YA Eco Mysteries, Memoirs, Novels & Travel
Writing Eco Mysteries 8
On a frosty Saturday morning, we woke to the first rays of the sun nibbling at the dark horizon, turning the sky from grey to silver. While we slurp down mugs of coffee inside our cosy house, the more hardy bird watchers had already begun the Birmingham Audubon Chris
Cluster of Black Eyed-Susans Nipped by the Frost
Standing in an old pecan grove near the visitor center at Ruffner, we spot several woodpeckers. I imagine the family that once harvested pecans here. Perhaps their large family helped with the backbreaking work crouched over and duckwalking beneath the trees, digging under the carpet of fallen leaves to find hordes of nuts. I lean over and pluck a nut on the ground, crack it open, and chew on the meaty pecan, thinking of the hours that that long-ago family spent cracking, and shelling nuts to bake into delicious homemade pies.
Leaving the sunny pecan orchard, our group, led by Greg Harber, hikes up the step trail to the top of the mountain. We don’t see many birds on the crest, but the panoramic view of the rolling hills with the downtown’s sky scrapers in the distance is most enjoyable. By noon, with additional stops, over 40 species of birds were identified.
Audubon Bird Counters
How might I incorporate this experience into the eco mystery I am writing about the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers? Perhaps Sarah and Grace, the protagonists of the adventure, could stumble into an abandoned pecan orchard?
Participating in the count, which provides critical data on bird population trends, and climate change, is well worth the effort. The data from the over 2,000 circles across the country is entered in a central data base after the count, which then is available for research. For more on the Birmingham Christmas count see:
Birmingham Audubon Society holds annual Christmas Bird Count