Daily Archives: April 4, 2013

Westar’s Green Team’s Falcon Cam

If you are interested in Falcon Watching, check out Westar’s Green Team’s Falcon Cam. It lets you watch a pair of Peregrine Falcons and their offspring in a nesting box on the roof of Westar Energy’s headquarters on 

Kansas Avenue

 in Topeka. 

            To date there are three eggs in the nest. The third falcon egg arrived Tuesday night. Eggs have arrived in the following order:

1st egg – 3/29 at 3:10 a.m.

2nd egg – 3/31 at 12:50 p.m.

3rd egg – 4/2 at 8:50 p.m.

If that pattern holds true, and there is a fourth egg, we should expect it sometime early on Friday. Incubation typically lasts 29 to 33 days, so we anticipate the first egg to hatch close to the first of May.

You can sign up for e-mail updates at the link above. If you are unable to access the above link, copy and paste the following link into your browser’s address bar:http://www.westarenergy.com/wcm.nsf/content/falcons

Feedback and questions may be sent to [email protected] 

Kansas River Tire Cleanup near Linwood

Friends of the Kaw and Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Bureau of Waste Management are organizing a tire cleanup on the Kansas River south of Linwood, KS on Saturday, April 20 from 11am to 3pm.

They need:

Volunteers to dig tires out of the sand – please wear long pants and sturdy, closed toed shoes and bring a shovel and work gloves. You will receive a cool T-shirt and hot dog lunch. Tires are mostly on an island and we will transport adults  a short distance via canoes. There will be opportunities for adults with older children to clean up the bank and sandbar.

ATV’s and their owners to arrive at the location (see below) at 10:30am to unload.  ATV’s will drag tires from the sand bar, up the bank to the staging area.

Several four wheel drive vehicles to transport participants from road to staging area.

For more information or if you can provide an ATV or transport vehicle please let Laura now at 785 312 7200 or [email protected]

            Directions: Linwood is located between Bonner Springs and Lawrence on K-32. From K-32 turn south at Stout’s Corner (convenience store) and follow the signs to 

Alexander Rd.

 where cars will be parked. You will need to sign a liability waiver and then be transported by van a short distance to the cleanup area.

            Come have fun and help with a great project to improve the quality of the Kaw.

Cornell Lab’s NestWatch Underway

Over the past 30 years, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Violet-green Swallows, Purple Martins, and Eastern Phoebes have dropped in number. The cause remains unknown, though scientists believe it may be linked in part to declines in the insects that birds eat.

Anyone who loves watching birds can help scientists study and understand their plight by participating in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch citizen-science project (NestWatch.org).

“Every year, thousands of volunteers from across the United States monitor bird nests to help researchers track changes in bird populations,” says Dr. Jason Martin, NestWatch project coordinator. “By keeping track of how many eggs birds lay and how many young they raise, anyone can contribute valuable data that may help lead to the conservation of these species.”

“Recent population declines in North America‘s aerial insectivores are a growing concern,” said Dr. Amanda Rodewald, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Conservation efforts to halt or reverse these worrisome trends are unlikely to succeed until we fully understand the causes of decline. One thing limiting our ability to identify factors driving population declines is a lack of information on reproduction.”

The nests of many birds are easy to find and observe. Tree Swallows readily use nest boxes. Barn Swallows and Violet-green Swallows often plaster their nests onto beams inside barns and under bridges. Purple Martins use large communal nesting houses, and Eastern Phoebes frequently nest under porch eaves and in garages.

Participating in NestWatch is free and easy. Information on where and when to look for nests and how to properly monitor them is available at NestWatch.org. NestWatch accepts observations for all nesting birds, so information about any species is welcome.