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Park to offer bird program today
Goose Creek to host Coffee with the Birds
By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER, Daily News Correspondent
Nature enthusiasts wanting to know more about birds of this area need look no farther than Goose Creek State Park, which will host Coffee with the Birds today from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
The event will give bird lovers the opportunity to visit, learn more about these fine feathered friends and share their experiences, according to park ranger Curtis Dykstra. Ernie Marshall of the Friends of Goose Creek State Park will lead the informal program, which will offer tips on feeding birds and bird identification. Participants will also enjoy savory “bird friendly” coffee which is shade grown under the canopy of the rain forest, leaving the birds’ natural habitat intact, Dykstra said.
Later in the month, Goose Creek will offer another bird program, this one conducted by Karen Baldwin, a birder and folklore professor at East Carolina University. Baldwin will discuss the ecology and history of the ivory-billed woodpecker. The program is planned for Sept. 30 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., according to Dykstra. Immediately following the program will be a brief inaugural meeting of the Goose Creek Bird Club; both novice and longtime bird enthusiasts are invited to join, Dykstra said.
A bird fan himself, Dykstra’s interest was fostered by his father, an outdoor enthusiast who kept several bird feeders in the yard of the family’s home in Michigan. That interest deepened after he spent a semester studying in Belize.
“That opened my eyes to the diversity of birds,” Dykstra said. “Anyone spending time in a tropical rain forest would get hooked, too.”
His love of birds blossomed when he enrolled in an ornithology class at Dordt College, a small Christian liberal arts school in Iowa. A subsequent move to North Carolina, where he found birds unfamiliar to him, and a career as a park ranger opened the door for more knowledge and experience.
“It’s been kind of a growing pastime for me to get out and enjoy the birds,” Dykstra said. He said birding is a relatively inexpensive hobby; after all, nature is free to everyone. But a decent pair of 8X binoculars — “You can get a good pair for $30 or less” — and a field guide to birds will enrich the experience. As for guidebooks, Dykstra recommended several, including The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America and the Petersen Field Guide to Eastern Birds.
To enjoy birding as a hobby one doesn’t even have to leave the yard, according to Dykstra.
Birds have three basic requirements for survival: food, water, and cover. And while a bird feeder installed in the yard will certainly be a big calling card, natural landscaping will also help attract these featured creatures. According to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, a variety of plants produce seeds and fruits desirable to birds.
For example, wild grapevines produce fruit eaten by robins, buntings, cardinals, finches, woodpeckers, titmice, and sparrows. Even poison ivy attracts robins, sparrows and chickadees.
A field or small patch of sunflowers offers not only a feast for the eyes but an abundant food source for birds — a bird buffet. Keep in mind that as flowers begin to dry out and their beauty fades, this is the time when they will be most attractive to birds. Leave the spent flowers as they are and sparrows, buntings, cardinals, finches, chickadees and titmice will come calling.
As for water, Dykstra recommends a shallow birdbath that is kept clean and filled with fresh water every couple of days; a “dripper” that allows a drop of water periodically will also help attract birds.
Cover, the third requirement for a bird’s survival, is relatively easy to provide. Bushy shrubs are great hiding places for birds if they feel threatened, Dykstra said. Areas of tall grasses and tangled vines also provide safe shelter.
By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER, Daily News Correspondent
Nature enthusiasts wanting to know more about birds of this area need look no farther than Goose Creek State Park, which will host Coffee with the Birds today from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
The event will give bird lovers the opportunity to visit, learn more about these fine feathered friends and share their experiences, according to park ranger Curtis Dykstra. Ernie Marshall of the Friends of Goose Creek State Park will lead the informal program, which will offer tips on feeding birds and bird identification. Participants will also enjoy savory “bird friendly” coffee which is shade grown under the canopy of the rain forest, leaving the birds’ natural habitat intact, Dykstra said.
Later in the month, Goose Creek will offer another bird program, this one conducted by Karen Baldwin, a birder and folklore professor at East Carolina University. Baldwin will discuss the ecology and history of the ivory-billed woodpecker. The program is planned for Sept. 30 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., according to Dykstra. Immediately following the program will be a brief inaugural meeting of the Goose Creek Bird Club; both novice and longtime bird enthusiasts are invited to join, Dykstra said.
A bird fan himself, Dykstra’s interest was fostered by his father, an outdoor enthusiast who kept several bird feeders in the yard of the family’s home in Michigan. That interest deepened after he spent a semester studying in Belize.
“That opened my eyes to the diversity of birds,” Dykstra said. “Anyone spending time in a tropical rain forest would get hooked, too.”
His love of birds blossomed when he enrolled in an ornithology class at Dordt College, a small Christian liberal arts school in Iowa. A subsequent move to North Carolina, where he found birds unfamiliar to him, and a career as a park ranger opened the door for more knowledge and experience.
“It’s been kind of a growing pastime for me to get out and enjoy the birds,” Dykstra said. He said birding is a relatively inexpensive hobby; after all, nature is free to everyone. But a decent pair of 8X binoculars — “You can get a good pair for $30 or less” — and a field guide to birds will enrich the experience. As for guidebooks, Dykstra recommended several, including The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America and the Petersen Field Guide to Eastern Birds.
To enjoy birding as a hobby one doesn’t even have to leave the yard, according to Dykstra.
Birds have three basic requirements for survival: food, water, and cover. And while a bird feeder installed in the yard will certainly be a big calling card, natural landscaping will also help attract these featured creatures. According to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, a variety of plants produce seeds and fruits desirable to birds.
For example, wild grapevines produce fruit eaten by robins, buntings, cardinals, finches, woodpeckers, titmice, and sparrows. Even poison ivy attracts robins, sparrows and chickadees.
A field or small patch of sunflowers offers not only a feast for the eyes but an abundant food source for birds — a bird buffet. Keep in mind that as flowers begin to dry out and their beauty fades, this is the time when they will be most attractive to birds. Leave the spent flowers as they are and sparrows, buntings, cardinals, finches, chickadees and titmice will come calling.
As for water, Dykstra recommends a shallow birdbath that is kept clean and filled with fresh water every couple of days; a “dripper” that allows a drop of water periodically will also help attract birds.
Cover, the third requirement for a bird’s survival, is relatively easy to provide. Bushy shrubs are great hiding places for birds if they feel threatened, Dykstra said. Areas of tall grasses and tangled vines also provide safe shelter.
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