Morning Minute: Wednesday, February 6, 2019

News About Town: Monday, February 11 the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resource Department will host a workshop with MSW Robert Hughes on the “Seven Habits for Parents.” The workshop draws from Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits for Effective Families” among other resources. If you (like some Beacon writers) feel like you could use some more tools in your parenting toolbox, registration is $10 for Matthews residents and is open now on the Parks & Rec website.

News Around Town: Many of us leave limbs and bagged leaves at the curb for waste pick up. If pick up is delayed or if you have more yard waste than the town’s service collects (20 bags per week), you can take it to Compost Central (140 Valleydale Rd., Charlotte). This Mecklenburg County facility accepts leaves, grass clippings, and brush (should be unbagged or in clear or paper bags); clean pallets less than 5' in length; limbs and bamboo less than 5' in length; and logs over 5 inches in diameter. Curbside collection will not accept logs over five inches diameter. Other no-nos include food waste; yard waste with items contaminated with paint, plastic, or metal; tree stumps, large root balls, sod, or dirt. Root balls smaller than a basketball are acceptable.

One Fun Thing: This one is so much fun we posted a full article about it, so mark your calendar. Join Tony Lombardino and Backyard Bird store owner Laurie Horne on Saturday, February 9, 2019, at 8:00 AM, for a bird walk at Colonel Francis Beatty Park. Bring binoculars, a camera, and be ready to learn a few things. Tony has led many bird walks at the Rockefeller University Field Research Center and knows the unique spots for interesting finds around the park.

Birdwatching in Matthews

“To be in the natural environment, it’s inherently relaxing. When you know the sounds, you are much more aware of what’s around.”

— Tony Lombardino

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

When Matthews resident, Tony Lombardino, repeatedly appeared in Laurie Horne’s bird supply-store, Backyard Birds (1819 Matthews Township Parkway), the shop owner began to take notice. Tony didn’t ask many questions but knew much about birds, fowl, and wildlife.

Hawk photo via Unsplash

As time went on, Laurie realized he seemingly had all the answers. She also learned that he was an avid birder who has lead many bird walks for visitors to the Rockefeller University Field Research Center in Millbrook, NY, and as a docent at the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University. She asked if he would lead her monthly bird walk group, and, so, the second-Saturday-of-the-month bird walks at (first Squirrel Lake and now) Colonel Francis Beatty Park began. That was more than three years ago.

Today, a dedicated group of between five to twelve individuals regularly join Tony, and, of course, Laurie. Not all are bird aficionados; some are photographers. But, all share a love of the wild, nature, and, of course, birds.

"This is very informative,” said Laurie, “and not just the birds you see in the back yard feeders.” Over the years, the group has seen dozens of seasonal birds, waterfowl and even a bald eagle.

On this frigid day, eight people joined Tony to walk the park. Conversation excitedly turned to what birds people had seen recently, and then to the specific birds right near them: Ruby-crowned ringlet (only here in winter), gadwall (duck), song sparrow, chipping sparrow, red-tailed hawk, and brown-headed nuthatch. Each sound and visual spotting produced a flurry of discussion with rapid-fire identification and other ancillary, but related information.

Also present was wildlife biologist and avid birdwatcher, David Crowe, on his first meet-up with the Matthews group. “This is a fun travel hobby,” he said. “You can stay watching birds all year.”

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

With an education in neurobiology, and experience working on a 12-acre wildlife refuge, Tony learned decades ago about the lifestyle of birds in the wild, how they reproduce, and nearly all the bird songs and calls. (Tony’s original work focused on the song of birds and how their brains produce the sounds). Ornithology remains a deep love and passion.

“When I’m hearing them, I know it’s part of the communication system,” said Tony. “[It’s] what allows them to propagate…and continue to be here….Everything we are seeing and tracking helps us appreciate what’s been here longer [than we have].”

Part of Tony and Laurie’s joint mission is to offer an experience which is both fun and informational. “People don’t realize how easy the bird walks are,” Laurie said. “They think you need hiking boots and dress. [In this case, you] walk from the parking lot to the field and stand watching.” The two picked Colonel Francis Beatty Park for “the terrain and the habitat it offers,” she said.

Tony explained, “There is consistency [in returning to] one area, be in nature, in something that’s deeply resonant for human beings. To be in the natural environment, it’s inherently relaxing. When you know the sounds, you are much more aware of what’s around.”

Backyard Birds
Matthews Festival Shopping Center
1819 Matthews Township Pkwy Suite 800 704-841-9453.

Photo by Cyma Shapiro