World Penguin Day

With the success of movies like Happy Feet and March of the Penguins, World Penguin Day is a holiday whose time has come. World Penguin Day, celebrated April 25th annually, "was created to promote the health and conservation of these amazing creatures. Zoos, parks, conservationists and everyone else who loves penguins use this day to celebrate penguins as a unique and important part of our world. April 25 coincides with the annual northern migration of penguins. It began at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The scientists and researchers there noticed that every year on April 25, a colony of Adelie Penguins returned from spending months at sea. They returned to the same spot, on the same day, every year. This seemed too incredible a coincidence…and it wasn’t! This is the normal migrating pattern of these penguins. After several years of observing this phenomenon, the scientists and researchers began to plan for the penguins’ arrival and created a day of celebration out of their appearance," according to the Ian Somerhalder Foundation.

Love penguins? Want to learn more about them? Here's a few items from the catalog to get you started celebrating!

DVDs

Penguins: Spy in the Huddle

Penguins of Madagascar

The Adventures of Scooter the Penguin

Tappy Toes

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Emperors of Antarctica

Nature: Penguins [eVideo]

For Children

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo

Salina Yoon's Penguin and... books

Helen Lester's Tacky the Penguin books

A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis

Goodnight Opus by Berkeley Breathed

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Penguins by Lucia Raatma

Penguins by Emily Bone  

For Adults

Fraser's Penguins: A Journey to the Future in Antarctica by Fen Montaigne

Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence, & Emperor Penguins by Gavin Francis

Smithsonian Q&A: The Ultimate Question and Answer Book - Penguins by Lloyd Spencer Davis

Opus: 25 Years of His Sunday Best by Berkeley Breathed

March of the Penguins by Luc Jacquet

International Collection for Kids

Pengin haiwei by Morimi Tomihiko [Japanese language]

Aogusiting by Meilanni Wate wen tu [Chinese language]

La dama de los pingüinos por Carol A. Cole [Spanish language]

Penguins = Pingüinos by Alice Twine  [Spanish language]

Crafts For All Ages

Knit Your Own Zoo: Easy-to-Follow Patterns for 24 Animals by Sally Muir & Joanna Osborne

Socks Appeal: 16 Fun & Funky Friends Sewn from Socks by Brenna Maloney

Crafts for Kids Who Are Wild About Polar Life by Kathy Ross 


And don't miss "Your Personal Penguin" (sung by Davy Jones of the Monkees) on Sandra Boynton's CD Blue Moo: 17 Jukebox Hits From Way Back Never!

Links

How are you celebrating World Penguin Day? [Greenpeace]

Celebrate World Penguin Day with Pew [Pew Charitable Trusts Environmental Initiative]

Celebrate World Penguin Day - and the world penguin tracking database [Birdlife International]

Happy World Penguin Day! [Smithsonian Ocean Portal]

Birding New Mexico

One of my co-workers is an enthusiastic birder (she's one of the top 100 eBirders in New Mexico!) & she's inspired me to take on a completely new subject today: birding or birdwatching.

You think you know birding?  My dad looks for birds in his backyard & on walks, & I've always considered him a birdwatcher, but there are whole aspects of birding I'd never considered. According to Wikipedia, "In the 20th century most of the birding activity in North America was done on the east coast. The publication of Roger Tory Peterson's field guide in 1934 led to the initial increase in birding. Binoculars became more easily available after World War II, which made this easier. About 4% of North Americans were interested in birding in the 1970s and in the mid 1980s at least 11% were found to watch birds at least 20 days of the year. An estimate of 61 million birders was made in the late 1980s." There are birding activities, such as planned excursions to foreign climes to observe birds; some birders participate in a volunteer census such as the Christmas Bird Count;& there are competitive birdwatching competitions such as "Big Day" (teams have 24 hours to identify as many species as possible).  Ever heard of "twitching" or "chasing"?  Not a synonym for birder, a "twitcher" is someone who travels long distances to see a rare bird to check it off a list. 

My co-worker took up birding several years ago & has totally immersed herself in the birding world!  If you are interested in learning about birding or taking field trips with other birders, she suggests that you "like" Central New Mexico Audobon Society on Facebook for updates; the Rio Grande Nature Center has guided bird walks on Saturday & Sunday; & she recommends the UNM campus (including the duck pond) & the Sandia foothills (where the east/west roads end) as prime birding locations.

Some new & recommended reads for adult birders:

Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird by Tim Birkhead

Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song by Les Beletsky

The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior by David Allen Sibley

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans by John Marzluff and Tony Angell

What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World by Jon Young

Zen Birding by David M. White & Susan M. Guyette

Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding by Scott Weidensaul

New Mexico Bird Finding Guide by John Parmeter, Bruce Neville, & Doug Emkalns

Birding Hotspots of Central New Mexico by Judy Liddell & Barbara Hussey

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik (the book was also adapted into a movie)


Know a child interested in birding or want to interest a child in birding?  Try these titles!

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard by Loree Griffin Burns

Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulf by Olivia Bouler

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

What's That Bird?: Getting to Know the Birds Around You, Coast-to-Coast by Joseph Choiniere & Claire Mowbray Goldin

Backyard Bird Watching for Kids: How to Attract, Feed, and Provide Homes for Birds by George H. Harrison


Online resources for birders:

Central NM Audobon Society

NM Ornithological Society

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

American Birding Association