The Best Waste of Time Ever

When Project Puffin began in 1973, it was called a "waste of time."

Fifty years later, the project has restored puffins to the coast of Maine. It has also provided a model for similar restoration projects around the world.

The National Audubon Society recently took a look back at the project's history and a look ahead at its future. Read the full article here.

Although Project Puffin still faces challenges, including the impacts of global warming, with a time-tested foundation in place, it seems ready to meet those challenges.

A 50-year legacy of species preservation with more to come on the horizon is certainly one of the best ways to waste time that I've ever heard of.

Do You Know Where Your Migratory Bird Is?

Just in time for fall migration, the National Audubon Society has unveiled a great tool for understanding the journeys and challenges migratory birds face twice each year.

Bird Migration Explorer shows where species can be found at certain times. It also allows people to make larger connections by revealing other places a species they have seen can be found. Additionally, the tool has the ability to support conservation initiatives by allowing people to plan ways of helping birds make the difficult journeys. For more information, watch the video from the National Audubon Society below:

Birds have always served as great ambassadors for wildlife and the environment because people tend to encounter them more frequently than other types of wildlife. By offering the Bird Migration Explorer, the National Audubon Society helps people expand the impact a bird sighting has on them. To access the tool, click here.

Through this tool, we can learn more about birds, the interconnectedness of our environment, and our environmental influence.

Not Much Left to Say and Little Time to Say It

Reading news of the latest climate report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change left the impression that not much remains to say about global warming.

It's here now, and its impacts compound as we speak, but we're long past the point of talking. As this article by the National Audubon Society explains, nine percent of species will face extinction within a decade if nothing is done...

Cooped Up? Learn from the Birds

Since the COVID-19 coronavirus has limited our movements these days, it's a good time to look to the birds for lessons and inspiration, and that goes double for children and their parents.

Juvenile tree swallow.

An innovative idea from the National Audubon Society has perfectly responded to this new stay-at-home world, giving children and parents wonderful tools for learning and staying connected to the environment. Titled Audubon for Kids!, the program provides online access to lessons, activities, and a wealth of information about birds.

Audubon for Kids! is a science-based approach to learning with an emphasis on engagement that puts the world of birds within reach of the Internet. Of the program, the National Audubon Society says, "We’ve adapted classroom science curriculum for at-home learning and created lots of birdy DIY projects to stir your family’s curiosity and bring the joy and wonder of the natural world to your home."

This is an important time for everyone, especially children, to stay engaged with the environment. Nature has a lot of enrichment it can provide to our lives, and birds are among its best ambassadors. Check out Audubon for Kids! here.

When our wings are clipped, we look to those who fly free.

What Really Counts

Counting birds sounds like a lot more fun than counting presents.

For the 114th year, the National Audubon Society will hold its Christmas Bird Count. This is a great opportunity to experience some birds during the winter and contribute to citizen science.

Counting takes place from North America to South America, December 14 to January 5. You can find a counting site near you and sign up to participate by clicking here.

This count is a lot more fun than six geese a-laying.