Wild Spirit Education

11/29/2024

11/23/2024

Hi Friends. We had some technical difficulties with our website last week. Our webmaster has been painstakiingly rebuilding the entire site this past week. We now have the basic site up and running. We will continue to add to and update the site in the comming months. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused any of you. We have also transferred our website to a new host that is more environmentally friendly and mirrors our beliefs better.

11/07/2024

Our website temporarily down for maintenance!

08/17/2024

Imagine that during the same week every summer, you rent a cabin at the lake. You start to see the same families over and over, and you might even strike up a friendship with one or two of them. You take turns watching your kids play at the beach, or maybe you barbecue together and play Euchre until the sun sets.

It turns out birds of different species engage in those same sorts of meaningful social relationships when they are on migration! Migration data collected at four bird observatories including Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, Long Point Bird Observatory, Powdermill Nature Reserve, and Michigan State Bird Observatory showed "persistent, non-random assemblages of interacting species" that were "largely positive, suggesting they may actually benefit from social interactions during migration."

News Summary: https://new.nsf.gov/news/studying-journey-into-songbird-migrations?fbclid=IwY2xjawEtarJleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWUEUuCBQVlrfQq04w5txFcSBD7TijL-QRsjq8CqbKWg6wjEe0MxsXhE6w_aem_oI50GJIVwl2a-9lNFg8p_g

Full Paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2322063121?fbclid=IwY2xjawEtastleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTrkggJ9gxtVY4aLtW_FU1R18vzOW_P1ZksCisLqhmQODrwQNQ_gWevDUQ_aem_Bq9F1-zXpUkeDAyoTBG39Q

07/30/2024

Help track our turkey populations!

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation wants the public's participation to help track turkey sightings.

07/27/2024

European starlings are a fascinating species of bird. Around this time of year, as breeding season tapers down, they can be seen flying in large murmurations. Starlings are also highly intelligent, and are able to mimic complex sounds.
Unfortunately, starlings are an invasive species. They’re cavity nesters, and frequenting outcompete native species such as blue birds. Starlings are highly aggressive when it comes to nesting sites, and will destroy a blue bird nest, eggs and all.
Starlings came to the US because of their mention in a play by Shakespeare.

07/26/2024

Garter snakes are a frequent sight in the warmer months in WNY. To some, snakes may be scary. However, it’s important to realize that they are a crucial part of our local ecosystem. Garter snakes, especially, are a gardener’s friend, eating many invertebrates. They also eat American toads.
Another helpful local snake species is the eastern milk snake, which eats primarily rodents.
So next time you run into one of these scaly friends, remember to thank them for their jobs as pest control!

07/22/2024

07/22/2024

For years, our dream has been to establish a small Nature Education Center, to better serve our community. Land prices are at an all-time high these days. If you or anyone you know is willing to donate, please contribute to help achieve our goal. We've also been seeking land donations. Any land donated will be put under a conservation easement in order to preserve it. Our target area is East Amherst or Northern Clarence.
In these days of near-unfettered land development, we are losing vulnerable habitat. Help us protect local biodiversity- not just for the wildlife, but for the generations of the future.

07/02/2024

Healthy biodiverse ecosystems have natural checks and balances.

Removing pieces from the system (insects, native host plants, predators, etc.) makes everything fall apart. That's how we've become dependent on synthetic chemicals to handle problems that shouldn't exist in the first place.