More from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Today, I wanted to provide more of an indication of what's available on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's YouTube channel.

Below, you will find an informative, straightforward, and totally cool description of the Northern cardinal's song. Also, to learn about the many mimicked calls of the catbird, click here. It really is amazing to hear the sounds of other birds and animals in the catbird's song, and the video helps you find them. Finally, the common nighthawk is one of the most unique birds, so it's worth it to watch the video on that bird as well. Click here for that.

Hopefully, after all that, you'll want to spend a little more time on the channel. It has a great collection of information on the avian world around us.

From Computer to Nature

My last post talked about projects from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This post looks at another great resource provided by the lab: its YouTube channel. Below, you will find an example of the page's offerings: a video about the Eastern screech owl. In addition, if you want to view the lab's full video collection, which has lately featured white-tailed ptarmigans, frigate birds, and cardinals, click here.

By letting you connect with and learn about nature, tools like these make the World Wide Web useful and cool.

Let Your Perspective Count

As members of the environmental community known as Earth, we all have a lot to add to the general understanding of it.

Some people work in nature all the time, and the rest of us often wonder how we can increase our interactions with it. If you fall into either of those two categories (and let's face, rhetorically, I didn't leave much chance that you wouldn't), the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has some great opportunities for you.

Citizen Science features a number of projects, including bird counting and bird identification, that let you contribute to science. Remember how much fun we had playing scientists and investigating our world when we were growing up? These projects let have that experience once again, and now, the findings are for keeps.

One of the projects created by the lab is called Project FeederWatch. This involves setting up a feeder during the winter months, counting the types and number of birds that visit, and sharing your information with the scientists at the lab. Those who are educators can turn this into learning opportunities for their students. Along with counting and identifying the birds, students can study writing through journal keeping, physics through bird's flight patterns, history, art inspired by birds, and music influenced by bird songs.

We all have a lot we can bring to science's exploration of our world. If you would like to get more involved with this learning process, check out the links above.

Green Screen

A couple of environmentalists/actors have teamed up for a new movie, which opens this week. Rachel McAdams, whose Green is Sexy site has already been discussed on this blog, and Harrison Ford, who has worked with Conservation International and EarthShare, are starring with Diane Keaton in Morning Glory.

The film follows the experiences of a young television producer as she tries to breathe new life into a failing morning show.

If you are looking for a movie to see, this might be a good one. It's not about the environment, but McAdams and Ford have championed environmental causes, and it looks funny.

You can watch a preview at Apple iTunes Trailers.

Click if You Like the Rainforest

Small gestures can have a big impact on the world and on your day.

If you are looking for a way to make a difference and have warm, fuzzy feeling, consider making it a habit to visit The Rainforest Site, which gives you a chance to help preserve rainforest acreage just by clicking a button. The site is part of the GreaterGood Network, and every time you click the button, GreaterGood.org makes a donation to rainforest preservation. Don't abuse the button though: Only click it once a day. However, if one click is not enough for you, visit the tabs at the top of The Rainforest Site to have GreaterGood donate to causes like animal rescue, literacy, hunger, child health, and breast cancer.

After making these little acts part of my Web routine, I have found that they give me a moment of peace and satisfaction in an otherwise hectic schedule. It feels nice to do something to make a difference--even if it's a small difference.

Happy clicking.