It's All About the Kids!

A group of Indianapolis teenagers from the group "Can We Help?" came out to help the Indiana Audubon Society install Bluebird boxes during the annual Spring Festival. They were a HUGE help and did a fantastic job!!! Thanks girls!

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It feels like forever since I last posted. Actually, it has been forever - since February anyway. So much has been going on that making any time for anything other than day to day life has been almost impossible. To catch up... I have survived yet another job restructure, took a short birding trip to Florida, finally - FINALLY graduated with my Master's Degree, and just recently watched my daughters' take their first communion. In between all of this I have been working, working, and guess what else? Working. The story of our lives, right?

Amongst all that has been going on, I have not been able to do much birding. In fact, I have only been able to see a handful of Warbler's this spring, which in itself could cause any birder to go into a spiraling depression. But, I have been able to avoid this type of health condition the only way that I know how and that is that on the few days that I have been able to get out - I celebrated nature with kids!

Over the past few weeks, I have been able to take a group of kids birding and on another occasion been able to coordinate a project with a group of awesome teenagers to install some new bluebird boxes at the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary. Both events were nothing short of absolutely wonderful. Being able to see kids in a setting other than a movie theater, in front of a TV, or even playing structured sports is so rare nowadays that to experience it feels like IT should require an admission fee.

I could go on and on about the importance of us as adults ensuring that our kids have adequate time in nature but I will save my many random thoughts and opinions for other posts. For now, I am just happy that the few times I have been able to be in nature this spring has been times when I could do it with kids - the ones that will ensure its protection when I am long gone.

Barred Owl... not the best picture but not bad for being in the woods. An awesome bird on any day of birding, this bird made itself present right after the kids were given a presentation of a captive bird of the same species - as seen below.

Posing with Kevin Carlson at the Eagle Creek Ornithology Center after learning all about the Barred Owl.

An unknown woodland fungus - gorgeous in its own right!

The victim of a child curiosity. We released this frog shortly after giving everyone a chance to experience its uniqueness.

Studying the frog. This is what its all about. Who needs a TV?