Friday Feathered Feature

Bird Berry Buffet

Bird Berry Buffet

It’s berry season at Fair Meadows Sanctuary! A recent article reported on a study showing that migratory birds chose to feast on native berries and almost entirely ignored non-native fruit.

Photo by Gary Shackelford

American Kestrel Monitoring 2023

American Kestrel Monitoring 2023

2023 was another record-breaking year for Madison Audubon’s Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring Program. With 228 boxes spread over 12 counties, these small, but fierce, falcons had plenty of cavities to choose from.

Photo by Madison Audubon

Swallows, bats, & owls

Swallows, bats, & owls

We’re stationed in our lawn chairs outside the barn on the evening of July 23. Sunset today is at 8:25 pm, so we expect the bats to start appearing about ten minutes later. At 8:15, the sky is filled with swarming, swooping swallows!

Photo by Gary Shackelford

Swallow-tailed Kite

Swallow-tailed Kite

The Swallow-tailed Kite is one of our favorite birds to see when we visit Florida. In July, Mark was surprised to see one flying about five miles north of Goose Pond Sanctuary. . . the first record for Columbia County!

Photo by Arlene Koziol