I am Meeting Bill Thompson Tomorrow Afternoon

I am a big fan (Big Fan?) of Big Sits (big sits?). Bird Watcher's Digest is currently the sponsor of The Big Sit!, which I am happy to say I have participated in several times, though, unfortunately, not the last two years because of force of circumstances. I know Bill is himself a sitter and would be interested to know about any plans he might have to promote this rather green type of Big Day.

Heck, if you are still looking for work, I'd hit him up for some. You are a very good writer and obviously qualified as a bird expert. This seems to me to be quite the opportunity. Just a thought.

My questions:

What are the best things a suburb-dweller, with a small backyard to landscape, can do to help wild birds?

How can we encourage young city-dwelling children to learn about nature and care for the environment?

thanks for your questions, peter and barn owl. And your suggestion, jeff, is interesting. oddly, i hadn't thought of asking bill if he'd be interested to purchase some of my writing!

I'm with Jeff. And if Bill doesn't give you work, just point out that you have friends, and if he's not careful things could get nasty...

I mean "a different feather from an endangered species through the post every day" sort of nasty.

thanks for your questions, everyone. i am sitting with bill at this moment in an office at HM and we are reading and responding to your questions in real time.

peter: bill says that the magazine plans to have a few articles that will appear in the next year about the Big Sit and also a few about how to do "green" bird outings. he also said that there is an article that will appear in the upcoming issue of Birder's Digest that will announce the Big Sit.

barn owl: bill says "the old mantra is; 'the four things that birds need is food, water, shelter and a place to nest.'" so basically, a person who is interested in attracting birds to their back yard basically needs to learn which species are in their area and put in features that will attract those species to their yard. also, a person who wants birds in their yard should be very careful about protecting the environment that they've worked so hard to establish; don't use chemicals and pesticides, keep your cat indoors (and shoot your neighbor's cat with a supersoaker filled with vinegar (!!) to discourage her from coming into your yard, etc.).

you also asked about how to get urban kids interested in birding and nature; bill says that urban areas are great for having a lot of parks and green areas, and the city parks system often provides free programs where people can learn about nature, birding and whatnot. so a city-dwelling person who wants to interest their kid(s) in nature, etc., should contact their city's park system to find out what free offerings they have.

Thanks for the answers, GrrlScientist and Bill Thompson!

Insect and arachnid pests are a huge problem here in the Southwest, but I think the construction of my house reduces the need for using pesticides in the yard. Fire ants are difficult to get rid of, but one can avoid using pesticides by diligent and repeated application of grits and boiling water. I'd hate to use anything on the exterior of the house, because I'd be afraid of harming the geckos that feed around the porchlight in the evening. We have bats, and several different swallows and caprimulgiformes to help out as well.

With my feeder, I've got White-winged Doves, sparrows, grackles, Mourning Doves, House and Purple Finches, and a Mockingbird family with a very whiny youngster-I suspect it is a perpetually hungry teenager!