Mapleton Township resident Susan Warren’s passion for bird watching is evident in her monthly contribution to the Lovers of the Birds column in the Community News.
Warren, now in her 10th year of contributing to the paper, has not lost her zeal for bird watching or writing about birds.
“The former office manager at the paper, Wilma Mol, asked me if I would like to write a bird column on a monthly basis. I was speechless but managed to say ‘yes’ and ‘okay I’ll do that,’” Warren said. “I really wanted to know what birds other people saw. This was a way for me to find out. “
A Mapleton advertiser willing to sponsor the bird column was found in Beer’s Seeds Ltd., which produces premium quality bird seed for wild and domestic birds.
The column titled Lovers of the Birds first appeared in November 2005. Warren wrote an introduction about her “non-qualifications” and the goals for the column. Each month she typed out the column’s contents and dropped a copy off at the Newspaper office in Drayton.
“My mother got me interested in birding,” Warren said.
“I was given a simple bird book for Christmas one year. Today I keep a daily list of the birds I have seen and my book collection has grown to 15.
“My husband Gary shares my enthusiasm for birding.”
Warren has never missed a month. In the January 2006 column, Warren deviated from writing about birds in the area to feature birds she discovered on a trip to Hawaii.
By March of the same year the column took on the form as it is seen in today’s paper, one bird per column, with the robin being the first featured.
The following November, Newspaper readers were asked to participate in a bird survey. Names were drawn from the entries and prizes donated from local businesses and individuals were awarded to the winners. Warren’s column in the following months included species of birds sighted by survey respondents.
Occasionally columns on one bird will run for two consecutive months. Warren documents bird sightings while on vacation in Ontario and includes her findings in upcoming columns.
Content is relevant to the season. Tips are given on identification, winter survival, digestion, respiration, skeleton, heart and feathers. Habitat, size, behavior, posture, shape, colour and voices are also included. Suggestions on types of feed to use and which plants or shrubs attract each species of bird are also included.
“Birds of Ontario by Andy Bezener is my go-to reference book. Most of my reference books and bird feeders are found at thrift and second hand stores and auction sales,” Warren said.
“The Drayton library is a wonderful source of information also.”
One of Warren’s memorable columns was from a rare bird sighting of a European goldfinch by Drayton resident Louis Latham. The column, written in November 2011, included a photo submitted by Latham.
Warren’s favourite and most productive place to watch birds is out her kitchen window.
“I am only feet from the bird feeders and water,” Warren said.
“A gooseberry bush that attracts exceptional visitors is nearby. To top all that off there is a field, tall trees and open sky. I do see a lot of birds while working in my gardens and driving on local roads.”
Three mini albums containing copies of each column that has appeared in the Community News over the past decade are part of Warren’s collection.
On Warren’s bucket list is a bird tour and membership in a bird watching club. Over the years, she has received many compliments about her column from bird enthusiasts. With binoculars and bird books in her vehicle, Warren is always on the search for new and interesting species.
“My challenge is to identify uncommon birds by their songs. God has made such beautifully-coloured birds. His artistic creativity is present in birds and in nature. I am blessed to be able to witness this on a daily basis,” Warren said.
Warren and the Community News would like to thank Beer’s Seeds for their continued support of the bird column.
