FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] native plants and birds

[canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Greetings VAbirders,

My interest in and love for birds started when I was in my teens.  Over the 
years I came to the decision that as an individual, the best way for me to 
help them was to try and create more good habitat for them.  Researching 
the subject I learned that using native plants was preferable whenever 
possible.  Being clueless about native plants and wanting to learn, I ended 
up working in the propagation beds of the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia 
Native Plant Society (VNPS.)  I worked most Saturdays for 4 years until 
family obligations called me away.  The hands on learning I received from 
the veteran native plant folks there was a wonderful, priceless gift.

I continue as a wildlife gardener in my own yard and encourage others to do 
the same by offering advice and extra plants.  The Monticello Park incident 
may have shocked most of you witnessing it, but look at it as an awakening 
about how much we all have to learn, as well as how we should work together 
to make the little bit of habitat that is left the best it can be for "our" 
birds.  I encourage all birders to learn more about the subject of 
creating/restoring habitat.  And if you can find the time, volunteer to 
help in the endeavour.

Thanks to Marianne Mooney for her note on the subject.  Right on Marianne!

And sorry for the forward, but I thought the following post from Wash. 
State Tweeter list relevant to the topic.  And considering it was written 
by a young birder, a ray of hope for the future of "our"
birds.

Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx

>Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 07:49:21 -0700
>From: Dennis Paulson <dpaulson@xxxxxxx>
>To: tweeters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Fwd: [BIRDING-AUS] Beginning Birding
>X-Sender: dpaulson@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>>Some thoughts from a young birder:
>>I've found birding to be a very wholistic process to learn about the 
>>environment, environmental issues, and how subtle and volatile 
>>eco-systems can be. Before i began birding, i knew very little about 
>>native vegitation, with most trees simply being labeled as gums or 
>>wattles. I had trouble distinguising between a wetland and a dam, often 
>>thinking "there's water.... why isn't there any ducks?"  Happily, i'm 
>>slowly learning about the subtlies that support wildlife and its 
>>diversity. But i think its up to the elders in society to lead the way, 
>>and pave the way to the path of environmental wisdom.
>>I believe that if some type of birding course was administered into the 
>>australian education system, the whole of Australia would experience 
>>widespread benefits from it. This extends from environmental awareness 
>>and conservation, to a greater feeling of belonging and harmony within 
>>our surrounding environment.
>>You can definently see the damage that the 'longing' for mother europe 
>>and other continents, has caused to the Australian environment.  There 
>>was a need to sit under an old pine with the sounds of starlings and 
>>sparrows echoing around, with a clear view of  open rolling green hills. 
>>This has decimated the Australian environment, thereby reducing the 
>>wildlife that lived with in it. And i think that longing is still 
>>widespread, and most of the Australian population still can't percieve 
>>the benefits of native species. I've talked to people that think that no 
>>Australian native plant can provide a nice shady tree to sit under on a 
>>hot sunny day, others that think there are no good Australian native wind 
>>breaks!
>>We need education! But to be really educated, we need emersion in the 
>>environment, and personal experiences of nature....not just facts!
>>This is why i think birding is so great. It gets you out and about and 
>>within the real Australia. Its starts with birds, but then you start 
>>seeing what birds eat and you learn about the plants and insects and 
>>fish, and how these food sources are sustained and the cycles they go 
>>through. ....Maybe we will even learn something about ourselves in the 
>>process?
>>Peter

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