Funky Nests in Funky Places 2019 is underway!

What prompts birds to build nests where they do? Some of their real estate choices are real head-scratchers. That’s where the Funky Nests in Funky Places challenge comes in. If you find a nest built in a quirky, even downright crazy spot, please tell us about it! The contest is hosted by the Celebrate Urban Birds citizen-science project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Entries can be photos, poems, stories, or artwork. Past participants have found nests strategically placed on statues, in barbecue grills, traffic lights, wind chimes, golf shoes, and pretty much anywhere.

You can upload your entries here: https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/community/challenges/funky-nests-2019/

The entry deadline is June 30.

We have a few categories in which our team judges the entries. We look for the funkiest, the cutest, the funniest, and the most inconvenient nests. Kind-hearted people have given up golfing, riding a bike, or driving a tractor for a while as they wait for baby birds to fledge from an ‘inconvenient’ nest!

Participants don’t have to be bird or photography experts. All ages are welcome to participate as individuals or with a class, community center, or after school program. We are accepting entries from anywhere in the world. You don’t have to be a participant in the citizen-science project either–just sign in as a guest.

One grand prize winner will receive a pair of Celestron binoculars.

Other prizes in each category include window view bird feeders, folding pocket bird guides, Bird Academy online courses, Cornell Lab of Ornithology stickers, Project FeederWatch posters, and much more.

Attention: Before going out to locate nests, please take a few minutes to learn more about how to observe nests without disturbing or harming the birds at www.funkynests.org. In Spanish: www.nidoschiflados.org. 

• Important Guidelines to Observing Nests
• How to Help Nesting Birds
• Types of Nests and How to Find Them
• Fun Facts about Nests
• Myths and Frequently Asked Questions about Nests

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We are happy to announce the 2019 Celebrate Urban Birds Mini-Grant winners!

We received a wonderful response to our mini-grant invitation. It’s really exciting to see such creativity and so many varied organizations across all geographical areas thinking about urban birds, conservation, and the arts in their local communities.

It was hard to select just a few of the many fantastic celebrations proposed. We were especially impressed by those that engaged participants of all backgrounds through active and dynamic participation in both the arts and data collection.

To all our applicants, we want to thank you for your work in building conservation awareness in your neighborhood!

This year’s winners are:

• Asociación Calidris, Colombia
• Aves de la Laguna, Mexico
• AveZona, Venezuela
• Centro Educativo Básico de Bajo Cedro, Panama
• Colegio San Adrián, Chile
• Fundación William H. Phelps, Venezuela
• La Mujer Obrera, Texas
• Luz Divina, Honduras
• Programa de Aves Urbanas (PAU) Tapachula, Mexico
• Reverdece y Educa tu Comunidad, Puerto Rico
• St. Charles Tutoring Lab, Louisiana
• Wallingford Senior Center, Washington

Photo courtesy of Green Jay Mayan Birding, past mini-grant winners.

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You are invited to attend the Second Annual Bird Festival in Chiriqui, Panama on Saturday, May 19th. Enjoy a day of bird watching, educational talks, contests, workshops, and music at Parque Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. This is a free event to the public.

To download this poster, click here.

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We are excited to announce the 2018 Mini-Grant winners! Thank you to all the organizations that applied. It is wonderful to see the creativity of so many diverse organizations working within their communities in appreciation of their environment, culture, the arts, and conservation!

This year’s winners are:

• Alianza para la Conservación de las Aves de Nayarit, México
• BioEdest, Perú
• Birdnaturalart-Avezona, Venezuela
• Blackstone Community Center, Massachusetts
• Boys and Girls Club of the North Country, New Hampshire
• Centro de Agroecología Artes y Oficios; Zutut`Ha, México
• Children’s Museum of Houston, Texas
• Children’s Friend and Service, Rhode Island
• Cohoes Middle School, New York
• Detroit Parent Collective, Michigan
• Eco Maxei Querétaro AC, México
• Fundación William H. Phelps, Venezuela
• Garden Time, Inc., Rhode Island
• Grow Local South Texas, Texas
• ISD Brownsville-Resaca Elementary School, Texas
• Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Potomac River Jazz Club, Virginia
• Escuela Sagrado Corazón, Washington DC
• Salvando al Loro Huasteco, México
• Semilleros De Alas Campeche-PAU, México

Photo courtesy of Green Jay Mayan Birding, past winners of a mini-grant.

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We are offering full scholarships for group leaders and community advocates working with underserved communities in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada to come to our wonderful Group Leaders Workshop at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, on September 26 and 27.

This workshop is for community advocates and grassroots leaders who want to learn about citizen science, engaging communities in conservation through the arts, birdwatching, and greening programs at the Cornell Lab. Leaders must be working in low-income communities and should be interested in leading community programming in citizen science and birds.

Full scholarships cover travel, lodging, meals, and cost of the workshop.

The application deadline is overdue. If you applied on time, you will hear from us son!

Scholarship application in English: APPLY HERE

Postulación en Español: POSTULA AQUÍ

Applications must be received by July 31.

Questions? Email urbanbirds@cornell.edu

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Get to know the birds in your yard with handy fold-outs from the Cornell Lab 

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology launched its All About Birds Pocket Guide Series, 15 new birding titles published in collaboration with Waterford Press.

All 15 guides are available now for $9.95 directly through CornellLabPG.com, or at bookstores and other retailers.

Watching birds is one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America. The pocket guide series helps people enhance their enjoyment of birds by learning more about them. Complete with detailed species information, photos, illustrations, and maps, these titles cover a wide range of topics for everyone who is curious about birds—from Birding 101 to Nests & Eggs of North American Backyard Birds.

“Birds are so beautiful and ubiquitous that millions of people are hooked on watching birds and asking all kinds of questions about what they’re seeing,” said Miyoko Chu, senior director of Communications at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

“These guides get to the heart of those questions by revealing how to attract diverse birds to your yard, how to identify birds by sight and sound, and how to witness them raising their families—sometimes right in your own backyard.”

There are regional guides for bird identification and guides that explain how to choose a bird feeder or birdhouse and plant a garden for birds. All the guides are laminated for durability.

Proceeds help support the Cornell Lab’s nonprofit mission to improve the understanding and protection of birds.

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In this issue: Return of Funky Nests in Funky Places, educational curriculum “Aves de mi Mundo,” links to educational resources and materials, and more.

Stay informed by joining our Lab eNews for Latin America & The Caribbean Islands in Spanish by clicking here! Please, notice that this is a publication only in Spanish. Help us to spread the word!

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Celebrate spring by entering the latest Celebrate Urban Birds Challenge: Signs of Spring!. Take a walk outside and notice signs of spring: a robin with a beak full of worms or nesting material, a goldfinch becoming bright yellow again, birds returning from their winter migration, courting behavior, a spring song, a new nest, young birds learning to fly, and more.

The challenge begins February 15 and ends March 31.

Share your observations with us. Be creative! Take a photo, create a dance, do some artwork, shoot video, write a story or a poem, or create a sculpture. Just show or describe signs of spring. Youth of all ages are encouraged to participate!

Prizes
Prizes include Pennington Bird feeders, Opticron binoculars, sound CDs, posters, books, bird-guides, and more.

Learn more!

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In this issue: Mini-grants offered, the new Adopt-A-School program, a Careers and Conservation Workshop at the Cornell Lab, and more.

Stay informed by joining our eNewsletter. Please make sure that you select the Celebrate Urban Birds check box!

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