Saw-whet Owl Banding Eco-trip

A group of five owl enthusiasts traveled to the Hidden Valley Banding Station outside Pottsville, PA to participate in the Saw-whet Owl banding program. These tiny owls migrate the most actively on cool, clear nights. Conditions were perfect and we caught 12 owls in five hours! The head of the banding program, Scott Widensaul, chatted the entire time while he went through the techniques used to band, measure and track the owls. Everyone in our group learned so much from Scott and fell completely in love with the little balls of feathers! The following day, we visited Hawk Mountain in hopes of spotting some larger birds of prey as they made the migration south. Unfortunately, the weather was too perfect and the hawks were flying too high in the sky. We did get some excellent views of Turkey Vultures and a quick close-up glimpse of a Sharp-shinned Hawk while sunning ourselves on the rocks at the South Lookout. We will definitely run this trip in the future so I hope to see you there!
~Kristen Facente, Public Programs Coordinator/Environmental Educator

For more background information on owls, a full recount of the trip and explanation of banding procedures, please feel free to come to our Brown Bag Lunch on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at noon. Some snacks and drinks provided; bring lunch. If you can, please RSVP to 215-887-6603.

Good Search for Briar Bush!

Online searches can help us find what we need to know, but they can also help Briar Bush earn money! When you do your next online search, try using Good Search. This is a legitimate webpage that uses the Yahoo search feature (so it's just like going directly to Yahoo and using their web search) but one bonus - it gives us money! On the main page, type Briar Bush Nature Center into the space that asks who you are "good searching" for and then click verify. Our name will be logged and you can begin searching. We get a penny per search, but with everything people look up every day, we could start racking up a few bucks. If you have kids, encourage them to use Good Search when doing research online for school projects too! If you want, you can install Good Search into your current toolbar, but it's not necessary. You can bookmark the website or make it your homepage so that every time you want to search for something online, you can earn BBNC a penny or two. Thanks for the support - we greatly appreciate it!

Great Escape: American Indian Arts Festival

A full van of Great Escapers visited the Rankokus Indian Reservation for its 42nd Semi-Annual American Indian Arts Festival. Representatives from tribes throughout North and South America were present to share their music, crafts, food and culture. Everyone enjoyed perusing the incredible hand-made jewelry, pottery, clothing and other traditional wares. All the while, performers sang, danced, chanted and drummed on the main stage, creating a wonderful and authentic atmosphere. A highlight for most of us was the falconry demonstration in which a Harris hawk chased and caught a lure dragged by a young volunteer. The traditional food was different yet delicious, particularly the three sisters soup, buffalo burgers and fry bread. It was a trip worth repeating!

~Kristen Facente, Public Programs Coordinator/Environmental Educator

Green Hour

Need a great resource when it comes to getting the kids (or yourself!) outdoors for some quality time in nature each day? Try Green Hour. The website focuses on ways of giving kids a "Green Hour" of unstructured play each day for their physical, mental and emotional well-being.

RaptorFest '08

RaptorFest was a hit! Visitors came to Briar Bush on Saturday, Oct. 4 to enjoy raptor-related crafts, dissect owl pellets (balls of feathers/fur/bones that owls regurgitate), see a live presentation of "The Lorax," and the highlight of the day, a live raptor presentation by falconer Mike Dupuy. Check out the slideshow to see Mike and his Harris Hawk (dark brown), Northern Goshawk (white stripe above eyes) and Saker Falcon (brown and white speckled chest).