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Winter's Greetings!
Birdwatchers get to enjoy winter more! Whether
you're traveling or watching the feeders in your own
back yard, birds will enliven your winter days. Good
birding!
| Hand Feeding Wild Birds |
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Your backyard birds can be landing on your shoulder
and taking food from your hand this winter.
With a little encouragement, birds will accept you
as part of nature—perhaps even as a friend. It's not
difficult to win the trust of your bird guests.
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| Dear Diane... |
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Dear Diane: My grandson loves birds, and I'd like to
encourage his interest. Can you suggest any gifts
that would help?
—Bob C.,
Manhattan Beach, CA
The greatest gift is for you to watch birds with
him. Many birders credit their interest to a
teacher, relative, or friend who drew their
attention to birds.
You can also find books and binoculars appropriate
to the child's age. Give a hand-held gadget that
plays bird songs. Or a build-your-own birdhouse kit,
with pre-cut wood and a kid's-sized hammer.
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| Big and strong? Maybe... |
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You can't guess how strong a binocular is by its
size. Some tiny binoculars magnify tenfold, while
some larger ones magnify only sevenfold.
Here's what actually determines the power of a
binocular.
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The bird in hands painting is copyright Debbie
Kaspari.
The spruce grouse photo is copyright
Ralph Lieske.
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Spruce Grouse |
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I grew up in Southern California, where for a winter
treat
people would drive their children to the mountains
to see the
snow. Now live in
Iowa, but I still
think winter is fun, and the deeper the snow, the
better.
So when I got a chance to go to
Minnesota for some winter birding, I happily met a broup of birders before
dawn and headed toward Duluth, beside
myself with anticipation.
At the top of my Minnesota wish list was the spruce
grouse, a
chicken-like bird that lives in the remote
coniferous forests of
the far north.
Read more...
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