Avian Tourism in Louisiana

There are great things happening all around this state. Just as exciting is the fact that its being reported on.

"Feliciana nature lovers abuzz over tiny birds"

See the advocates article "Feliciana nature lovers abuzz over tiny birds".

If you haven't caught on, birding is a big deal, for citizen science and for the economy. And it is making its way into the mainstream with films like The Big Year.

I think it is great to see people having a little fun with the idea of the hardcore birder. Hopefully it won't depreciate the public's understanding of it's value to science, conservation and our sense of place.

If you are interested in getting out to do some birding yourself or hang out with some people that do, you should try out some of the other birding festivals in Louisiana. We are centered in their migratory path, the Mississippi Flyway, and millions of birds use it each year. Many fly thousands of miles across the Gulf of Mexico, so why not celebrate their amazing accomplishment coming and going? Of the 845 species found in North America, over 200 spend their winters in Mexico, Central and South America. Here is a sweet map put together by the folks at www.birdlousiana.com of all the annual bird festivals:

View BirdLouisiana.com Main Map in a larger map

A River of Histories

I went to the Sterlington Branch Public Library in Ouachita Parish this afternoon for a presentation on a whim. The newsletter with events said:

July 16, 2012 5:30 p.m Local wildlife artist Glenn Gore, founder of the Ouachita River Foundation, discusses the history and importance of the Ouachita River. 

I had not done the research before going but it happens I'd already come across this group on one of my many webspeditions and was happy to make the connection. Ground truthing.

Born!

Two children were born last night. Twins. One of my best friends, their mother, welcomes them in the world today. I celebrate this event with snapshot of my day:

Today  I peered deep into a world normally invisible to the human eye, into the microcosmos of a drop of water. There I saw thousands of life forms whirling in a thin film forced beneath a microscope. The laboratory is a sterile and uninviting place, but I remember clearly the first time I discovered this vitality in water with the naked eye. I stood by a small spring-fed stream in Ohio. On one of the first warm days of spring, I stared into a pool left in the stone by receding waters. There in the delicate lace of shadow and light, I noticed the faintest of dimples: the shadow of many small crustaceans. I later identified them as copepods, daphnia, scuds...

From The Rotifera Dr. Charles Thomas Hudson (1889)