Craig Newmark's love for squirrels inspired me to draw him one!

That’s why I got so excited when I learned that Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist and lover of squirrels, wanted to donate $1 to National Wildlife Federation for every mention of #squirrels4good. What a perfect example of celebrating wildlife that both amuses us and keeps us company in life!

So if squirrels inspire Craig, what inspires you?

We’re encouraging you to tweet what animals you love seeing in the wild while using the hashtag #squirrels4good!

Attracting backyard visitors that you love

Part of the reason why many of us garden for wildlife and celebrate Garden for Wildlife Month is because it increases the chances we’ll see those animals that bring joy to our backyards and balconies.  Whether you’re trying to see more hummingbirds, bats or butterflies, many species use the habitats we create for them and will coexist peacefully when allow them some room.

So please tell us the wildlife you love seeing by doing one of the following things:

• Share Facebook photos or stories about your favorite wildlife on our Facebook wall (using #squirrels4good).
• Tweet photos or stories about your favorite wildlife (using #squirrels4good).
• Draw, write or paint something in honor of your nature visitors.

Craig’s Pledge:

“Here’s the deal, for each time someone uses the hashtag, #Squirrels4Good on Twitter or on my Facebook page  or NWF’s facebook page, I’ll give $1 to the National Wildlife Federation up to $5K. I will also donate $1 for each new follower I get over the next couple of weeks.”

To celebrate #Squirrels4Good, here are a few things that make squirrels happy and set them free:

To Stop and Smell the Roses

A Nap in the Park

Ice Cream Cones

The Perfect Photo

The Last Cookie in the Cookie Jar

To Watch Funny Cat Videos

A Mid-Afternoon Stretch (and Snack)

To Squeak Up for What They Believe In!

How You Can Celebrate Squirrels

• Tweet using #Squirrels4Good or post about squirrels on NWF or Craig Newmark’s Facebook page.
• Share and re-pin your favorite squirrel photos on Pinterest
• Turn your garden into a squirrel-friendly Certified Wildlife Habitat with NWF

Mockingjay vs. Mockingbird

The Story of the Mockingjay

In Suzanne Collins’ book, The Hunger Games, the mockingjay bird is the evolutionary result of a failed government breeding experiment. The evil government of Panem first created the jabberjay to spy on enemies and rebels of the Capitol, as they could memorize and repeat entire human conversations. However, once the rebels realized their conversations were being transmitted, they used the jabberjays against the Capitol, sending back false information. The government then abandoned the birds to die off in the wild.

But, in an example of extraordinary wildlife almost never doing what we expect, male jabberjays bred with female mockingbirds, giving birth to the mockingjay, which could repeat both human melodies and birdsong and were thus better able to protect themselves (and the rebels of Panem) in the wild. The inability of the government to control these animals made them an inspiration and a symbol for the rebel cause.

Though the mockingjay is not a real species, the fascinating trait of mimicry is very real in the wild, as seen in the mockingbird and other animals.

The Breakdown: Mockingbird vs. Mockingjay

• Mockingjay - Fictional – It can repeat both human melodies and birdsong and plays a symbolic and thematic role in The Hunger Games.
• Mockingbird - Real – It can mimic a variety of noises such as car alarms, cats, crickets, etc.

There are about 17 species of mockingbirds around the world. Northern mockingbirds are the only species commonly found in North America. Their Latin name, Mimus polyglottos, means “many-tongued mimic,” because rather than singing their own songs, northern mockingbirds learn and repeat the songs of other species. An individual can learn up to 200 songs during its lifetime.

Both males and females sing, but males are louder and active more often throughout the year than females. Unpaired males sing 24 hours a day during the breeding season. Once a male has courted a mate by elaborately displaying his flight and singing capabilities, the pair may stay in a monogamous mating relationship over many breeding seasons, or else one male may mate with many females.

“You name it–other bird calls, sirens, bells, frogs, crickets, squirrels, a home alarm, rusty gate, the whirring and squeaks of a washing machine–and this extrovert of lawns and hedges will imitate the sound with grace and skill.” – excerpt from “Listen to the Mockingbird” in National Wildlife magazine.

But Wait, There’s More… 

There are many other birds that use mimicry,  such as burrowing owlets who mimic the sound of rattlesnakes to ward off potential predators. One of our favorites is the the lyre bird, who will shock and enthrall you (almost as much as The Hunger Games) with the variety of sounds they can mimic (chainsaws, cameras and more).

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Northern mockingbird is just one of 45 extra-ordinary wildlife species we’re celebrating during the 2012 National Wildlife Week. Find out more >>

Here are some ways you can celebrate International Polar Bear Day:

1) Take Action for Them – Take a few seconds to help speak up for polar bears.

2) Stink for the Arctic – Join the Facebook event by SpiritHoods is hoping to get 5,000 people to skip a shower for one day, in order to save 26,110 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions.

3) Get to know them – Do you know what a polar bear sounds like? While these animals are fairly common to see on websites and pamphlets- here are 13 things you may not know about them.

4) Turn down the heat: Bundle up for the polar bears – Our friends at Polar Bears International are asking people to turn the thermostat down a few degrees in honor of polar bears. Not only will it give you a taste of the colder conditions these animals live in- it will also reduce your impact on climate change, a huge threat to these animals.

More Polar Fun:

1) Send a Polar Bear eCard
2) Make “Cub”cakes
3) Tweet #Polarbearday
4) Watch polar bear videos
5) Adopt a Polar Bear

How are you celebrating polar bears this winter?

Here are five ways you can celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day.

1.) Share your Squirrel Story: If you have a blog, Facebook profile or have access to human contact on a regular basis, I think a good way to appreciate these little rascals is to share your squirrel story. If you do decide to share your story online, please consider linking to this post or doing a shout-out so we can share the stories. If you don’t have a blog, leave your story in a comment! If you hate online and just happen to have stumbled onto this post, talk to the person next to you and regal a tale you have squirreled away.

2.) Upload Squirrel Pictures: The National Wildlife Federation’s Pinterest has a board for Squirrel Appreciation Day and so post your photos to our Facebook Wall or use #squirrelday on Twitter and Pinterest and we’ll collect them!

3) Share Squirrel quotes or facts and use hashtag #squirrelday:

Sample Quotes:

• TV Show Quote: “You can’t make friends with a squirrel. Squirrels are just rats with cuter outfits.” – Carrie in Sex and the City
• Book:  “Rarely does one see a squirrel tremble.” ― Zadie Smith, On Beauty #squirrelday
• Movie:  “Hi there! My name is Dug! My master made me this collar so I may speak… “SQUIRREL!” Dug from Up
• Fact: “There are around 280 different species of squirrel.”
• Fact: “The word “squirrel” comes from the Greek word skiouros, which means shadow-tailed.”

4) Follow Some  Squirrels on Twitter

1. Common_Squirrel – Bio: run run run.
2. Conan’s Squirrel-  Bio: The voice of the squirrels. You’re welcome, squirrels.
3. Busch Squirrel -Bio: aka the rally squirrel; the one and only Busch Stadium squirrel. Rally Squirrel T-shirts
4. Mensa Squirrel- I’m smart, fast, and cute. But my memory’s not so good.
5. Cheecker – Hi friends! I’m Cheecker. I’m here to teach you how to get outdoors and discover the forest.

5) Check out some of these other articles:

• Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day
• 7 Ways to Celebrate National Squirrel Appreciation Day
• 6 Ways to Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day
• Huffington Post’s Squirrel Appreciation Day (Photos)

1. Name that Lichen – Auction Ends on December 15th

This clever auction is asking people to bid for the opportunity to name species of Lichen. There are two species to name and bids will be benefit two Canadian wildlife charities – The Land Conservancy (TLC) of British Columbia  and the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA). Donations will help these charities protect wildlife corridors and forests – but I think the coolest part is you’ll have a say in the history of a species of animal.

2.  extInked – Endangered Species Tattoos

This effort started in 2009, the year of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday. It’s a lifetime promise to be an ambassador for wildlife. It began with the Ultimate Holding Company along with the support of leading conservation organizations. They identified 100 rare and  endangered British species which were beautifully illustrated in pen and ink by Jai Redman. Take a look at the wildlife gallery. If you like science tattoos there’s an incredible collection of them here.

3. Phylomon (The more accurate but equally fun version of Pokemon)

 
I think the Phylo project is brilliant.  The project began as a reaction to a study which revealed that: kids know more about Pokemon creatures than they do about real creatures. Much of the work we do at the National Wildlife Federation with Ranger Rick and Be Out There tries to combat this, but the Phylo project approached the problem in a totally new way: Put out a game better than Pokemon.

Mixing crowd-sourced art and information from scientists, this game celebrates biodiversity and the magnificent species that inhabit the earth. You kids/adults won’t even realize they are learning.
What are your favorite, positive campaigns? I’d love to read about them!

This is a sister post to “Fantastic Wildlife and Nature iPhone Apps,” and, while you’ll notice a few repeats, I decided to extend the mentions to a few new ones! I’ve linked mostly to the iPhone applications, but most of them have an Android counterpart.

Mobile Apps to Help You Find Parks and Trails

Sometimes, in order to see wildlife and feel close to nature, you have to find it, so that’s what these applications help you do.

NatureFind
Price: Free
Find the closest parks, forests and nature centers with this application. It also will tell you local events that the places are hosting. This application is incredibly useful regardless if you’re in a city or surrounded by suburban houses. (Available only on iPhone)

Trailhead by The North Face
Price: Free
This application uses your current location to tell you the nearest hiking trails. You can find out information about each trail, including their length, story, pictures and tips. Use it when traveling to discover local trails you haven’t explored. (Available only on iPhone)

Trails – GPS Tracker
Price: $3.99
This application is helpful for anyone looking to explore new trails and track the pace, ascent and descent. It’s a useful application for tracking your tracks.

Other Hiking and Trail Apps to Check Out:

• Backpacker GPS for iPhone and Android
  Price: Lite is free, Upgrade is $9.99
• Trail Maps by Nat Geo:
  Price: $2.99

Wildlife Sightings and Citizen Science

WildObs Observer
iPhone and Android
Price: Free

When it comes to wildlife observations, there are several useful apps and WildObs is one of my favorites. It makes it very easy for you to report your sightings and identify species, and your observations show up on National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch website. It’s one of the only apps that allows you to report sightings without having a photo and it also tags your location if you so desire.

Sci.Spy
Price: Free
A fantastic wildlife photography and observation application. If you witness anything from people in the garden or on a trail you can snap a picture of it and share it on this helpful application. You can either partake in a mission or share your experiences for fun.

Project Noah
iPhone and Android
Price: Free
Check-in to nature with this nature observation application. With your photos you can help accomplish missions and explore other sightings. Project Noah allows you to upload flora and fauna, and once you’ve created an account you can meet other nature enthusiasts as well.

iNaturalist
Price: Free
Here’s another easy to use application that lets you log your wildlife sightings. This application does not require a photo and it gives you ample room for notes. It also automatically fills in the date and your location to help make your observation recording easier.

Wildlife Reference

Audubon Nature Applications
Apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android
Price: Each is $9.99

When it comes to reference guides, Audubon has a slew of useful applications to help you identify specific flora and fauna. They all average about the same cost and have a great number of resources. I’ve listed a few of the applications below so you can get a sense of the way they break them down (both regionally and by type).

If you’re looking for a digital field guide, these are definitely a worthy option.

• Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch
• Field Guides for the iPad
• Field Guides for the Android

MyNature Tracks
iPhone and Android
Price: $6.99

Need help identifying animal tracks or scat? This app has a number of animal tracks, scat and sound information that can come in handy when you’re exploring the great outdoors. Keep in mind, it helps to measure the length of the track when it comes time to identify! MyNature also offers several other great applications like MyNature Tree Guide and even park specific apps. Check them out if you are planning on visiting a specific area, like the Grand Canyon for regional identification help.

Bird-Specific Applications

BirdsEye
iPhone and Android
Price: Full is $19.99, Lite is $1.99
While I have not tried this one out personally, I’ve read a few reviews that make this a promising application. You can track your bird sightings as well as see local bird observations.

WildLab
This application is part of a citizen science project that I thought was too neat to pass up. It’s technically for the NYC area and has been used by schools and organizations in that area since 2009. It’s definitely worth checking out!

Various iBird Applications
iPhone and Android
Price ranging from Free to $19.99
As an owner of iBird Pro and Backyard, I’ve found them to be very comprehensive. They give you range, locations, both an illustration and actually submitted photos of the animal. The apps will also include the call of the particular bird.

It’s a very useful application and testing out one of them is a great way to start your own birding adventure.

• iBird Pro
• iBird Plus
• iBird Regional
• iBird Lite

Peterson Field Guide
Price: $14.99
This beautifully done birding application has a unique way to identify the birds you’ve seen and you can also log your sightings here as well. It’s incredibly easy to move through the application and offers some real images of the species.

Other Birding Applications to Check Out:

• National Geographic Handheld Birds: Price $9.99
• Sibley eGuide to Birds: Price $29.99

If you’re looking to compare birding application, iBird.com has a useful chart, and there’s a great review of birding applications here as well.

Apps to Help with Plant Identification

Leaf Snap
Price: Free
A joint project by Columbia University, University of Maryland and Smithsonian Institution is helping people identify plants with a photo. Leafsnap uses facial recognition software for trees–all you need is a leaf and a white background and this application should be able to help you. The app currently covers trees of the Northeast and Washington, DC.

Florafolio
Price: $3.99
This app offers an interactive field guide to native plants of North America. This edition focuses on the stunning variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, vines, and grasses that are indigenous to Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Florafolio is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to identify species in the wild or garden with native plants.

TreeBook
Price: Free
TreeBook has 100 of the most common trees in North America as a helpful resource guide. It’s a great way to start learning how to identify trees as a beginner and isn’t so large it takes up too much space on your phone. I’ve found it very useful!

As someone who is fascinated with the natural world, I’ll keep checking out applications. I’d love to hear what applications you use in the comment section below! Even if they are from different countries, or if I missed them, I’ll keep updating this post so that it can be a helpful resource!

Now go out, explore, take photos and mark your observations!

With Shark Week starting on July 31st this year, we wanted to take a few moments to honor these amazing creatures that play vital roles within their ecosystem. You may fear them, but we need to be a lot more afraid of losing sharks altogether. Currently we kill around 100 million sharks a year. I’m thinking there needs to be a human week!

This week is meant to celebrate these creatures, and we have some fun ways you and the kids in your life can learn about sharks!

Ways to celebrate sharks for the kids or the young at heart!

• Read the Ranger Rick magazine article that highlights the importance of saving sharks, and also discusses some of the incredible shark species that inhabit our waters.
• Play the Name that Shark Game! (warning: more challenging than you’d think!)
• Adopt a Great White Shark – a fun way to master fear of sharks introduce them in stuffed animal form.

Want to take a deep dive into Shark Week?

• Learn about how sharks still remain one of the ocean’s greatest mysteries and how scientists are continuing their research
• Check out Georgia Aquarium’s Shark Cam
• Shark Week Photo Frenzy: upload pics of how you celebrate Shark Week

And for the Internet Savvy…

• Shark Week Live: our live co-viewing experience available on the Discovery Channel App for iPad, on iPhone and at SharkWeek.com
• Ultimate Sharks: Discovery’s new, deep-dive iPad app all about sharks
• Follow SharkWeek.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

I hope everyone has a nice week and learns a thing or two about the magnificent sharks!

While over the years I’ve loved anything published by Island Press, I wanted to share with you a list of other ways I’ve enjoyed connecting and finding great nature books to read. I’d love to hear your resources too!

Goodreads

Goodreads.com is a place to keep your track of your library and what books you’ve read or are reading, online. Aside from being a great way to stay up to date with what your friends are reading, it’s helpful for someone who likes to document things (ahem, me).This site and others like it also have another added bonus, they have a number of groups and nature authors that are worth checking out. I’ve found that the iPhone application is especially helpful.

Shelfari

While this site is also meant to help you organize whatever you’re reading and share books with friends, it’s a great way to find other recommendations for nature and science books. I’ve found that I truly enjoy the interface and you can find books tagged with things like “natural history” as well as join groups like “Save the wildlife” which you know, I immediately joined when I found it!

Great Wildlife and Nature Book Clubs

• America’s Wild Read
• Scientific American Book Club
• Barnes and Noble Science and Nature Book Club

Where do you go to get your book recommendations? Let me know! If anyone’s curious about the books I’m reading that are nature related, I try to keep them up to date!

Your first assignment? The WILD READ book club is featuring E.O. Wilson's first novel, Anthill.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched an exciting new project this week called WILD READ, a virtual book club meant to inspire people to connect with the outdoors and nature, all while enjoying a book. As an English major and nature nerd, it’s an initiative that I can definitely get behind.

As their first project, WILD READ will feature noted ecologist E.O. Wilson’s first novel, Anthill, the story of a boy whose Huck Finn-inspired summer in rural Alabama teaches him deeper understandings of nature and its most ruthless predators, humans.

Readers will also share insights on two related essays: Thinking Like a Mountain by Aldo Leopold, an early founder of the land conservation movement, and Once and Future Land Ethic, by Dr. Curt Meine, senior fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

Right now readers are invited to sign up and introduce yourselves online.  Discussions of the essays and Anthill will begin on May 1, 2011, and May 15, 2011, respectively.

They are having conservation writers Curt Meine and Will Stolzenburg (author of Where the Wild Things Were) serve as online moderators. I’m also honored to be moderating a section of the book (Week 6, chapters 15-18).

So, join us! Share your comments and become connected to people and wild places across the nation with the launch the WILD READ.