Birder’s Lounge

Ok, the first official Birder’s Lounge ID Challenge is here!

In short, the first person to submit the correct identification of the three images in this post is the winner. If no-one gets them all correct, then the first person who gets the most number correct wins. Multiple entries are welcome. The complete rules are on the ID Challenge! page.

The PRIZE for this month’s contest is an 8 oz. bag of whole coffee beans from Grounds for Change roastery. I have selected Ethiopian “Yirgacheffe” - if you like coffee, you will LOVE this! If you didn’t see my post about the importance of choosing shade-grown, organic, and fair-trade coffees, you can find it here.

Please use this post to submit your entry/entries. When you submit, a private email is sent to Birder’s Lounge along with your name and email address. If you win, your name will be posted as the winner, and you will be notified via the email address that you submit. (email will not be shared/posted). This ID Challenge! is open until midnight, October 21, 2008. Good Luck!

For some reason, I am drawn to this photo. I have seen these volunteer plants in my frog pond for about a year now, and have never tried to figure out what they are. There are several different varieties, all with those mesmerizing, pure-white flowers. I think I just described why I get lost in this photo. It is the contrast between the dark, mysterious water, and the white, ethereal flowers. All of this in a setting of what seems like a green mini-forest. When you are finished gazing, I have the real-world info for you as well!

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I am pleased to announce the opening of the Birder’s Lounge Online Store! Our initial offering is a selection of bird-themed coffee mugs.

I want to focus first on the importance of choosing Shade-grown, Organic, & Fair-Trade certified coffees. Shade-grown coffee comes from plants that grow under the canopy of larger trees. This is the coffee plant’s natural habitat, and these habitats support all kinds of wildlife, including birds. Out of the 600 species of North American birds, 340 are neotropical migrants. This means that more than half of the birds we love here in North America are dependent on habitats like those of traditional coffee plantations.¹

Organic coffee is grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Fair-Trade certified coffee means that the coffee beans are purchased from farmers at a fair price, enabling them to continue growing coffee beans in environmentally sound ways. It also helps these farmers compete with the coffee growers who cut down entire forests in order to speed the growth of coffee plants, to the detriment of the environment and all of the creatures who depend on the forest habitat.

Another bonus for purchasing only shade/organic/fair coffee is that they taste better!

I have sampled coffees from several roasters who exclusively offer shade/organic/fair coffees. Let me say this, I’d take that job any day! The very best roaster I found is Grounds for Change. Their commitment to providing only the best shade/organic/fair coffees is unrivaled in my estimation. They won the taste test, hands down!

You can learn much, much more about all of this at a blog that I subscribe to, Coffee & Conservation.

I hope you will enjoy a sumptuous cup of coffee from Grounds for Change, in a Birder’s Lounge coffee mug!

In this Year of the Frog, I want to share the smashing success of my efforts to provide habitat for frogs at my home. My frog ponds(2) also provide water to wildlife, breeding grounds for dragonflies and all manner of other pond creatures. At night, their myriad calls provide musical accompaniment to the rest of the nocturnal chorus. Plus, it is a lot of fun for me to sit by and enjoy!

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A few days ago, the state of California held its annual Coastal Cleanup Day. The artwork above is from the California Coastal Commission. Lets hope we never see this bird! Read the rest of this entry »

Upon returning from a full Saturday on a new trail, I actually said that. I take it back.

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If you’ve ever walked through a field full of these native Gaura plants, you would remember their delicious, sweet scent as well as their beauty. There are several species and hybrids of Gaura, but I think this particular one is (Gaura biennis). Also known as beeblossom, this plant is native to North America.¹

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This is the time of year when many birders gather together to watch for hawks. The reason for this is because hawks and other raptors, as well as many other species of birds, migrate during the spring and fall. The common term used to describe this is Hawk Watch, and you can learn all about it here. Read the rest of this entry »

I want to take this time, as hurricane Ike makes its way through Texas, to let everyone know about two bird and wildlife rescue/rehabilitation/sanctuaries that I admire and support.

The International Bird Rescue Research Center, based in California, focuses its efforts on birds and other animals injured by the all-too-frequent oil spills in our seas around the world. This non-profit organization, established in 1971, also helps birds and animals injured by the detritus of the fishing industry. I have not found any reports of oil spills along the Texas Gulf Coast due to storm damage, and I hope that the drilling operations an rigs are not badly damaged.

Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation is a non-profit organization located in Texas, west of Austin and north of San Antonio - near the city of Kendalia. It was founded in 1977 by Lynn Cuny, and has grown from a backyard operation to a highly respected sanctuary of 187 acres. Their commitment to wildlife stresses the need to keep the “wild” in wildlife. I whole-heartedly agree! Read the rest of this entry »

I introduced a new recurring theme and contest for Birder’s Lounge at the end of August. I thought it would be fun to post a number of images that I had not used that month, and challenge readers to identify the bird, plant, or animal. The point of the Inaugural Edition was to announce the idea in preparation for the first “official” ID Challenge (aka: ID Challenge-with-prize-for-winner!). I want to go ahead and list the answers to the daunting number of photos I posted - or at least, some of the answers! Read the rest of this entry »