With its mix of rivers, wetlands, forests and prairies, Missouri plays travel host to a dazzling number and variety of migrating birds. Peak spring migration in Missouri is happening right now, and you can join in on the spectacle by getting outside, looking and listening for birds.

To help you appreciate the number of birds migrating, consider that in just one night, April 27, nearly 52 million birds crossed the state of Missouri, according to
BirdCast an interactive online tool created by The Cornell Ornithology Lab. BirdCast uses weather radar to detect and study migrating birds. At BirdCast you can track migration activity in your area, sign up for alerts and see forecasts for the next few days. One of the startling things you’ll notice is that most birds migrate at night.

If you want to see (or hear) birds in central Missouri, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area is teeming with them, especially those dependent on wetlands. Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area  and Gans Creek Wild Area in Rock Bridge Memorial Park are great places to see forest species. Within Columbia’s city limits you can find a surprising variety of birds in the Grindstone Nature Area. But you don’t even need to go anywhere. Many migrants can be seen outside your door.

There are a number of tools to help you enjoy this annual spectacle. If you’re new to birding (or even if you’re not) the Merlin Bird ID app can help you identify birds by sight or sound. It’s an eye-opening experience to turn on the ‘sound ID’ and see how many kinds of birds are singing in a location.

“The Atlas of Bird Migration,” by Jonathan Elphick, has maps and text to illustrate the variety of migration strategies used by different species. Many of our local ruby-throated hummingbirds make a marathon flight over the Gulf of Mexico followed by low-altitude, day-time flights that allow them to eat as they fly. In contrast, snow geese travel mostly at night in the familiar v-shaped flocks at altitudes of 2,000 to 8,000 feet and have been recorded as high as 29,000 feet!

The Audubon Society has compiled years of banding studies and live tracking data to build the Bird Migration Explorer. At this site, you can explore dynamic maps of migration routes for over 200 species.

All of these migrants need safe places to rest and refuel on their way north. We can take some simple steps to help birds have a safe trip north:

• Turn off exterior lights at night. Birds use stars to navigate. Lights and reflections confuse them causing disorientation and leading to deadly collisions with buildings and windows.
• Prevent bird strikes by putting bird-safe films or decals on the outside of windows and turning off bright indoor lights after 11:00 pm.
• Only use bird feeders or bird baths if you can clean them regularly to prevent the spread of diseases.
• Make your property an oasis for birds by planting (or keeping) native plants to naturally provide food and shelter for wildlife. Refrain from using insecticides so there will be plenty of insects for birds to eat. Don’t be afraid to let your yard be untidy; fallen leaves and last year’s flower stems provide shelter for insects over the winter.
• Keep unattended pets inside. Unfortunately, domestic cats kill a lot of birds.
• Whenever you can, speak up for birds and protect habitat.

For more on birds and migration take a look at this list of books and other resources.

I’m excited to be joining DBRL’s Book Bike Team!

Recently a colleague gave me a thorough and informative lesson on how to ride this ebike (pictured below) with its attached trailer. Although I’d never tried an ebike before, I discovered that the ease and speed that it offered were magical. Additionally, this ebike and trailer look simply delightful; festive colorful, tiny lights even frame the tire rims!

Continue reading “Bikes!”

Where you go camping isn’t always as important as how you go camping. While everyone needs to follow the same rules within our shared natural resources, your personal experiences should feed your soul and make you happy. Think outside the box a bit as you review a few of our books about backpacking, tent camping and glamping. And while all of these contain information, some are also good reads, sharing personal experiences of people who put their own spin on their visit to nature. 

Such as “Every Dog Deserves an Adventure” by Camping With Dogs and L.J. Tracosas. This is an amazing book by an organization that believes “every dog has a story, and our community helps share those stories.” Enjoy stories about dogs going camping with their owners, with many images of those adventures together. It is broken up by seasons and are from all over the country — enjoy the stories! This is a nonfiction cozy read and may entice you to take your pup along on a camping trip. I am not a dog person but can appreciate the enjoyment people get from having their pets with them. Continue reading “Put a Personal Spin on Your Camping Adventure”

I’m excited to start planning a trip to Tibilisi, Georgia this summer, and I’m wanting to learn a bit of the country’s language before I travel. To study more popular languages, such as Spanish or French, Daniel Boone Regional Library provides materials in various formats to learn, such as books, eBooks and audiobooks. For Georgian, a less common language, I’ve decided to take a look at one of DBRL’s online resources — Bluebird Languages — to get started.

Bluebird Languages offers lessons in over 160 languages (yes, 160!) with a large selection of native language settings so that people can learn in their native tongues. Continue reading “Online Resource: Bluebird Languages”

During a recent day of gorgeous spring-like weather, I had a surge of cleaning energy unlike any I experienced during the winter season. I don’t often have such impulses, truthfully, so it was a welcome change. The warmer weather made it possible to open the windows and let in some fresh air. I was inspired to tidy up my back deck, put in a load of laundry, shake out the rugs and do some vacuuming. Once at my library job, my mind was still occupied with the project(s) on my list, so I naturally decided to do my next blog post on the topic of spring cleaning. Surely, I am not the only person in town stricken with this urge. So I headed to the book collection!

Spring cleaning books fall under different categories. There are books that are strictly about cleaning(disinfecting, stain removal, etc.), books about organizing or downsizing, books about giving your home décor a mini-makeover and books with general life hacks (like putting a lazy Susan in your refrigerator!). I have arranged a sampling for you.

As a fan of the environmental aspect and low cost of sustainable living, I was drawn to the book, “The Modern Organic Home: 100+ DIY Cleaning Products, Organization Tips, and Household Hacks,” by Natalie Wise. It has tips like doing your own dry cleaning using homemade products with a king-size pillowcase and a dryer. It also has hacks like how to remove dents from your hardwood floor and how to clean a mattress. If you like to get your home clean and not just mask odors, this is the book for you. The author does, however, frequently turn to lemons, lavender or peppermint essential oils for natural scent, among other oils. Continue reading “Early Spring Cleaning”

Last year, a roughly a third of Americans took a road trip for their vacation. Of these, I peril to imagine how few had the foresight to stop by their public libraries on the way out of town. What a loss! Adventurous souls can find scores of resources and treats for their upcoming journeys. Find out how the Daniel Boone Regional Library can improve a car trip.

Streaming Audio Books

With a library card, readers can access thousands of books through apps like Libby and Hoopla. Personally, I love to use a road trip for an audio book marathon. When else do I have eight hours of free time? In particular, heart pounding mysteries and thrillers cures any fatigue that sets in on a long stretch of highway. I recommend “Sorrowland” by Rivers Solomon or “Magic for Liars” by Sarah Gailey for some audiobook thrills. Continue reading “Roadtripper’s Resource Roundup”

While there are many social media platforms available to us, today, I would like to sing praises of Substack, a company that believes “the internet’s powers for good could be realized if they were tied to a business model that produces better incentives…” than other platforms. For me, those incentives include conversations from bestselling authors as well as gardeners, new writers and artists sharing their work, and gleeful hobbyists sharing quilts and chicken coops.

Substack allows you to bypass traditional print and media gatekeepers. Write directly to your readers and develop a relationship. In addition to a traditional newsletter you can work in audio, video or chat formats. You are also given a web presence for people who prefer reading on an app or browser window. Branding and other customization options allow you to present a consistent newsletter and web page. Subscriptions are free to your readers, with an option for you to charge a small fee for select material.

“How to Build a World Class Substack” by Russell Nohelty and Claire Venus is a great resource. Using personal experiences, Nohelty shares a step-by-step process of creating your presence on Substack. Learn about newsletter management, book launching, scheduling, interacting and more. In all fairness, this book and I didn’t click. The information is good, though, and it’s on Hoopla so you won’t have to wait to check it out. Continue reading “Substack! The Social Media App for Writers and Creatives”