Archive for December, 2006
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
Common redpoll, ‘Oregon’ junco
The excitement this week at the bird feeders has centered around a common redpoll and a couple of Oregon juncos that have been dining on sunflower seed.
Phil Schwab, who birds at Severson Dells regularly as part of Cornell University’s Project FeederWatch, logged the redpoll Dec. 26. He first reported the Oregon junco last week.
Both birds […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info, Observing Nature by Brian Leaf
Wednesday, December 20th, 2006
Northern Shrike
A northern shrike made a dramatic appearance Dec. 7. Don Miller was helping a group of Harlem High School students learn elements of bird watching. As they watched a flock of birds beneath the feeder, the shrike came in like a bullet and pinned a goldfinch to the ground. The shrike stayed on the ground […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info, Observing Nature by Brian Leaf
Tuesday, December 19th, 2006
Whooping Cranes Arrive in Florida
The flock of 18 young whooping cranes, which spent several days in Winnebago County this fall, have arrived in their Florida wintering grounds after a 76-day, 1,234 mile journey.
The flock followed three ultralight planes flown by Operation Migration pilots from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River, […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info, Observing Nature by Brian Leaf
Monday, December 18th, 2006
We Need Our Children to Connect With Nature
This article appeared Sunday, Dec. 17, 2006, in the Opinion section of the Rockford Register Star.
By Brian Leaf
Special to the Register Star
One of the goals of Severson Dells Nature Center is to help people develop a sense of place, to know about where they live, to have a connection to this region.
Many people think that […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Sprawl, Comment by Brian Leaf
Monday, December 11th, 2006
Becoming Carbon Neutral
Companies are springing up to help businesses, groups and individuals become carbon neutral.
Carbon neutral means that you offset the greenhouse gases you produce.
They help you calculate the amount of climate-changing gasses you produce through your lifestyle. Then they suggest ways you can repay the earth for the carbon you burn, canceling your carbon footprint by […]
No Comments » - Posted in Info by Brian Leaf
Wednesday, December 6th, 2006
Darwin’s Theory and Black Squirrels
Charles Darwin told us that in nature, the strong survive and the weak perish. Darwin is long gone, but his theory lives on.
Check out Geri Nikolai’s story in the Rockford Register Star “You’re not nuts, they’re black squirrels.”
Black squirrels (great name for a band, in my opinion) have been showing up frequently in the Rock […]
