Day 5 of Advanced Summer Camp

Advanced Summer Camp for 2012 at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest ended on Friday.  The final day was spent on the boardwalk counting birds for the week's eBird report.  Our goal was over 20 species with high hopes to reach 30.  It took a spin around the parking area to collect the last three species, but we reached 30! (see complete list below)

Banded Water Snake - Mark Musselman

During our time on the boardwalk in search of birds, we also came across other wildlife like the beautiful Banded Water Snake in the above image.

Below is a map showing the week's activities and sightings.  You can link to the map and select the "show contents of map" icon to check on/off the various layers.  There are layers showing our tracks during the morning and afternoon trips as well as pins with popup windows showing images and information for what we saw at those locations.


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Francis Beidler Forest Audubon Center & Sanctuary, Dorchester, US-SC
Jul 20, 2012 9:20 AM - 12:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:    Mostly clear, humid, breezy, 80Fs
30 species

Great Egret (Ardea alba)  2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)  1
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)  23
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  1
Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)  1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)  3
Barred Owl (Strix varia)  3
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  3
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  1
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)  5
Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)  8
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)  5
White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)  2
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  8
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)  18
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  15
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)  1
Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)  2
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  1
Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)  2
Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)  1
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  8
Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)  1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  6

Geographic Technology & SC Teachers

Tomorrow, the education department at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest will be making a "Geographic Technology:  GPS, GIS, & iPod Touch" presentation at the South Carolina Geographic Alliance's Geofest 42.  Teachers will be introduced to the technologies, including learning how to navigate with a GPS unit, learning how to create basic maps using free online software, and how to integrate iPod Touch devices into educational programs.


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A demonstration map for Geofest 42



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The watershed basins of South Carolina using data downloaded from the USC Geography Department GIS webpage.

Beyond our free boardwalk-specific app, we are using our 20 iPod Touches in a variety of ways.  We can tailor the use of the iPod Touch to any topic you wish to cover during a visit to the old-growth swamp!

Maps by Mark Musselman

Mapping Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene is out there providing map-making opportunities.  You will see plenty of maps in the media over the next five days as Hurricane Irene threatens Florida and the east coast of the United States.  Obviously, the hurricane is a concern for us at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, but the storm also provides relevant map-making opportunities for students.

Data in a variety of forms can be easily obtained from the National Hurricane Center webpage.  The first example shows the current track of Hurricane Irene as a Google Earth file.  Downloading the file launches it in Google Earth, if the free Google Earth software is on your computer.

In the next example, the track, including the projected track, was downloaded as a GIS file to the free ArcGIS.com:

Look what city is currently in the crosshairs.

Finally, the Tropical Storm Force Wind Speed Probabilities map was downloaded as an image.

The above image can be used as shown or it can be added to the globe as an image overlay in Google Earth.  The wind map was stretched to fit over the Google Earth globe, which allows students to see the hurricane in greater geographic context.  This technique can be done with any image by using the Add>Image Overlay option.  For another example, see the Middle Earth map entry on this blog.

It is still too early to tell what type of storm we will experience in the swamp, but an umbrella will certainly be required equipment for the weekend!