Tips for Identifying Bird Calls

There are approximately 10,000 different species of birds in the world today, and around 2000 of those can be found in North America alone. For bird watching enthusiasts, the challenge is to find and identify as many of these species as possible. In order to do this, birders use a number of clues including, the location and habitat, and the physical attributes of the bird itself such as shape, size and coloring. One of the easiest and most useful identification tools is the song or call, a unique attribute of each species.

Birds use their songs to communicate, and their calls can be heard over long distances, in dense vegetation or at night when the bird itself can't be seen. Birds can create a greater variety of sounds than humans, and have the ability to take shallow short breaths synchronized with their songs giving the impression that their calls are long and uninterrupted.

In order to identify a bird by its sound, a birdwatcher must listen to various components in the call. For example, does the song consist of a single note, two notes or three or more notes? The call of the Mourning Dove is a trill but always on exactly the same note, while a House Finch chirps up and down on two distinct notes.

Another characteristic is the musical quality of the call. Some birds such as the Skylark have a call that is amazing in its beauty and complexity, while the harsh nasal sound of the Laughing Gull won't inspire any cantatas.

Bird calls may be high, moderate or low pitched, and their songs may be short or long in duration. Even the speed of sound repetition can help distinguish one bird from another. The Song Sparrow issues short, quick, moderate pitched chirps with a break between each one, while the American Goldfinch's call is high-pitched, in groups of three, descending, short sounds.

The term birding by ear, means learning to identify birds by their individual calls. Gaining this skill requires time and patience. Start by listening to the birds in your own yard and trying to distinguish one sound from another. You can find the sounds you are hearing by listening to audio clips of individual bird songs online.

Choose the early morning to go bird watching. The cool air and lack of noise allows their calls to be carried more easily. Take detailed notes of what you hear and then go back to the internet and try to match the song to the bird. By listening for a birds call, you can more easily locate the bird itself through your binoculars, and learn to match the physical characteristics with the sound.

Learning to identify birds by their calls will add a rich dimension to your birding experiences, and allow an increased appreciation of the avian creatures that share our world.

The Culinary Delights Of: The Different Types Of Orchids?

Lately I've been reading a lot of orchid books and posts about edible orchids. Since the birth of civilization, the search for edible things has brought us the weirdest culinary delights, such as snails and insects. That is why it's no surprise that even an unlikely source -- orchids -- found its way onto the tables and into the mouths of people around the world.

Discover what and where these incredible flowers have been used as delicious and healthy concoctions. The most common question I found about eating orchids is what can be eaten and how. The answer is basically very easy. Everything! If you are not that picky, actually every part of the orchid that can be chewed and swallowed can be eaten. But the most favorite part of the plant that people eat is the flower.

Aside from vanilla being the most recognized orchid that can be eaten, orchid flowers have been a part of the diet of people long before any of them found their way to cakes and cocktail drinks. Clear examples to this culinary adventure are the people of Hawaii who have been said to have eaten orchids since the 1960's.

They eat them as salads and as candies. Singaporeans also use orchid flowers as a part of a stir-fried dish mixed with vegetables and meat. In Turkey and the Middle East, they use orchid bulbs as flavoring in ice cream. People of South Africa use orchid tubers to flavor meat sauces.

As a matter of fact because of this demand, the existence of the African orchids is now being threatened. The taste is described to be ranging from bitter to sweet depending on the orchid types. Basically since no orchid is poisonous, all orchids are quite edible. They are also rich in fiber, which is good for digestion, and Vitamin C to boost the immune system. Of course, this might not be for everyone's taste buds.

Some may think it's a waste to eat these delicate flowers. But do not worry! There are certain farms that grow these plants especially for cooking. To those willing to try orchids as food, it is surely a new way of seeing (or in this case, tasting) these wonderful beauties of nature. Enjoy the delights of what natural things bring, such as these flowers. Orchids are an alternative to fruits and vegetables. Enjoy them in salads and much more.

Climate Change Adaptation and Agriculture

Background:

Climate Change (CC) is the among the most important global environment concerns. CC is having significant impacts on the most vulnerable communities. Considering characteristics, agriculture can be considered as one of the most affected sector and thus most vulnerable to climate change. Susceptibility and sensitivity of agriculture to the variance of the climatic parameters is responsible for the fact. Agriculture having the significant contributor in national GDP, translates the susceptibility of national economy and growth to climate change. In context of India the GDPs 60% share is agriculture and approximately 60% population's livelihood is depends on farming co emphasizing the need of resilient systems and strategies for agriculture sector and farming community. In which semi-arid regions are considered particularly most vulnerable to climate change. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Supported Development Alternatives, a Civil Society Organization, active in Bundelkhand Region of Central India for taking up actions and influence policy to address the climate vulnerability of the region and its impact on livelihhods.

Challenges:

Semi arid regions being particularly less resilient to the non favourable climatic conditions, lead to more negative impacts. Bundelkhand has faced severe drought years in recent past (five drought years in last seven years). Last year was not the hydrological drought but delayed monsoon resulted into the failed Kharif season in most part of the Bundelkhand region. Increasing frequency of the drought in the region is causing the farmers to take extreme steps in frustration. There have been incidences of farmers letting their animals in fields as the crops would not yield anything, in cases of delayed monsoon.

Even though farmers are facing these challenges, haven't yet realized that these droughts are not incidental but reflecting the trend of reducing rainfall and erratic character and these are going to be more common incidents in future. Thus there is dire need not only of identifying strategies to fight climate change but also to make the vulnerable sections aware about the climate change and make them ready to adopt the strategies for adapting to climate change.

Mitigation and Adaptation:

There are several factors and sectors which are responsible for Green House Gas emissions and thus climate change. Agriculture sector remained most unmanaged till yet due to i) non point source emission of GHGs, ii) need and priority of higher productions to feed the ever growing population. As mentioned above, agriculture sector is also most susceptible to climate change contributing into the vicious cycle. Inefficient agricultural practices causes the GHG more emissions, which accelerating the CC, resulting into the lower production. To compensate this, farmers tend to put more resources whenever and wherever are available in terms of fertilizer, water etc. which are the main factor for inefficiencies in the farm sector.

Effects of Climate Change and Solutions:

In Bundelkhand region, calculations of the climate reflect that after 25 years, rainfall is expected to reduce by 20% and the productivity of the existing crops may reduce by 15%. Decreasing landholding per farmer is going to have enhanced negative impact of these projections.

Thus the expected facts after 20-25 years would be:

• Reduced rainfall, thus
o Less availability of surface water
o Deepened ground water level
o Low returns of rain fed agriculture

• Smaller landholdings
• High input costs in agriculture
• Lower profitability per unit of land
• Higher risks of crop failures

Above estimations on reduced productions are based on the existing crops and practices. Our adaptation strategies need to be focus on the methods which can nullify or reduce the effects of the unreliable climatic conditions. Such as:

• Adopting low water requiring/ drought resisting crops/crop verities
• By reducing the water losses in agriculture and by irrigating the crops/plants not the land
• Using improved practices to save the applied water like mulching etc
• Reducing the input costs by appropriate application of inputs
• Adopting and promoting the alternative models for duel/multiple use of land like different forms of agroforestry or multi cropping
• By having fall back options like alternate income sources/crop insurance etc.

Where is will there is a Way

Approach which has been adopted to take up and fight with climate change is two sided, i) Identifying the technical options and interventions required, ii) making community aware and helping them to take lead to fight climate change.

Identification of interventions

Drought resistant varieties are available at different stakeholders. However the adoption is not much as farmers are not aware about these varieties and characteristics of these crops/crop varieties. Such varieties have been promoted as they are the important option which can provide reliable production level even in extreme conditions.

There are various methods and ways available for reducing the water losses in irrigation. Sprinkler and drip methods can reduce the water application significantly. Similarly, mulching can reduce the water loss from the soil. For flood irrigation also contour cultivation, and making the check basins or borders depending on the land slope and soil type, can increase the water use efficiencies significantly. Information on these options is being made available to the farmers through different stakeholders including the research organizations.

It has also been observed that the quantity of seed we use per acre of land is quite higher than required for optimum production. This, not only increase the input costs but also reduce the productivity by creating unnecessary competition within the crop itself. Appropriate use of manure and fertilizers, minimal tillage is the practices which reduces the input costs and enhance the profitability of the particular crops.

Agro-horticulture and other forms of Agro-forestry can be one way of reducing the dependability of the output of our efforts on the erratic monsoon, thus, stabilizing the incomes of the household and also its distribution across the year. For the purpose of reducing the risks of crop failure, government is also promoting the efficient irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler for agro-horticulture use.

Government has also various other schemes to protect or at least protect partially ourselves from the risks of the crop failure from several reasons. National Agriculture Research Scheme (NAIS) is one of them. We can get our crop insured under this scheme and in case of crop damage due to any o the enlisted reasons, we can get the benefits of the schemes.

It is also worth knowing at this point of time that quite of the options available are more accessible for the groups. Let's join hand together to access the information and take the challenges posed by climate change.

Creating Institutional Systems for Adaptation

Adaptation is the community and social initiative, which needs community actions. For sustainable farming society initiative, three tier institutional systems has been formed, at village level farmers groups consists of active farmers. The objectives of the farmers clubs is to keep interactions and ensure access of farmers to knowledge and resources bases in terms of the meetings with scientists and extension workers, ensuring appropriate seed varieties and technologies etc. At second tier representatives of the farmers groups have formed the cluster of the farmers group. These clusters are responsible for managing and creating cluster (cluster of geographically nearby villages). Top level tier is the federation level institution which takes the responsibility to resource building for all three levels of the institutions and establishing backward and forward linkages with markets.

In fact these institutions are playing their role effectively and have shown the capacity. Several activities have been taken up by them. These three tier system is part of the Farmers adaptation cluster. During the first year of operations, the Farmers Adaptation Cluster, has established linkages with different institutions like Water Technology Centre, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Krishi Vikas Kendra (KVK), National Research Centre on Agro Forestry (NRCAF), etc. and had arranged exposure visits for its member farmers, introduced high yielding varieties and appropriate practices affecting the yield enhancement by 35 to 40%. It has also recorded the reduction in required inputs due to information and appropriate technology propagation.

What Happens Inside the Bee Hive?

Bees are social insects; they live in groups called colonies, inside their habitats called bee hives. A colony is a very organized system with each bee given a duty and a role to perform. Bees are also very responsible and hardworking insects because they do their jobs very well and stick to their duties for the survival of the rest of the colony.

There are three types of bee individuals in the colony. Each has different functions and tasks. A bee population has about 70,000 in late summer. It is composed of a Queen bee, thousands of Workers, and hundreds of Drones.

The Queen Bee

The Queen bee is the largest in the colony and is the only female bee that is fertile. She is the head and life in the colony revolves around her. She starts her life as a two-day old female worker larva. The younger Workers feed her with a mixture called Royal jelly and she comes out of her cell after eleven days of development.

She mates with several Drones (male bees) in three days. This is the only allotted time for her to mate during which enough sperm will be stored and fertilized in her body. These eggs will be laid after ten days.
The Queen lays fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Fertilized eggs are the female ones or the Workers and the unfertilized eggs are the Drones or the male bees.

The Queen secretes a pheromone which sends messages and keeps the other bees sterile.

Worker Bees

The female Workers are the ones who build the comb in which honey is produced and stored and where eggs are being laid. There are about 55,000 of them in the hive.

Worker bees are the laborers of the colonies and do jobs not related to reproduction. They tend to the queen, the larvae and even the younger Drones. They are the ones who gather nectar and pollen, supply food and water, and produce beeswax. They travel thousands of miles away to gather nectar.

One Worker only produces half a teaspoon of honey. An entire colony produces about 200 pounds of honey every year.

As they grow older and more mature, they also act as guardians of their territories. They are the one who attack and sting. However, a bee only stings once then dies. In other words, Worker bees do all the work, cleaning, nursing, beeswax production, temperature control, security jobs, and foraging.

Drone Bees

Drones are male honey bees. Their only duty is to impregnate the queen and cooperate in the mating season. They don't collect nectar nor pollenate and forage. They also are unable to sting because they lack stingers and don't have a role in colony defence. Because of their limited functions and use, they are usually driven out of the colony during winter and discouraged to get in again and so they die of starvation.
Bees are indeed a very hardworking bunch. They perform their duties and responsibilities for the survival of their own kind and colony. Their collaboration and system structure is on great example for a good organization to work.

Love of Life - Trees

Beyond the usually accepted height of shrubs - small (1m) or medium to large (3-4m) there are those great and wonderful upright and enduring growths we know as trees. These provide the greatest percentage of the populations of plants in the forests of our planet and are particularly abundant in the tropical and temperate regions on our planet.

We all love trees. Many of us do not know the names of those we see on film or TV or in the tourist brochures, the street trees in our region, or even those in our gardens although we appreciate their shade and their beauty.

Favourite trees are unique choices of each individual, but some trees are so popular that they are assessed as being the public choice, such as the highly ornamental jacarandas and poincianas. Through intensive cultivation we are often able to enjoy and procure specimens of our favourite trees from plant nurseries to introduce into our own gardens. However, a more intimate first contact with particular trees probably occurred when an affectionate bond was formed with the trees local to your childhood home and your parent's garden where you first explored the outdoors. These trees are likely to remain life-long favourites.

However, we all love trees for different reasons, not only for sentiment or nostalgia associated with our early life but for the appeal they have for us that allows a sense of a relationship to exist as a friend. It is easy to apply this to the great and ancient oaks and forest giants of the redwoods when the trees assume a 'grand-daddy' status and represent a power far greater than our own. But a special bond can exist between humans and plants of all kinds as we are all sentient beings and like to interact with other life forms as we do also with animals. It may be that our link with plants is more vague, or subtle and certainly less actively expressed than with animal life, but it is very real, just the same.

Sometimes our affection for trees is tinged with gratitude for the fruits and potential harvest we have, and will again enjoy; it may be that we long for its provision of shade for us to cool in the burning sun; that we will benefit by sitting in contact with its enduring trunk and by feeling its strong earth anchorage and 'feel better' for the contact; or that we will love it for the fact we planted it as a small sapling; sometimes with an associated purpose such as the Princess trees - planted by custom at the birth of a female child so that it will provide a wedding box when she comes of age; or that we enjoy the seasonal cyclic denuding and fresh foliation of the deciduous trees. Whether we love the carefully tended garden trees or the wild, untamed and irregular patterns and forms of the wilderness trees - they are all beautiful!

Some trees speak to us of gentleness and poetry as the weeping willow, others of their power and fortitude in withstanding the conflicts of the elements. Some are graceful in their growing habit and others are stark and hostile, even hurtful in their character. But even these will be found to attract people who appreciate them, to tend them and hold affection for them as they do the tall specimens of the cactus family.

The truth is that we on this planet utterly depend upon trees that dominate in the recycling and reconstituting of the earth and its surface nutrients. We depend upon the oxygen that is released to create the comfortable atmosphere that we breathe. They give us food, in their leaves, fruit and produce. They offer us organic material from their roots, bark and seeds not only for food but for medicine. We have always depended upon trees for timber for our shelters, homes, furniture, fuel - our bridges, pylons, cordage and netting, thatching and domestic utensils as well as for personal ornamental objects.

And the subtle message they present, should we care to listen, is expressed by their bravery in facing and enduring the elements, sometimes for centuries, thereby offering us the example of endurance and persistence in the face of natural conflicting forces. We learn much from the energies and souls of trees.

We have loved trees and have in ancient times linked them to the gods and given them special names and powers. We love trees still and have promoted their cultivation and developed multitudes of species, cultivars and varieties in the an endless fascination and passion common to plant lovers, foresters, botanists and the simple lovers of trees who contribute to their growth. But we must love trees even more - not only to act out the promises of past commitments to increase the forest areas of the world but to realise the significance of this prime task that is required if we are to survive as a people.

It is not possible to compare the degree or extent of the affection we have towards natural life in general. Some of us love timber trees and scorn the violet. We each can develop a passionate interest in one type of plant or tree or another and generate a special gleam in the eye when enjoying work with a particular specialised plant project.

In the case of trees in general, there is no better tribute to the passion of the "Man of the Trees" as he was known by many - Richard St Barbe Baker, the 20th century forester who undertook seemingly impossible projects and spent his life persuading us to plant trees and cease cutting down our forests. He was responsible for projects in Britain such as the increased protection of coastlines; in creating a viable scheme for tree planting of the Sahara and desert regions; his industry and influence was vitally influential in saving the Redwood Forests of North America and is still remembered for his work in Israel and in Africa. The organization he started 'Men of the Trees', attracted Royal patronage and as an organization still exists with the single commitment - to plant trees.

Controlling Lake and Pond Algae

Lakes and ponds are the place we head to for enjoyment to swim, fish or relax. Unfortunately it is also the perfect environment for algae to grow. Where there is sun, water and nutrients pants will grow. And since algae is a very basic and simple form of life, it will be one of the first to establish itself and the quickest to rebound from steps taken to eradicate it such as herbicides.

A pond is a closed system functioning much like an organism with all the life within interacting to create a balance. Algae, rooted plants, zooplankton, fish, birds and so on all have their part and keep the other parts in check and under control. Too often this balance tips and the system spirals out of control. Algae, being the opportunist that it is, is usually the first to take charge. Thick mats of slime or pea green soup-like water are the result.

This is usually a sign of high nutrients and poor water conditions. In the summer and winter months a pond often becomes stagnant and a thermocline forms. As this forms, the water column is cut into two regions. An area of livable water near the surface and a layer of toxic oxygen deficient water closer to the bottom. This upper livable area is susceptible to wild swings in quality as the algae growth spikes and drops, first giving oxygen then sucking it back out as it goes through respiration near dawn or decomposes after a die off. In the spring and fall these two regions will suddenly and violently mix, called a turnover event. It is these turnover events that can trigger a fish kill as the toxins are released to the entire water column stressing all fish contained within the lake or pond.

One very effective technique to prevent this situation is to aerate the water column of the lake or pond. By aeration we mean using laminar flow methodology (bubblers) to move the water from surface to the bottom. Fountains do work in certain situations, such as shallow water areas. But only laminar flow has the ability to completely mix even the deepest of areas to get oxygen down to the sediment-water interface. The thermocline is prevented from ever setting up and the entire water column is improved.

The tiny bubbles pull the water with them as the travel to the surface. The water pulled up from the deep are exposed to the atmosphere and two things happen at the surface. Toxins from the natural bacterial digesting process are released harmlessly to the air while oxygen is absorbed into the water. This oxygen rich water is then pushed back down to the bottom to release the oxygen to the bacteria and move the toxins back to the surface. It functions as a toxin/oxygen conveyor belt that keeps the system in balance.

Once oxygen is in all areas natural bacteria are able to consume nutrients available in that water. Aerobic bacteria, those with oxygen available, can digest nutrients SEVEN times faster than bacteria forced to go through anaerobic, without oxygen, conditions. This reduces the available nutrients for algae to use to grow. It is an indirect method to outcompete the algae for the food they need to survive.

The Effects of Drought on Your Trees

Drought can affect your trees in many different ways. The longer the drought, the more severe the effects on your trees. The effects of drought are considered short-term or long-term, and your trees are more likely to recover from short-term effects.

Short-Term Effects

• Temporary Wilting. As the amount of moisture available in the soil decreases, the leaves on the tree dry out and begin to wilt. The amount of visible tree leaf wilting varies by tree species as well as the amount of soil moisture available. Temporary leaf wilting is usually resolved at night when the leaves are re-hydrated with dew and recover until the next day.

• Leaf Shedding and Coloration. Premature shedding of tree leaves and leaf coloration can be brought on by periods of drought. In many species, leaf mottling or partial browning occurs during droughts. It is quite common for yellow poplar trees to shed leaves during summer droughts, as well as sycamore and buckeye trees. Dogwood leaves wilt and die, rather than being shed during droughts. Summer droughts often cause early autumn leaf coloration, and the needles of conifers may turn yellow and brown.

• Growth Inhibition. Periods of drought decrease the seasonal growth potential of your trees. Drought affects the development of the tree shoots, the width of the annual growth ring in the tree trunk, and the root system. The young roots, which are the major water-absorbers, are the most easily damaged by drought.

Long Term Effects

• Signs of Die Back and Decline. If there is not enough moisture in the soil for an extended period, the roots cannot supply the crown of the tree with enough nutrients and moisture. The result is the crown beginning to die back in order to bring the tree and the root system into a better balance. Leaves, twigs and branches will begin to die, especially in the uppermost areas of the tree.

• Pest Problems. As trees' health decline from long-term drought, they become predisposed to pest attack and infestation. Many pests are unable to survive in healthy trees. However when trees have been deprived of moisture and nutrients for a lengthy period, their response to pest attack is weakened and they have poorer recovery from pest damage.

• Wounds and Disease. Long-term drought weakens the tree's ability to recover from minor wounds, and increases the chances of tree diseases. When a tree is unable to compartmentalize or isolate a small wound, pathogens readily invade and colonize, causing increasing damage. Stem canker disease is a common effect of long drought periods.