LEARN ABOUT CREATURES

(IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS)

this project is called LOCAL BIOLOGY (until we think of something better)

Observation
Mobs of cedar waxwings
Observation: 

for the past few days, the cedar waxwings have been getting louder and louder.

they are in the tops of trees. very very high pitches. always in groups.

When did this happen?: 
2009, May 10 4:21pm - 2009, May 13 4:21pm America/Chicago

Coffee Shop Seasonal Calendars

This Spring, we will be bringing Local Biology to our local and beloved Coffee Shops (just a handful of coffee shops, just the ones that we, personally, attend regularly.)

We will be providing both you, and ourselves, with the materials necessary to get more observations & understanding about wild things in our own neighborhoods.

It's pretty simple -- and if you want to do it to, let us know. We hope to have this project go in 5-10 coffee shops next year.

Tiny Field Guides

Our plans for the summer

There are a few of us who decided that we really will make some tiny field guides for our own neighborhoods. Subjects so far include: birds, ants, trees, bees, bike sound mapping.

We are going to try sharing these with the people in our neighborhood. We will let you know how it goes.

If you want to get involved, it's easy. Pick something you want to learn about, and make a little guide. Share it with us and we will be happy to give you some feedback.

What is a Tiny Field Guide?

Tiny Field Guides are little books made from 1 piece of printer paper. The paper is folded & cut to make 8 little pages — a front, back, and 6 pages for descriptions and observations.

Through this website, we can upload our guides, and digitize the content in the guides. This will make the content of the guides searchable through the internet. This means people in our neighborhoods might find our little guides!

(we will make a picture of this for you!)

Observation
Gardeners apparently getting started already?
Observation: 

I noticed that some of my neighbors have planted stuff already.

How do they do it?

When did this happen?: 
2009, March 29 2:28pm America/Chicago
Observation
so many woodpeckers?
Observation: 

every time i go outside or look out the window it seems like there's another woodpecker. wonder if they are just super hungry or what...

i know they stay around in winter... but really what's going on with them. are they actually more active than normal?

When did this happen?: 
2009, March 29 2:26pm America/Chicago
Observation
Kestrel, pelican, loud woodpeckers, so much spring
Observation: 

I'm being very bad here and not splitting my observations into discrete units. Perhaps we need multiple fields for our spring observations?

That said this is what i've seen:

  • kestrel on top of a sort of short tree (st.paul, from the bus)
  • a pelican or egret flying (longfellow)
  • more plants and small leaves
  • EXTREMELY loud woodpecker
  • a bird that looked like a nuthatch (bluish grey, crawling down a tree) i though it was a woodpecker...but that was probably somewhere else...
  • a grey jay?
  • yesterday i saw a robin in a tree in the park near my house, it was singing BUT it wasn't doing a very good job which reminds me that the adolescents are sometimes horrible singers and that is very cute.
When did this happen?: 
2009, March 28 5:33pm America/Chicago
Natural Event
This is the easiest time to see birds
2009, March 28 10:00am America/Chicago

there's no leaves on the trees, the birds are coming back and totally freaking out.

all you have to do is listen and you'll be able to locate birds.

in minneapolis it's a little challenging to see the birds in the trees because it's very easy to get dizzy from looking straight up.

but once the leaves fill in...it only gets harder.

Observation
green stuff sprung
Observation: 

my Geranium maculatum (wild geranium, native to MN) has 1 leaf
chives are growing.
i *think* the grass started growing.
my little flax plant also has really cute baby leaves.

yay it's really spring!

oh, and i found nipped off elm buds with flowers. they are incredibly beautiful.

When did this happen?: 
2009, March 24 9:56pm America/Chicago
Event (for people)
eloise butler wildflower garden opens
2009, April 1 9:00am America/Chicago
Observation
i think the tree buds are getting bigger
Observation: 

i noticed that the tree branches are starting to change shapes. the buds must be getting bigger. i don't think we're quite out of the cold enough yet for leaves - but many trees (the burr oak near my house for example) have a new lacy appearance.

When did this happen?: 
2009, March 20 10:00am America/Chicago