BirdingGirl

I've been so busy getting ready for Hawaii I haven't had any time to get out in the field and take pictures of birds. Luckily I'll have plenty of time on the plane to study up on using my camera . I knew I really was going to need a water-resistant camera bag so I did some research online and then ended up getting the Lowepro Rezo TLZ10 Camera Bag at Staples. I didn't have my camera with me but I have a pretty good idea of what size it is and all I really cared about was the water resistance since we'll be in a pretty wet climate. I already read in my manual that it's smart to protect it from condensation and moisture by keeping it in a Ziploc bag, which is what I did while birding in the winter. I'll be sure to report how the bag and the Ziploc baggie method worked out. I hope I have some stellar pictures to post!!!

Take the Test Your Knowledge of Global Warming quiz courtesy of the National Audubon Society Website. I finally got around to watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth a few nights ago so I had most of the answers fresh in my mind, but it's a good review nonetheless. Also found in this section of the site is information about global warming's impact on wildlife and birds specifically. These include changes in migration timing, range and loss of habitat. Here's an excerpt from the Audubon site: Under two scenarios of global climate change, there will be major shifts in the ranges and abundances of many of the 150 common bird species in the Eastern United States over the next 100 years or so; 50-52% of species will decrease in abundance by 25% or more, while 37-40% of species will exhibit range reductions of 25% or more. Another impact is the effect on pest outbreaks when changes in bird migration patterns cause insectivorous birds to miss the peak of seasonal bug popul...

I haven't had much time to post lately since all of my free time lately has been devoted to getting ready for Hawaii (we leave the 25th). However, now that all of the flights and rental cars are booked I can start to relax a little. I'd like to do some research in the next couple of days on the types of birds I can expect to see so I can spot them while we're out there. We're traveling to the Big Island for my friend's wedding that will take place in Volcanoes National Park. After the wedding my boyfriend and I are going to Kauai for the last two days of our trip. We'll be in Hawaii for 10 days total- can't wait!! My friend and her fiancé live on the North Shore of Oahu and he has been really helpful in sharing his birding knowledge with me. He gave me a list of birds I can expect to see and I've already started referencing my Audubon book to see what they look like and on what islands they are found.