Birding Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

10 Early Signs Of Alzheimer’s And Birding On Black Friday, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, as an alternative to the indoor shopping extravaganza known as Black Friday, a movement called “hashtag opt outside” urges people to get closer to parks, trails, community areas and the joy of being outdoors on that particular day. Randy Yohe took full advantage of the Friday alternative, going on a Blackwater Falls State Park birding hike.

Also, in this show, throughout the year, News Director Eric Douglas has been reporting on caring for older parents in a series of stories called “Getting Into Their Reality: Caring for Aging Parents.” Coming into the holidays, when families come together, it might be a good time to pay attention to the signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Douglas spoke with Teresa Morris, program director for the West Virginia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, who outlined the 10 signs to look for.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Christmas Bird Count Has W.Va. Birders Watching Skies, Waters

This is the 123rd year for the Audubon Society’s global bird count, conducted between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5.

Many West Virginians are focusing their binoculars right now, contributing to the annual Christmas Bird Count.

This is the 123rd year for the Audubon Society’s global bird count, conducted between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. David Patick compiles count numbers for a group of Cabell and Mason county birders. He said the tradition has become a yule tool for avian analysis.

“The count started on Christmas Day in 1900. It was an ornithologist named Frank Chapman, who was with the American Museum of Natural Science in New York,” Patick said. “He conducted it as a protest against some of the hunters and made an attempt at conservation and protecting the birds.”

Patick said counts are underway throughout the state, with participants picking one date and recording all the numbers and species of birds they see over a 24-hour period. He said his small group of birders tallied some big numbers.

“You’re tabulating every bird, just seeing how much you see. For crows we had close to 1,100. We had one rare bird called the Great Egret seen near Ashton, the first time it’s ever been seen. We had another group that counted along the Ohio River looking for waterfowl.” Patick said. “You get unusual birds and more common birds, but you count every single starling, every blackbird, every sparrow, every duck. You’re counting all the species you see and then adding up the numbers.”

Patick said the bird count data that comes in from counties, states, and the nations of the Western Hemisphere helps with species preservation and give us all a better understanding of how our feathered friends live.

“They look at population trends, see if there’s any population decline and any species decline due to lack of food or climate change,” Patick said. ”Sometimes you see very rare species that should be in Central America that somehow never made it, or birds that went off course usually found in Arizona that end up showing up in New York.”

Patick said for him, the love of birding is also about getting outside and getting together.

You enjoy quality time with people who have similar interests, you get exercise, look at the flowers and you get to meet nice people,” Patick said. “There’s a thrill of seeing birds, some people take pictures of the birds, there’s a lot of excitement about it.”

Patick said the American starling is West Virginia’s most abundant bird, followed by the common crow and the blue jay.

Bird Feeding Still Restricted In Two W.Va. Counties

West Virginia officials say they still haven’t discovered why diseased birds were found in the state’s Eastern Panhandle but continue to advise people in two counties not to feed birds for now.

Birds shouldn’t be fed in Berkeley and Jefferson counties until the problem subsides, the state Division of Natural Resources said Friday. Feeders and bird baths should be cleaned with hot, soapy water and sterilized in 10% bleach solution — one part bleach to nine parts water — rinsed with water and allowed to air dry.

Reports of sick and dead birds have decreased since late July, the agency said. Although a final diagnosis hasn’t been made, the division said several pathogens have not been detected, including salmonella, avian influenza and West Nile virus.

The agency recommends not handling birds but wearing disposable gloves if handling is necessary. Keep pets away from sick or dead wild birds as a precaution.

People outside the outbreak area may feed birds but should repair and disinfect their feeders. If sick or dead birds are found near feeders or bird baths, remove the feeder or bath for two weeks and sterilize with a 10% bleach solution, the agency said.

Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned with soap and water and food replaced every few days, the agency said.

Birders Needed: W.Va. Christmas Bird Count

The National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count is, for many people, a holiday tradition. Every year, for a 24 hour period between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, citizen scientists look to the skies, trees and bird feeders to identify and count as many birds as possible. This year marks the 119th season. West Virginians have been participating for about 80 years.

A Different Tradition

“In West Virginia, we have 20 Christmas bird count circles throughout the state,” Larry Helgerman said. He is the National Audubon Society’s West Virginia state Christmas Bird Count editor. The count began, he explained, in response to another holiday tradition.

“Back in 1899, people would go out at the new year and shoot as many birds and animals as they could. It was a sport,” Helgerman said.

An ornithologist at the time named Frank Chapman thought of a different tradition.

“He came up with the idea of instead of shooting the birds, why don’t we count the birds and make it a conservation thing.”

Christmas Day, 1900, 27 people across the U.S. and Canada counted about 18,000 birds and 90 species. Last year, 77,000 people across more than 2,500 locations participated. According to the Audubon Society, it’s the oldest running citizen scientist survey in the world.

The survey’s West Virginia manager, Larry Helgerman, says he’s looking for more participants — especially in southern regions of the state. The counts are ongoing through the first week of January.

Birding

“It’s a good way to go with somebody who knows more about what’s there,” Jan Runyan said. An educator and regular Christmas bird counter who lives Brooke County, she said the count presents valuable learning opportunities for people just getting into birds.

“It’s not overwhelming, like the spring with all the songs. It’s an entry-level thing that you can do to become a better birder.”

Runyan explained that most experienced birders are really good at identifying the various calls and songs of bird species.

“They do most of their birding, more than 50 percent — some even say 90 percent — by ear. So when you really want to know what’s out there, you need to know what you’re listening to.”

Runyan said it often seems like an impossible task to differentiate between bird calls for newbies. But just as you can close your eyes at a family gathering and know the difference between family members’ voices, she said, you can learn to know the birds.

“You just have to be out there and experience with them,” she said.

Citizen Science

Beatty and Runyan love to be outside, especially during winter months. The walk around their house was very quiet and peaceful. But Beatty said it isn’t always this way.

“This same spot later in the spring is so loud with bird songs because the birds sing songs to defend their territory. That’s what they do the whole time during nesting season,” he said.

Beatty explained that there are different bird surveys throughout the year. In the spring, surveys usually identify varieties of species; but during the Christmas bird counts, people identify species and count as many birds as are seen.

“With a Christmas bird count, we’re trying to determine population,” he explained.

During the Wheeling Christmas count, Runyan pointed out, every year someone focuses solely on American crows, counting a population of 50,000 birds that roost along the Ohio River. The murder of crows has been meeting in the Ohio Valley for years.

Beatty said a lot has changed since he started observing, more than 40 years ago.

“It’s not at all the same today,” he recalled. “I remember going in the woods early on, and we’d have what we call a ‘fall out,’ which means that there would be these birds called warblers migrating, and when they’re hungry, they just fall into a forest. And when you’re in a fallout, they’re just absolutely everywhere.”

“We don’t see it like we used to at all,” he continued, “There’ll be a fallout, but they are much fewer birds.”

Beatty explains the bird population trends gathered during Christmas count are good environmental indicators to warn humans about various dangers. The data is used in many ways. On the Audobon website there are even mapping tools that show how and where populations of various species have changed in the past decade.