2022 Updates

 2022 Updates and News

A roost of White Ibis at Fort Fisher's Basin Trail "Hermit Bunker" on October 11th, 2021

Hello and Happy New Year. 2021 has been another interesting and rather challenging year with the Covid 19 pandemic, world news and global environmental issues dominating the headlines. Carolina Bird Gardens and More has been a place to learn about local wildlife and ecology in the Carolinas as well as learn about attracting birds, beneficial insects, and reptiles to your garden. There have also been articles about parks and natural areas within the Cape Fear Region, and occasional articles about environmentally friendly garden or landscape practices, pest control, and ways to reduce our carbon footprint. In the new year, I hope to continue producing this content and exploring other articles and blog features to expand the scope. 

Where Have I Been?

For nearly two years, I have visited Greenfield Lake at least three times a week.

As some readers may have noticed, I have not posted a monthly article since October while in early 2021 I have scaled back my writing from weekly to monthly content to allow for more in-depth articles and to account for other projects, university studies, and to avoid resorting to "low-quality" content, lists, or personal experience pieces in order to meet the weekly deadlines. The Autumn of 2021 was a rather busy semester even though I only had one online class. I was learning French, which required more time and energy than other classes. I also was in the process of finishing up some other writing projects, prioritizing other projects including rearranging my home, preparing for holiday guests, and planning a new garden (more on that when I get a more definitive timeline). As a result, I have not been able to upload an article since October. Additionally, I was brainstorming new concepts to incorporate into the blog including articles about "Less-Toxic and Preventative Pest Management" using Stephen Tvedten's book on Intelligent Pest Management. I also wanted to go deeper into birdwatching, landscaping, and environmentally-friendly living with home gardening, nature and wildlife remaining the focus. These articles require extensive research and in the case of the pest control, experiments (I am still trying to perfect my low-toxicity boric acid fire ant bait, as well as seeing if certain soil or landscapes discourage fire ants from moving in). 

It looks like the 2022 Semester will also be a busy one while ongoing home projects will pick up this spring as well. I will try to resume my monthly articles with the new goal of uploading one during the third week of the month. However, like I said before, I am not a full-time content creator and I want to produce content that can serve as a long-term reference and guide for the Cape Fear Region. I hope to be back in 2022 and as usual readers are welcome to leave comments on the articles. You may also find me out and about at area parks and woodlands gathering bird data for eBird. Good luck to everyone and lets all hope that 2022 will be a much better year for our community, and the planet. 

Updates and Goals

Please stay tuned for new content. You are watching the Birdwatching Network on Window Broadcasting Channel 64 (WBC).

These are some of the updates, changes and goals I have for Carolina Bird Gardens and More in 2022. 

• Continue producing articles including bird and wildlife profiles, garden and bird table guides, articles about birdwatching and nature hotspots, and ecology

• Incorporate broader content such as sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, solutions to pest and garden problems, and articles about citizen science, birdwatching, and getting communities involved in outdoor activity 

• I hope to purchase a "modern" digital camera that I can use for bird, plant, insect, and landscape photography as my other cameras are now over a decade old, and I have relied on my iPad and "digascoping" (using binoculars as zoom lenses) for at least six years.  

• New posting schedule starting in January 2022 with the goal of posting a article by mid-month (around the 15th or so). 

• I am thinking about starting a small-scale nature walking group at Greenfield, Longleaf/Hugh McCrae, and possibly other local parks on a rotating schedule. This is all dependent on health guidance, the my schedule and the schedule of my hiking partner, and the logistics of maintaining an email list. I plan on hosting such walks at least one Saturday or Sunday a month. I will also create a separate page on the blog with contact information, preliminary schedules, and other details at a later date.

• Later in the winter/spring, I will begin sharing details about my new habitat garden, Backyard Habitat Project 2, once things are finalized.

• Lastly, I want to make business cards and use other means of sharing the word about this blog and its website as the name can be a little difficult to remember, and it is not always easy to find on search engines. This card will also have my nature walk email on it.