Christmas Bird Count

On Saturday, December 20th about 16 people from the Pierre-area went out looking for birds for the Christmas Bird Count. While it was bitter cold and windy, birds were active in some areas-especially near the feeders. Seventy-one different species were seen in the roughly 90 hours of bird watching logged. For more information about the Christmas Bird Count visit: http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index.html
For all of South Dakota's Christmas Bird Count results visit: http://cbc.audubon.org/cbccurrent/current_table.html and search by state.

The Best Christmas Present

As part of my Christmas present all five of us took a drive out towards the Oahe Dam to look for bald eagles. Usually several bald eagles overwinter by the dam, lured by the cottonwoods and open water in the area. Last year, I counted something like 14 that were roosting in the trees in the late afternoon. Our family has seen as many as 18 (or 17 since there is some contention that my mother-in-law counted the same eagle twice).

We went out late afternoon on Christmas Day in anticipation of finding the eagles roosting for the night. They must have changed their spot since they weren't visible from the road and none were to be found at that late hour doing their eagley business of feeding and watching whatever it is eagles watch for.

I thought we were going to go home without a sighting. We were on the last stretch of road by dam. The sun was setting, the light was purple, the sky to the west orange and pink. An eagle flew out across the water its wings stretched wide. It swooped down, skimmed the water and flew off to a nearby cottonwood tree where it hunched over, eating whatever it had plucked from the river, back lit in the gnarled branches against the winter sunset.

I would have liked to have seen 18 eagles. But seeing just one in a beautiful setting creates an experience that is just as wonderful and valuable.

If you would like to give yourself and your family a special gift this year, consider time spent in the outdoors. Go to www.greenhour.org for ideas and inspiration.

Dear Santa With a Twist...

The Children & Nature Network has an interesting letter to Santa. Written by Peter Zimowsky, the overall request is for less toys that plug into the wall and more toys that inspire a connection to nature. Enjoy the season!
http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/gift_ideas_to_get_kids_outdoors/

Traveling? Looking for nature at your destination?

Traveling for the holidays? Want to know where to get outside at your destination? My favorite site is: http://naturefind.com/ Just type in a zip code and you will find all the nature nearby.
Just a quick warning, the "Miles" column is not the most precise, but all of the results are linked. So if you click on a result (two times) you'll go directly to the result's site to find out more details--such as hours of operation, cost, physical address, etc. This is highly recommended to ensure the family has a successful outdoor adventure!

When It's Cold Outside

When it's too cold outside to play for very long (18° with a 4° windchill as I type) what's an outside family to do?

These are some of the ideas I've thought of:

Play I Spy standing at a window.
Mark the compass points in your house. Look at trees and flags to determine wind direction.
Use your wind observations to determine wind speed using the Beaufort scale
Start some seeds
Draw pictures of trees with no leaves. If you aren't artistically inclined, just make a series of interconnected V's.
Feed the birds. Count them.
Make snowballs. Put them in storage bags or containers and put them in your freezer. Mark the date and write a letter to yourself on a hot day in July or August about how cold it is today.

And if you are feeling too housebound, bundle everyone up in hats and heavy blankets to run outside till you count 100.
Don't forget your bubble experiment.

Outside Memories

Did you get outside over the Thanksgiving holiday? I took a short walk with my husband's cousin while away for the holiday in Iowa. She's about 15 years older than I am. We live in different states and only see each other about once every five years when she goes "home" for Thanksgiving. I don't know her well but she's a character and she's family so I was glad for the opportunity to visit with her a bit about what's going on in her life. I'll remember this for a while.

Anne

For some local inspiration to take yourself and your family outside, here is a short article about one mom and an informal outdoor club: http://www.twincities.com/ci_10866791. She lives just one state over, in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. She and her family are encouraging others to "get off the couch, and get outside."