Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center offers spring birding programs for all ages

Birding, or bird watching, is a fun springtime hobby for people of all ages. The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center is offering an array of bird watching and bird-related activities throughout the entire year to engage both young and old alike.

"Throughout the promotion of 'Our Big Year,' which runs through December of 2017, [guests] can stop by the Conservation Nature Center and pick up a bird checklist," says Sara Turner, the Nature Center Manager. "[The list] is a way to track birds that you either see or hear."

Karin Pelton of Jackson is an avid bird watcher.LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com

Turner says that by bringing the bird checklist back completed and attending at least five birding programs offered throughout the year, bird enthusiasts will be eligible to win a prize.

"Everyone that completes the bird checklist and attends at least five birding programs will be able to put their card into a drawing for a chance to win an end-of-the-year prize," Turner says.

The Conservation Nature Center plans to offer a variety of birding programs throughout the year.

A pamphlet for the "Our Big Year" birding promotion is displayed.Laura Simon

"We will have at least one or two per month," Turner says.

"Timberdoodlin' Time" will be offered from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 10.

"Timberdoodle is another name for a woodcock," Turner says. "The males do an elaborate courtship ritual where they fly over 200 feet into the air to attract the females."

Registration for this program is required and will begin on March 1.

"Space is limited as we will be traveling to the Maintz Conservation Area," Turner says.

"Decorating Eggs with Nature" is another bird-related program that will be hosted by the Conservation Nature Center from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1.

"Hand-blown eggs will be available to decorate with paint, pressed flowers or decoupage," Turner says. Registration for the egg decorating program is required and will begin on March 15.

Finally for spring, "Feathered Friends" is a fun, family-oriented birding program that will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 29.

"There will be live bird presentations at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.," Turner says. "Plus, we'll have live hawks and owls, bird-related crafts and other activities."

There is no registration required for the "Feathered Friends" program.

Karin Pelton always takes her camera with her when she goes birding.LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com

When going out birding with a group from the Conservation Nature Center or on your own, Turner recommends dressing for the weather.

"Participants will need to be able to walk on uneven terrain for a short distance when we visit the Maintz Conservation Area," Turner says.

She stresses that people do not need to be experienced bird watchers to participate in any of the birding events.

"Beginners are welcome to participate," Turner says. "We have several grandparents who do [the birding activities] with their grandkids."

Karin Pelton, 64, from Jackson, has been an avid bird watcher for several years and has been a volunteer at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center for the past two years. She and her daughter, Kala Allen, 29, from Cape, enjoy the hobby together.

"I've always been interested in birding,ww and when I moved here 10 years ago I started looking for a place to do that," Pelton says. "When I went to the Conservation Nature Center, I thought it would be so fun to work there, so when I retired a couple of years ago, I started volunteering there."

Pelton has done a variety of things with the Conservation Nature Center, including escorting a group of school kids to the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge for Eagle Days to leading bird-related programs to assisting other avid bird watchers.

"I'll show them how to use their binoculars correctly, and how to set them up to see better," Pelton says.

Dr. Allen Gathman, who is 62 and the dean of online learning at Southeast Missouri State University, also enjoys participating in bird-watching programs at the nature center.

"I think the primary thing that I like about birding is that it's an excuse to get outdoors," Gathman says. "I enjoy being out in the woods and swamps and seeing everything, and birds make it pretty easy to see them ..."

Gathman, who currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Audubon Society of Missouri, has been birding on and off for years.

"I'm originally from south Florida, and I did birding in my teens and early 20s," Gathman says. "Then, I took about 40 years off and started doing it again here ..."

To register for any of the birding programs at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, stop by 2289 County Park Drive or call (573) 290-5218 during normal business hours.