orthwest Regional Library and the Audubon Center Present:
Bats!
Location: Greenbush Library
Date: Tuesday, May 8
Time: 1:00 p.m.
How we feel about creatures that “go bump in the night” is often a reflection of our fear of the unknown. It’s easy to fill the void with myths, urban legends and superstition. If that isn’t enough, our culture seems to stack the deck against them too.
Think about it. You might not recognize the Irish author, Bram Stoker, but just about everyone knows his fictional character, Dracula. What did the witches toss into their cauldrons in William Shakespeare’s MacBeth? And don’t even mention these little fur balls to a public health official unless you’re prepared for a cautionary lecture on rabies.
Agassiz Audubon Society’s Director, Heidi Hughes never gave them a thought – except at Halloween. But she still had a healthy fear of them – even though she’d never actually seen one. When she finally did, everything changed. Her first close encounter with a Brazilian free-tailed bat left her captivated. She’ll tell you why and much more when she presents a special Agassiz Audubon program about Minnesota Bats – along with tips on how to become a “bat watcher.” She’ll help you find answers to any and all questions about Minnesota’s night-flying heroes
Purple Martins
Location: Warroad Library
Date: Tuesday, May 8
Time: 6:30 p.m.
AND
Location: Thief River Falls Public Library
Date: Monday, 21
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Purple Martins “can eat up to 22,000 mosquitoes a day!” That’s what it says on the box on the store shelf. So it has to be true, right? After all, we have “truth in advertising” laws here in the United States.
Truth is: No bird makes a living eating mosquitoes.
Say what? Yes, Purple Martins don’t eat mosquitoes. In fact, scientists say these birds actually eat dragonflies – the major larval predator of mosquitoes!
How can that be? How did this urban myth get started? Why would anyone buy a nest box for birds that can cost up to $500 or more?
And why do thousands of Americans spend their time (and money) trying to attract these birds?
For the answer to these questions – and to learn more about these fascinating birds – who depend solely on humans for nesting sites
The American Kestrel: How to Attract America’s Flashest Falcon
Location: Thief River Falls Library
Date: Monday, April 23
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Looking for an inexpensive, and chemical-free way to control pests in your yard, meadow or farm field? Willing to try something new – something way more efficient than a barn cat? We’re talking about American Kestrels.And if you have the right habitat, all you need to attract them – is a wooden nest box. Kestrels are smallest and most colorful falcons in North America.
About the size of a Blue Jay, this feisty predator eats about 20% of its body weight each day. At the end of a year that’s a total of more than 20 pounds of grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, moths, mice and small birds.
The American Kestrel: How to Attract America’s Flashest Falcon
Location: Warroad Library
Date: Tuesday, April 10
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Looking for an inexpensive, and chemical-free way to control pests in your yard, meadow or farm field? Willing to try something new – something way more efficient than a barn cat? We’re talking about American Kestrels.And if you have the right habitat, all you need to attract them – is a wooden nest box. Kestrels are smallest and most colorful falcons in North America.
About the size of a Blue Jay, this feisty predator eats about 20% of its body weight each day. At the end of a year that’s a total of more than 20 pounds of grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, moths, mice and small birds.
The Bluebirds Are Coming
Location: Red Lake Falls Library
Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Now’s the time to put out nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds. Even if you’ve been doing it for years, there’s always something new to learn about being a successful bluebird landlord. Find out the latest on attracting Eastern Bluebirds and meet the author of the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s booklet on “Homes For Birds,” and hear the latest from nest box expert Heidi Hughes. Bring your questions, and if you can, your bluebird nest box. She’ll talk about where to put them and how to take care of them.
Top 10 Myths about Attracting Eastern Bluebirds
1. Blue or white are the best colors to paint a bluebird nest box.
2. Successful bluebird nest boxes have to be installed on wood fence posts.
3. Birds need a short perch at the entrance of the nest box.
4. Successful nest boxes have predator guards on the entrance holes to keep raccoons out.
5. If you install a bluebird box is on a tree trunk about 5 feet above ground, snakes can’t get into the box.
6. As long as you remove the old bird nest in the spring, you don’t need to do anything but watch all summer.
7. If you open the box when the birds are nesting, you’ll scare them away.
8. If you touch a baby bird, the scent of humans will make the parents abandon them.
9. It’s best to put your bluebird box in a wooded location.
10. Bluebird nest boxes you buy on stores and on the internet are made to the the exact specifications of the North American Bluebird Society.
Get Swifts!
Location: Thief River Falls Library
Date: Monday, March 26, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
With an average flying speed of 50 mph, they’re one of the fastest fliers in the bird world – and they spend all day in the air, coming to rest only at night. They feed on aerial plankton – catching beetles, wasps and bugs in their beaks as they fly. They even drink on the wing. During migration, you might see these amazing little birds flying over chimneys at dusk in large tornado-like flocks. Then suddenly they swirl in descent as they head into the chimney to roost for the night. But unfortunately, Chimney Swifts are facing extinction. Their populations have dropped over 50% in the past 40 years. Agassiz Audubon Society’s Heidi Hughes introduce you to these incredible birds and how you can help them by building a Chimney Swift Tower. She will provide chimney swift tower construction plans and a list of the materials you need to build one.
The Boys in Blue: Attracting Bluebirds to Your Backyard
Location: Warroad Public Library
Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Minnesota is a great place to ‘grow’ bluebirds and “bluebirders.” In fact, Larry Zeleny, founder of the North American Bluebird Society, was 13 years old when he spotted his first pair of nesting bluebirds in the North Star State. He went on to tell people all over America – installing and monitoring bluebird trails is a great way to get kids and adults involved in conservation and America’s fastest growing outdoor recreation activity: birdwatching.
This spring, Agassiz Audubon Society is launching a new “Community Bird Watch” project, in partnership with local schools, libraries and parks. They’re inviting the public to join them.
If you’re interested in becoming a nest box monitor, or just want to learn more about backyard birds, Heidi Hughes, author of the *Expert’s Guide to Backyard Birds* and *Homes for Birds* will explain how to install and monitor bird nest boxes; and she’ll answer questions about attracting birds.
The Boys in Blue: Attracting Birds to Your Backyard
Location: Thief River Falls Library
Date: Monday, February 26, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
If you don’t have too many trees in your backyard, put up a bluebird nest box!
Find out what you need to attract these – and other birds – to your yard!
Owls, Owls…Fantastical Fowls
Location: Red Lake Falls Library
Date: Wednesday, February 1,2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Throughout history and in every culture, owls have been part of local literature, folklore and superstitions.
They’ve been considered wise –and foolish.
They’ve been feared by some, and venerated by others.
They’ve been both admired and despised.
But there’s one thing about owls on which we can all agree: they are fascinating!
Attracting Birds to Your Backyard
Location: Hallock Library
Date: Thursday, January 26, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
If you don’t have too many trees in your backyard, put up a bluebird nest box!
Find out what you need to attract these – and other birds – to your yard!
Birding by the Book
Location: Thief River Falls Library
Date: Monday, January 23, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
At the turn of the 20th century, people who watched birds were lucky to find one illustrated guide to bird identification. Now a hundred years later, we have more than 100 to choose from. The bird book business is booming – with more than 600 different bird titles on bookstore shelves and several hundred more used and out-of-print titles available on the internet.
Bring your favorite bird book(s) to the Thief River Falls Library and join Agassiz Audubon’s Heidi Hughes for a program on the history of bird identification books – and media – and how to select what’s best for you.
She’ll show you what to look for in a bird ID book and provide tips on how to build your library with books about Minnesota’s birds, bird identification and bird life histories as well as books on how to attract birds. She’ll explain the good and the bad – about bird illustrations and bird books. And she’ll introduce you to birding resources on the internet.
Winter Birds of the Warroad Area and How to Identify Them
Location: Warroad Library
Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.
When the weather outside is frightful…it’s time to sit by the window and watch the drama as it unfolds in your yard. Yes, backyard birdwatching has become fashionable. You can strike up a conversation with strangers about the birds in your yard. And knowing how to identify the birds makes it more fun.
Heidi Huges, author of “The Expert’s Guide to Backyard Birdfeeding” and new manager of the Agassiz Audubon Society Center in Warren-will show you what you need to know in order to identify the birds in your neighborhood. Bring your binoculars and bird ID book. If you don’t own binocs and a book, she’ll show you how to select the one that’s right for you.
She will also provide tips on how to photograph wild birds, how to select and use iPod apps and how to keep a list of the birds you’ve spotted-at the eBird webiste on the internet. Bring your questions-she’ll have the answers for you.
Birdwatching 101: Everything you need to know from binoculars to iPod Apps
Location: Red Lake Falls Library
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Time: 6:30 p.m.
When the weather outside is frightful… it’s time to sit by the window and watch the drama as it unfolds in your yard. Yes, backyard birdwatching has become fashionable. You can strike up a conversation with strangers about the birds in your yard. And knowing how to identify the birds makes it more fun.
Heidi Hughes, author of “The Expert’s Guide to Backyard Birdfeeding” – and new manager of Agassiz Audubon Society’ Center in Warren – will show you what you need to know to identify the birds in your neighborhood. Bring your binoculars and bird guidebook. If you don’t own binocs and a book, she’ll show you how to select the one that’s right for you.
She’ll also provide tips on how to photograph wild birds, how to select and use iPod apps and how to keep a list of the birds you’ve spotted – at the eBird website on the internet.
Bring your questions – she’ll have the answers for you.
Owls, Owls…Fantastical Fowls
Location: Thief River Falls Library
Date: Monday, November 28, 2011
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Throughout history and in every culture, owls have been part of local literature, folklore and superstitions.
They’ve been considered wise –and foolish.
They’ve been feared by some, and venerated by others.
They’ve been both admired and despised.
But there’s one thing about owls on which we can all agree: they are fascinating!
Backyard Birds Made Simple
Location: Thief River Falls Library
Date: Monday, October 24, 2011
Time: 6:30 p.m.
It’s one of the fastest-growing outdoor recreation activities in America. And according to CBS News – more people do it than watch professional football! Attracting wild birds brings color, drama and music to your backyard – and it has economic benefits too. In the spring and summer, songbirds consume huge quantities of insects.
Heidi Hughes, author of “The Expert’s Guide to Backyard Birdfeeding” will show you how to identify the birds that visit your backyard and she’ll provide scientifically-proven tips on how to get the birds you want to see while getting the most for your birdfeeding dollar. And she’ll show you how to outwit squirrels and have fun hand-taming chickadees and hummingbirds.
Bring your bird questions, she’s got the answers.
Listen to Heidi’s interview on Pioneer 90.1 to get an idea of what she will be talking about on Monday!
