Audubon readies to count warblers

Published 10:14 am Monday, May 11, 2009

Teams are getting organized, and the annual migration of the warblers seems to have started.

Austin Audubon birders Larry Dolphin and Terry Dorsey are team leaders this spring.

Teams Dolphin and Dorsey could use some additional help with field observers as well as individuals who can find those unusual birds at their feeders.

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These two teams cover Mower County, searching from the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center to Lake Louise State Park at LeRoy for the elusive warblers.

“The teams cover the county from sunrise to nearly sunset in hopes of getting more than 100 species of birds in one day,” Dorsey said.

According to Dorsey, this is the peak of migrating of waterfowl, shore birds species and warblers on their way to the northern boreal forests.

Environment for the Americas, home of International Migratory Bird Day is a non-profit organization working to increase awareness of birds and their conservation throughout the Western Hemisphere. The organization provides the framework and education materials for bird festivals and events, hosts a directory of bird education resources, offers bird workshops for educators and motivates people of all ages to get outdoors to learn about birds.

This year’s theme is “Celebrating Birds in Culture.”

As part of International Migratory Bird Day, Austin has been counting for the past 16 years. Observers have seen an average of 113 species each year and have recorded 136 in 2004.

The Audubon Chapter also uses this day as a fundraiser for scholarships and projects. Members and interested community people donate money for species seen or make contributions to help Austin Audubon with its environmental outreach such as nature center support, classroom field trips, Ikes Purple Martin Project and buckthorn removal, Dorsey said.

People can participate by calling 433-4483 or 437-7519, joining the field for part of the day, observing at feeders and calling in their sightings or simply donating to the Audubon cause.