For anyone interested in learning more about issues of overlooking female bird song, read on! Female Bird Song (from The Guardian) or here: Female Bird Song (from Audubon From the above Audubon article: “Lend an Ear The Female Bird Song Project, run by Odom and collaborators, began recruiting birders to catalog the vocal ranges of female birds in 2017. Whether females sing remains a mystery in 3,500 songbird species, and for those 660 species known to sing, good recordings are often absent. As audio files have trickled in, about 25 percent uploaded so far are a first, as verified by experts. Recordings will help experts understand the evolutionary forces that pushed both sexes to sing, as well as revise birders’ expectations. To participate, record video or audio of a female bird’s song and upload your data to the apps eBird or Xeno-Canto with the phrase “Contributed for the Female Bird Song Project:… Read more »
I would like to offer another iNaturalist free training workshop on Saturday July 11th, from 10 A.M. to 12 noon at a location to-be-announced in Orangeville. I will send the specific location as well as a reading list to those who RSVP to me. Bring a camera, any special lenses you have, a tripod if one is required to do careful focusing by your camera and lenses, a notebook, a laptop or tablet or smartphone, and questions. I have several tripods you can borrow. Or just come, although the more you attempt the more I believe you’ll learn. If you do not have an iNaturalist account, I’ll suggest that you set one up ahead of time. They are free, and it takes only a couple of minutes to get your account basically established. Go to https://www.inaturalist.ca/ I will send those who RSVP to me a short reading list that might… Read more »
Headwaters Nature members were welcomed by our field trip co-ordinator, Josh Pickering, to a beautiful and sunny morning on Saturday June 13th, 2026, for a bird outing at Island Lake Conservation Area. The group (17 people in total) was happy to note several bird species from the parking lot before we even began our trip and a few fledglings (young birds) along the trail at Rotary Park, including Common Grackle (5) and American Robin (4). Highlights from Rotary Park were a pair of Cedar Waxwing (2), a Green Heron (1), and a Bald Eagle (1), among the 18 other species within the baseball diamonds, wetland edges, and stormwater management pond at the park. Overall, we saw 49 species of birds! Josh and others have wonderful birding hearing, as well as keen eyes for spotting birds who are hiding. As we crossed Highway 10 at 4th Avenue and travelled into Island… Read more »
