giving a cut Christmas tree to President Coolidge in 1924, a tradition continued each year by the National Christmas Tree Association. American Forest’s gift to the President was their way of encouraging the use of living Christmas trees as a conservation measure. It was meant to discourage the random cutting of forest evergreens. After all, Christmas trees provide benefits from the time they are planted until the time they are recycled after the holidays.

"Have you ever considered how Christmas trees are grown or what it takes to produce that perfect specimen? Depending on the variety of tree, the soils and the climate, it takes an average of seven to 12 years to harvest a seven-foot tree. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, nearly 35 million trees are harvested on 500,000 acres of land by commercial Christmas tree growers each year and two to three new seedlings are planted for each tree that is harvested. Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states.

"The seeds are started in planting beds and grown for up to three years until established. Depending on the size, they are often transplanted into a second nursery bed for another year or two before being re-planted in the production fields. An average of 1,000 to 1,500 seedlings are planted per acre of land, with half a billion trees in various stages growing on Christmas tree farms nationwide.

" ... In the United States, from seeding to harvest, the industry employs more than 100,000 people.

"There are environmental benefits to live Christmas tree production. The organization American Forests estimates that every acre of Christmas tress planted gives off enough oxygen to sustain 18 people. And that the total number of Christmas trees in production commercially in the United States should supply enough oxygen to sustain 18 million people every day. They also point out the benefit of shelter for wildlife and, of course, the benefits gained by recycling Christmas trees after the holidays. One statistic I found surprising is that in 2007 only 21 percent of US households purchased real Christmas trees - 48 percent artificial. Artificial trees offer convenience but are made from non-biodegradable plastic and can last centuries in the environment.

"So back to live Christmas trees — here’s an interesting bit of trivia. In the 1840s, a German professor introduced the people of America to the custom of decorating live Christmas trees...and where else but in Williamsburg, Virginia?"

Make a Smilebox greeting

Everyday Environmentalist: Eat More Plants

As a vegetarian, I enjoyed (okay, smugly enjoyed!) a recent Everyday Environmentalist article on the Nature Conservancy website, which appears in a slightly edited and condensed version here:

Eat More Plants By Margaret Southern

Which would you rather do: Give up your car or give up eating meat? You might be surprised that taking meat off your menu could be the greener option.

A 2006 report from The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization found that the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the planes, trains and automobiles on the planet. The methane emissions from cows have 21 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. But that's not the only problem. More and more forests are being cleared for pastures to feed all these animals. And as the trees disappear, so does the earth’s natural method of storing carbon.

The problem is getting worse. According to the FAO, annual per capita meat consumption in developing countries has doubled from 31 pounds in 1980 to 62 pounds in 2002. The FAO predicts that meat production will double by 2050.

So what can you do? Start by reducing the amount of animal products in your diet. Replace the meat and cheese with healthier beans, legumes, whole grains and extra servings of fruits and vegetables.

I admit that when I first gave up meat eight years ago, the task seemed incredibly daunting. My friends and family were skeptical that it would last more than a few weeks. After all, the only vegetables I used to eat were baby carrots and iceberg lettuce, and I refused to touch tomatoes, mushrooms or beans. But after about a month, something amazing happened: I began to enjoy the healthy foods I never liked before. When I realized I was craving broccoli and apples, I knew that my diet was healthier than it had ever been before.

These days, vegetarian options are (almost!) everywhere. You can find a wide variety of resources, recipes and tips on the Internet or in your local bookstore. Greening your diet (literally) is a simple way to make a big difference in your health and the environment.