NATURE – Local Audubon chapters are sponsoring free 7 p.m. nature progams this week:

Tuesday (April 9): Bluebird trails, citizen science and NestWatch; sponsored by Coeur d'Alene Audubon Society, at Lutheran Church of the Master, 4800 N. Ramsey in Coeur d’Alene.

Wednesday (April 10): “For the Love of Ants: a Superorganism,” by Laurel Hansen, EWU natural science professor, at Riverview Retirement Center auditorium, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave., sponsored by the Spokane Audubon Society.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — The life history of the snowy owl will be described in a free program by Denver Holt, founder of the Owl Research Institute, Tuesday (March 12) at the Lutheran Church of the Master, 4800 N. Ramsey Road in Coeur d’Alene, sponsored by Coeur d’Alene Audubon Society.

Read on for good background on this arctic visitors to this region supplied by the Institute and the Audubon Society:

HUNTING – “I hunt therefore I am (what)?”

Everyone might have a different word to fill in the blank in that phrase: condemnable, capable, cold-hearted, complete….

Fill in he blank as you see fit, but not before you give me a shot at explaining why an animal lover and wildlife conservationist would chose to be a hunter.

I’ll be giving a program on the topic Wednesday (Feb. 13) for the Spokane Audubon Society’s open meeting, 7:30 p.m., at Riverview Retirement Community, Village Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave.

• Click here for directions to the meeting location.

Sportsmen are among the most ardent year-round wildlife watchers and they contribute generously to wildlife conservation.

Moreover, animals are delicious.

But those are just a few of many reasons I hunt.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — There's a difference between seeing wildlife and observing them.  Here's a thought just posted by Moscow birder Terry Gray:

I have been spending some time over the past years watching birds that eat fruit or which some think eat fruit and do not!

Example:  American Robin and both Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings pick a berry or small crabapple from the tree and swallow it whole.  There is some documentation that states that a Pine Grosbeak is a Fruit Eater.  I disagree! 

Whenever we have had the Pine Grosbeak in town I have made a point to watch them carefully eat.  The DO take the berry or small crabapple from the tree BUT they do not swallow it.  They pulverize it with their bill and tongue and spit out the pulp and swallow the small seeds that was in the fruit.  To me that means that the bird is not eating the fruit but eating the product of the fruit, the seed. 

I personally do not think that people pay enough attention to detail when making statements and even writing up articles about what they have observed because they have not observed the total picture before making their statements or writing their articles.

Just an observation about the way bird watchers do or do not watch birds very accurately!

Good Birding!

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Shirley Sturts has just posting this detailed wrap-up of the Coeur d'Alene Audubon Society's annual Christmas Bird Count.  It's one of thousands of Christmas Bird Counts underway this  month in the region and throughout North America.

Here are the details from CdA, where participants logged the highest number of individual birds in 22-year history of the club's participation in the century-old count:

The CDA CBC was held Dec. 15 with 30 field counters 12 feeder counters.

• We had 73 species and 10,223 individuals.
• In 22 years of this count, this is our highest number of individuals. Previous record was 10,119 in 2007.
• We tied with ‘03 and ‘07 for the most species.

The highlight of our CBC are the high number of hawks we counted:

• Northern Harrier 8
• Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
• Cooper’s Hawk 3
• Red-tailed Hawk 43 (previous record 26 in 2001)
• Rough-legged Hawk 19 (previous record 20 in 1993)
• Buteo sp 7 (previous record 3 in 2011)
• American Kestrel 18 (previous record 15 in 1999)
• Merlin 1
• Possible Peregrine or Prairie Falcon

 Of interest:

• Gray Partridge 4
• Snowy Owl 1
• Spotted Towhee 1 ( observed three other CBC but only cw)

New to the count:

• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet

See CdA Audubon's Christmas Bird Count web page.

See a chart for the CdA count from 1991 – 2012.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — A bird that migrated all the way south from the arctic helped Kootenai County birders break a record on Monday.

Coeur d'Alene Audubon Society members working on the annjual Big Year challenge for Kootenai County spotted a snowy owl — the 208th bird species verified in the county since Jan. 1.

The previous record was 207 species set in 2004, said Shirley Sturts, count coordinator.

Prompted by an unverified report of a snowy owl at Tubbs Hill earlier in November, Sturts joined Ed and Kris Buchler to scope out Rathdrum Prairie on Monday.

“We found an adult sitting on top of irrigation sprinklers on Huetter Ave north of Wyoming Ave.,” Sturts said.

“To get there go west from Highway 95 on Hayden Ave. to Huetter Ave. or east from Highway 41 on Hayden Ave. to Huetter Ave. Then turn north on Huetter, crossing over Wyoming. The irrigation sprinklers are in a field on the east side of Huetter, a short distance north of Wyoming Ave. Wyoming Ave. (running east/west) is on both sides of the airport. The Snowy Owl was west of the airport. Huetter runs north/south.

Grant County update:  “Matt Yawney of Ephrata, doing a county Big Year, has found 235 species in Grant County so far this year!” says Inland NW birder Charles Swift.

BIRDING – Wildlife biologist Jeff Kozma, who specializes in cavity-nesting birds with the Yakama Nation, will present a program on the reproductive ecology of the white-headed woodpecker in Washington’s ponderosa pine forests on Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. at Riverview Retirement Community, Village Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave.

The program is sponsored by Spokane Audubon.

Click here for directions to the meeting location.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — National Migratory Bird Day has inspired several upcoming events in the Inland Northwest:

Saturday (May 19): Birding activities at Blue Creek Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene, 9:30 am-12:30 pm, an event for all ages. Info: BLM wildlife biologist Carrie Hugo, 208-769-5048; or Suzanne Endsley, BLM public affairs, 208-769-5004.

Saturday (May 19): “Floods, Flowers and Feathers,” a new festival at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge that will feature elements of the Ice Age Floods that shaped the land along with the flora and fauna that flourish in this special channeled scablands habitat, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Info: (509) 235-4723. Some events can be reserved online.

May 26:  Bird Walk at Turnbull Wildlife Refuge to see birds in breeding plumage. Info: Marian Frobe, 328-0621.

June 2: a birding field trip to Hawk Creek area of Lake Roosevelt. Novices will be teamed with experts in groups. Contact Nancy Williams by May 22nd at (509) 536-1281, or e-mail nwilliam@blm.gov.

NATURE – Howard Ferguson, a Washington Fish and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist, will present a free program on his experiences with birds and culture in East Asia at 7 p.m. Wednesday may 9 at the Riverview Retirement Community, Village Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave.

On sabbatical, Ferguson traveled for several months working and exploring Saipan, Japan, Bali, Borneo, Thailand and Vietnam.

The program is sponsored by the Spokane Audubon Society.

See a map for directions.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Spokane Audubon Society will hold its Learn-to-Bird Workshops next week on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Spokane Falls Community College Science Bldg 28, Room 119.

The workshops will be followed by a field trip to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge on May 12. 

The workshops are taught by Gary Blevins and Kim Thorburn, Audubon members with years of birding and teaching experience.

Each workshop is different. Participants are welcome to sit in on any or all of them, Thorburn said.

Subjects covered are:

May 8 – Bird watching basics, with emphasis on equpment, field guides, bird biology and morphologic and song tips.

May 10-11 – Identifying local birds by habitat.

Preregister: Blevins, 533-3661 or Thorburn, 465-3025

A $20 donation to Spokane Audubon Society is requested.

WILDLIFE WATCHING – The Reardan Audubon Lake Wildlife Area just north of US 2 at Reardan, is being enhanced with information kiosks that will be dedicated April 29 in a public ceremony starting at 2 p.m.

The 277-acre wildlife area was acquired in 2006 with state grant funds and support from Spokane Audubon Society and the Inland Northwest Land Trust.  The wetlands, seasonal ponds, grasslands, channeled scablands and 80-acre lake support about 200 bird and other wildlife species, 12 of special concern in Washington, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Lincoln County area was popular with birdwatchers long before public acquisition. A hotspot for spring migrants, birders put it on their annual field trips list, calling the wetlands Audubon Lake.

The ceremony will be held at the wildlife area’s southside parking lot. From the intersection of US 2 and State Route 231 in the town of Reardan, go north to Railroad Avenue, then drive east to Audubon Way. 

At 3 p.m. refreshments will be available at Reardan Community Building, 110 N. Lake St., courtesy of Friends of Reardan Audubon Lake.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Spokane butterfly expert John Baumann will present a free program about butterflies of the Inland Northwest on Wednesday sponsored by the Spokane Audubon Society.

The rogram is set for 7 p.m. at Riverview Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave., off Upriver Drive.

Continue reading for detailed directions.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

BIRDWATCHING — The latest report on this season's snowy owl irruption aired last night on MSNBC.

It features snowy owls at Damon Point near Ocean Shores, Wash., with Brian Bell, the Washington Birding Trail chair for Eastside Audubon, and bird photographer Paul Bannick, author of “The Owl and the Woodpecker.”

Click here for a Web Extra with Paul Bannick.

Click here for a Web Extra with Brian Bell.

BIRDING — Ghost Bird, a documentary about the search for the ivory-billed woodpecker — thought to be extinct until researchers scored some earth-shaking video — will be presented Wednesday, 7 p.m., at the Spokane Audubon Society general meeting program.

See Ghost Bird trailer here.

These monthly meetings and free programs open to the public are at the Riverview Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave.

See detailed directions.

If you're interested in local birding, you should check out the SAS website. Members have just posted a delicious assortment of winter-spring field trips in the surrounding area.

OUTDOOR PROGRAMS — Outdoors enthusiasts have a choice of two interesting programs to consider attending in Spokane on Wednesday evening.