FOX SPARROW - Red PhaseI had a tv interview on the west side of Evansville this morning so I took 45 minutes and walked through the eastern part of Howell Wetlands just to get a feel for what we will find tomorrow morning during our monthly bird walk.
Last night's snow did not drive the birds down as I had hoped but it was a very enjoyable stroll through the snow covered wetlands. I only found 19 species but I did pick up one new bird for the year, the red-phase FOX SPARROW. This is a beautiful bird that comes to the wetlands and other wooded areas during our winter months. This guy played hide and seek under the boardwalks and I was convinced I would not get a photo until the very last minute of the walk. Other birds of interest at the wetlands were the American Tree Sparrow, Carolina Wrens and Northern Mockingbird, who was aggressively defending a Winterberry Bush. Not a lot of birds but it is always refreshing to get a walk in the woods no matter how much birding activity there might be.
Speaking of a walk in the woods. During my tv interview today we discussed Nature Deficit Disorder. Whether you want to believe in such a medical issue or not is really not the issue. Today's youth spend less than 5% of their free time outdoors. Congress is actually debating a bill right now called the No Child Left Inside Act and the senate has blocked the progress of the bill. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "That which we are passionate about is that which we protect." My question to whomever wants to listen (including our illustrious senators and congressmen). How can we expect our future generations to want to protect our environment if they have no contact with it? Who will be here to save nature from our own neglect and ambivalence? Just asking??
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