Monthly Archives: December 2011

Beginnings: A Young Birder Tells Us How She Got Started

All through our lives we draw inspiration from our elders, but there comes a point when we can turn around and start drawing inspiration from the young people coming up behind us. At a recent meeting of the Ohio Young Birders Club, we had a chance to hear from Rachael Butek, a recent high-school graduate [...]

Arts and Nature Workshop youth scholarships: apply by Dec 31

The Cornell Lab’s Celebrate Urban Birds project will host an Arts and Nature Workshop in Ithaca, New York on February 1–2, 2012. We’re awarding a limited number of travel scholarships to attend. The workshop will be bilingual (English and Spanish), and project leader Karen Purcell encourages Latino and other underserved youth to apply. “We are [...]

New book Science on Ice offers penguins and more [video]

In addition to our suggestions for 12 gifts that give back, there’s a gorgeous new book on the shelves called Science on Ice, by Chris Linder. It’s the story of four scientific expeditions to the polar regions—and the video above previews the first chapter, on the life of Antarctica’s Adelie Penguins. In addition to Linder’s [...]

12 Ideas for Birdy Gifts That Give Back, From $2

As you’re making your lists and checking them twice, consider holiday gifts that give twice—thoughtful gifts that are fun to receive and also help birds by supporting conservation, research, and education here at the Cornell Lab. We’ve put together a varied list of gift suggestions—from apps on your phone to trips into the field—that will delight [...]

Teachers and students in Mexico and the U.S. connect over birds

If a half-ounce songbird can visit eastern North America’s woods and Mexico’s tropical forests in a single year, why shouldn’t the students who study them—at least virtually? The Cornell Lab’s director of education, Nancy Trautmann, just returned from a visit to Mexico where teachers laid the groundwork for having students from both countries share what [...]