Birding in the Tri-Sates

Canton Public Library welcomes everyone to attend “Birding in the Tri-State Area” on Tuesday, October 25 at 6:00 p.m. The program will be presented by Zita Robertson of Canton. Zita is an accomplished birder and has been fascinated with birds since first acquiring a flock of chickens when she was seven years old. She was named Young Birder of the Year by the American Birding Association, and will be featured in an upcoming Washington Post article by Andrea Sachs.

“We’re very lucky.” Zita says. “Because our area is right in the middle of the Mississippi Flyway, we can see many migratory birds coming through in spring and fall.” Zita will share information on our winter birds, such as three varieties of geese, trumpeter swans, and winter ducks, as well as which birds we are likely to observe by putting out feeders in the winter.

As a birder, Zita has larger goals than simply compiling a long list of birds she has seen. “I like to watch the birds in an area over time and document changes and patterns I find. I enjoy watching bird behavior. In the future I hope to continue doing just that. I would like to figure out how and, more importantly, why birds do what they do. Although my focus until now has been on birds themselves, I am also interested in the relationship between birds and their environment - their ecology.”

Zita’s approach to birding involves exploring an area to find a bird, then following it at a respectful distance to observe how the bird behaves. Along the way, she takes photos and field notes.
Among her most recent exciting finds in the area are a Hudsonian Godwit south of Canton on Highway B, plus a Willet and a Red-Breasted Merganser at the pond behind the Canton R-V school. She has also had exciting finds at Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge in Illinois, including Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitchers, Wilson’s Phalarope, Marsh Wren, White-faced Ibis and more.

In her presentation, Zita will share her favorite birding resources that can help birders identify and document their sightings.

The library is located at 403 Lewis Street in Canton. It is open Tuesday - Friday 9 AM to 6 PM and Saturdays 10 AM to 2 PM. Visit the library’s website at www.cantonmopubliclibrary.org, find them on Facebook at Your Canton Public Library, or call 573-288-5279.