Monday, February 16, 2015

Serving Our Senior Community With Bird Tales

On May 21, 2014, members of Rio Brazos Audubon and Texas Master Naturalists from the Brazos Valley and El Camino Real chapters met at the Museum of Natural History in Bryan to hear about an Audubon program called Bird Tales. Mary Anne Webber from Houston Audubon led the training which has been described on Audubon's website as Bird Tales: A Program for Engaging People with Dementia through the Natural World of Birds. (Learn more about Bird Tales at http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org/bird-tales.)

Subsequent to this training, Marian Cothran from Rio Brazos Audubon contacted local Brazos Valley nursing homes and was successful in initiating a program at the Hudson Creek Alzheimer's Special Care Center in Bryan. Unfortunately, after two sessions the program was unable to continue at this facility.


First B/CS Bird Tales Session


Second B/CS Bird Tales Session

Cindy Bolch, the Project Lead for Bird Tales in the Texas Master Naturalist El Camino Real Chapter, then initiated the  program in Milam County concentrating on non-Alzheimer residents in nursing homes. On September 18, 2014, the first Milam County Bird Tales session was held at the Winnie L Nursing Center in Cameron, Texas. Joyce Conner, a Texas Master Naturalist in the Brazos Valley Chapter, joined the Milam County volunteers, Cindy Bolch and Lucy Coward, in this endeavor.

Cindy designed and manages the Milam County program. It consists of a short slideshow component - containing still shots, vocalizations, and videos - along with a commentary telling residents "cool facts" about the particular bird(s) of the month - along with nature activities including setting up bird feeders and a bird bath. Currently, all birds in this program are ones that might be seen at backyard feeders (however, the volunteers might expand the program to include butterflies, dragonflies, and other wildlife of interest in the future). (Because of the cold weather the installation of bird feeders and a bird bath have been delayed to April 2nd. After their installation residents and staff will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of them.)


Cindy presents a slideshow presentation.



The sessions also include additional visual aids to draw upon the residents' attention and memory. Among other things, Audubon plush demo birds and a hand puppet have been used. Lucy Coward has been most inventive in providing energy and humor to the sessions. 


Lucy uses a hand puppet to illustrate the American Crow.


Winnie L Nursing Home residents enjoy the presentation.



Standing next to the Director of Winnie L, Lucy imitates the Red-Headed Woodpecker at a later session.
 
Slideshow sessions are held twice a month on Thursday afternoons. Originally, the slideshow sessions were limited to 10 residents, but have now been expanded to all interested residents.

Along with the "instructional" slideshow component, volunteers include nature activities to reinforce the specific bird of study. There has been a concerted effort to include activities that are at the residents' levels, stretching and exercising their physical and mental abilities, while at the same time being enjoyable and of some use to them. Examples are: coloring bird pages, writing in nature notebooks, making cookie cutter birds, and constructing nature lap blankets. Nature activities are currently limited to 10 residents in order to best and most efficiently utilize volunteer and material resources while also ensuring quality time with residents. 


After a special presentation about the extinct Passenger Pigeon, Katherine Bedrich of El Camino Real Chapter looks on while residents color bird pictures.

Originally, residents were encouraged to write their own entries in nature notebooks but experience with residents has now led to the recording of residents' nature and life stories (with later transcription) for inclusion in their nature notebooks. (Volunteers have found that nature stories often expand into stories about the residents' lives, making the project even more memorable for the residents and their families.)


Suzy, a volunteer, works with Iona capturing stories on a kindle.


The nature lap blanket project ("bringing nature to laps") component is a cooperative effort of several volunteer groups that was conceived and designed by crafter Joyce Conner. Rio Brazos Audubon, Texas Master Naturalist, and Brazos Valley Stitcher Group members have joined together to bring this project into realization. Brazos Valley Stitchers are constructing ten lap blankets and ten embroidered name patches which are planned to be delivered in late February; Joyce and other volunteers are creating and semi-constructing felt birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and other insects for the residents to finalize and then sew onto their blankets; and Audubon and Master Naturalists are donating funds and materials. 


Joyce prepares bird figures for residents' lap blankets. Residents stuff and finalize stitching on each figure.


Separate alternate Thursday one-on-one sessions are now being conducted during which residents work on their "critters" while their nature stories are being recorded for later transcription. The detailed stitching activity reinforces the participants' knowledge of the size, colorization, and shape of each bird or insect. The finished blanket will serve as a reference during future observation activities, truly "bringing nature to laps." All participants look forward to the arrival of the blankets from the Brazos Valley Stitchers for completion.


Ninety-three year old Agnes sews her Bluejay.
Joyce gives Rosie some extra help.



In early February volunteers met at Joyce’s house to learn how to make sample nature lap blankets in order to better help with that component of the program and/or to use as instructional aids in other nursing homes, hospital settings, and children’s groups.


Cindy constructs a sample lap blanket.
Cindy and Suzy semi-construct felt birds.

Some of the "critters" available to residents.



Special thanks to Cindy Bolch, who took the program to and manages the program in Milam County, and the members and support of the El Camino Real Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists, especially Lucy Coward; to the Brazos Valley Stitchers, a chapter of the Embroiderer's Guild of America (EGA), of whom Terri Berka and LeAnna Kroll are embroidering the names on labels for the "quilts" and Pat Carney, Olivia Burnside, Emily Reiter, Ronda Ogden, Marilyn Milton, and Marian Cothran are making "quilts"; to the staff of Winnie L Nursing Home in Cameron, Texas, especially the Activities Director Nancy Darden, who welcomes us with hugs and thanks us every time we see her; to Suzy Coose, who traveled from Wisconsin to Texas and volunteers her Thursdays with Joyce at the nursing home; and finally, thanks to the Audubon and Master Naturalist programs, without whom this program would not have been conceived.   

Brazos Valley Stitchers volunteers and lap blankets

 

Please address any corrections and/or updates and questions about the program to Joyce Conner, Texas Master Naturalist, Brazos Valley Chapter, joycemconner@gmail.com

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Project Bird Count!

Looking for a way to get a head start on accumulating volunteer hours?  Remember we need to have 40 hours under our belts by December 31 of this year.  It seems like a long way off but we can start getting hours in now.  It’s like what I tell my students… don’t wait until the night before to start studying (cramming really) for your test!!!  You won’t be able to get it all done and you’re not going to pass!  In our case, don’t wait until the last gasps of 2015 to get your volunteer work in!   So 40 hours over 12 months is only about 3.5 hours a month.  Not too bad.  There are two great citizen scientist projects coming up where you can easily put in a few hours and start making a dent into your 40… and then maybe skip the “cramming" at the end of the year.

So the projects are both bird-related but people of all birding abilities are welcome to participate and learn!  (And for all you non-birders out there, we have some non-birding volunteer opportunities lined up... I’m not trying to convert or force you to like birding!)



If You Have A Bird Feeder…..

Project FeederWatch runs from November to early April but you can join at any time.  Basically, you make a list only with the birds actually coming to your feeder.  Your observations should be for 2 consecutive days at least a week apart (but they can be more than a week apart).  And that’s it!  It’s a nice way to see how your “yard” birds change with the seasons.  You see the Fall migrants leaving… the Winter birds coming in… and finally the early Spring migrants flying north.  Like I said though… you don’t have to participate every week for 6 months.... basically, what ever fits your schedule best as long as your observations are two consecutive days and at least one week apart.  Every observation you make and submit is a data point that scientists can use to track birds, see migration trends, and use for their research.  So even if you only make and submit 3 observations, it is still data that someone will use! Also important to note… submit even if you do not have birds coming to your feeders.  A zero bird day is still data that might be important to see what’s not migrating this year or to see trends about species in decline.


A year round visitor, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, at our suet feeder.



This project does have a fee ($18.00) and you need to register with the Project FeederWatch website.  The good news is that they are running a special now!  If you are a first time participate your $18 will count for the rest of this season as well as next season.  It’s not a bad deal if you’re interested in learning about birds.  Your observations can be like a little weekly test (ok, I can’t be the only one that thinks tests are fun!) and you learn the different types of winged visitors you have in your yard!


An early Spring migrant, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, helping himself to sunflower seeds.



If You Don’t Have A Bird Feeder…..

This year the GreatBackyard Bird Count runs from February 13-16 and strives to collect real time data to see where birds are right now.  This project is worldwide!  In fact, last year the GBBC team had participants from 135 countries!  All you have to do is go outside….  it doesn't have to be your backyard but “Great Backyard Bird Count” flows off the tongue better than “Great Somewhere-In-Your-Neighborhood-Or-City Bird Count”… so go outside and make a list of the birds you see for a minimum of 15 minutes at least once during the four-day count.  And that’s it!  So go for a walk at Lick Creek Park (or any park or around your neighborhood) and make a list of the birds you see and the time you were out.  It’s a nice way to get some exercise AND help out a great citizen scientist project.  Super easy!


Inca Doves from the yard.



Why Should I Participate?

You might think the Northern Cardinal in your yard is one little bird, and why does a common local bird species matter?  As a citizen scientist, your data contributions no matter what they are (even your yard bird Cardinal!) are meaningful and help current and future scientists with their research.

From the Great Backyard Bird Count website:

“Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document and understand the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.
Scientists use information from the Great Backyard Bird Count, along with observations from other citizen-science projects, such as the ChristmasBird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations. The longer these data are collected, the more meaningful they become in helping scientists investigate far-reaching questions, like these:
• How will the weather and climate change influence bird populations?
• Some birds, such as winter finches, appear in large numbers during some years but not others. Where are these species from year to year, and what can we learn from these patterns?
• How will the timing of birds’ migrations compare with past years?
• How are bird diseases, such as West Nile virus, affecting birds in different regions?
• What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?

So it’s a win-win situation!  Scientists need our assistance to collect data and we can easily help out, learn about birds, and earn volunteer hours!  Let’s be a part of something big and go count some birds!


A boldy colored Pine Warbler from the yard.  



Resources:


Project Feederwatch: http://feederwatch.org/


Great Backyard Bird Count: http://gbbc.birdcount.org/