Where the Winged Things Are, and Where You Can Come To Watch Them in October
Rutgers University in Newark Hosts Bird Walks
(Newark, N.J., Oct. 9, 2009) – Dr. Claus Holzapfel, an ecologist with the Rutgers Department of Biological Sciences, knows where the winged things are, at least on his Newark campus. According to Holzapfel, the campus is the transient home to more than 100 species of wild birds, and this fall he is again leading free birding walks to introduce them to the human inhabitants of the area. The professor will lead the campus walks every Wednesday morning in October, from 7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m., through Oct. 28.
The walks are open to the public, as well as faculty, students and staff; the only equipment needed is a pair of binoculars (Some will be available for loan). Those who join Holzapfel on the walks will have a chance to observe some 100 species of birds, perhaps even rare ones, “such as the red-tailed hawk, a large raptor which hunts our local squirrels and pigeons,” according to Holzapfel.
Exactly what brings wild winged creatures to this urban center?
Although the campus is located in an urban environment where there aren’t many trees, explains Holzapfel, the campus itself offers many green spots covered with trees, bushes and shrubs , so the campus stands out to watchful birds. “They see the green spots, and they zoom in and land here… birds are sneaking around the trees and shrubs in desperate search of food… that allows a good chance of seeing them here.”
Bird-watchers will meet on the Norman Samuels Plaza at the entrance to Boyden Hall, 195 University Ave. (Norman Samuels Plaza is located between University Avenue on the west, Martin Luther King Boulevard on the east, Warren Street on the south and Bleeker Street on the north; for further assistance go to http://www.newark.rutgers.edu/maps/.)
For more information on the bird-watching walks, please contact Holzapfel at 973/353-5385 or visit the website: http://newarkbioweb.rutgers.edu/Holzapfel Lab/ and click on “Birds on Campus.”
To read the Migration Blog, please go to: http://newarkbioweb.rutgers.edu/Holzapfel%20Lab/Main%20Pages/BirdsOnCampus/Migration%20log.htm
Media Contact: Carla Capizzi
973/353-5263
E-mail: capizzi@rutgers.edu
