Welcome back

I hear the birds every morning now. I’m sure you do, too. The back yard birds have returned. Most of the birds in my back yard have been hanging around for a little while, but now they’re singing up a storm and nesting in the eavestroughs. Although there have been mornings when, for a brief moment, I didn’t really want to hear another peep out of them, it is just for a moment and the feeling always passes with help of a mug of coffee.We are fortunate to be able to have and to hear the birds in our back yard.

This year the good folks of the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory will be celebrating 17 years of running an official migratory bird monitoring station. The observation and recording of the migratory birds at Prince Edward Point started in earnest in the early 1970s with the Kingston Field Naturalists conducting research and bird counts. The birds, however, never were aware of the keen interest naturalists, enthusiasts, biologists and birders had in their passing-by and just continue to do what comes naturally, winging their way from their wintering-over homes in the southern United States, Central and South America to their nesting grounds in Canada’s boreal forest. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate the arrival of hundreds of thousands of our fine feathered friends? Indeed.

This year’s Spring Birding Festival runs from May 14 until May 23, although banding operations at the Point station began on April 9. Many of you may think of the Baillie Birdathon when you’re conjuring up the idea of spending a day “birding” and you’d be directly over that flight path. The Baillie Birdathon is an “across Canada,” 24-hour fundraising event held every year in the month of May. If you enjoy an early morning romp in the fields and forests of the County looking for a Northern Shrike or an Indigo Bunting or, perhaps, a Rusty Blackbird, shine up your field glasses, find your ducky boots and hit the family up for a few bucks in pledges, the Baillie Birdathon awaits. And, it’s just a little bit nice to know the proceeds from your participation in the Baillie Birdathon make up about 30 per cent of PEPtBO’s annual operating budget. Really!

But, if you’re like me, you might not want to climb out of your warm bed at the crack of dawn and wing your way around the County to identify birds for bucks. Some of us like to sleep in a bit and get a more leisurely start on the day; perhaps a day with more creative fun and less soggy field. The PEPtBo 2011 Birding Festival has a little bit of something for just about everyone. If you’re a picture taking kinda birder, meet up with County photographer Wayne McNulty at Duck’s Dive on County Road 13, on May 14 from 10 a.m. until noon,Wayne will be conducting a hands-on workshop “Photographing Nature.” Bring your camera and dress for the weather. The birds don’t really care about the weather, but if your fingers are frozen to the shutter button, you might wish you’d dressed appropriately. At 2 p.m. on May 14 the PEC Master Gardeners will be conducting a workshop entitled “Naturalizing your Garden for Birds & Beneficial Insects.” This workshop takes place in Milford at 1742 County Road 17.Why not pack a picnic lunch with a flask of something warming and take in both workshops on the 14th? The cost for these workshops is $25 for adults and $10 for students; children under 12 may participate for free. Imagine, learning all about nature photography and one day having a back yard full of beneficial birds and bees in your sights! If your great aunt Millie happens to show up on the 14th and spoils your plan to attend the workshops, there is one workshop with Peter Fuller on May 15 from 10 a.m. until noon at Sillwater Forest entitled “Birds and Plants of the Forest.” Then there are two workshops on May 21. Artist Aidan Haley will be at the Tall Poppy Cafe in Wellington from 10 a.m. until noon. His workshop “How to Sketch Birds” is open to all ages and for this one, you don’t have to dress for out-ofdoors. Think about it, a wonderful artist upstairs and fabulous coffee and treats downstairs. At noon, on May 21, Terry Sprague, the County’s Guru of allstuff- nature-like, will be at Duck’s Dive, primed to give your brain a workout with a session entitled “Birding by Ear.” Clean out the wax, put on your rubber wells and clear your mind.You’ll be hearing Terry’s birds in your dreams. If you happen to be into walking in the woods, there are daily, guided walks at 8 a.m. with Peter Fuller, Rosemary Smith and Sprague. If you want something romantic, and I never mentioned romance and birds before, there will be evening walks at Prince Edward Point beginning at 4 p.m. The cost for the guided walks is $5.

The Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory is “an extraordinary birding location with the highest concentration of migratory birds on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario.” PEPtBO is a non-profit, self-funding (an important part for us to keep in mind), volunteer- based organization. All of PEPtBO’s operating money is raised through donations, grants, fundraising and memberships. If you’ve got a hankering for a week of beauty and the birds or you’d love to make a donation or volunteer at The Point, check out the website at www.peptbo.ca. Go on, make PEPtBO’s day!

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca