Journalism Student Bird Walk

On March 1, 2022 Debi Talbot and Ken Cohen provided Professor Rona Kobell of the University of Maryland and seven of her journalism students a bird walk around Lake Artemesia.  Professor Kobell used this walk as an opportunity to introduce her students in Environmental Justice Journalism to the habitat Lake Artemesia provided for a variety of birds.  The leaders furnished the students with a wide array of old binoculars and gave instructions on how to focus the binoculars.  The students questioned the history of the binoculars and were fascinated to learn most of the binoculars were older than they were!  None of the students had ever participated in a bird walk and none of them had any familiarity with anything beyond Robins, Mallards, Canada Geese, and House Sparrows.  They variety of water birds including Bufflehead, Ruddy Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Coots, and a Pied-billed Grebe fascinated them.  They were most intrigued by the antics of a Double-crested Cormorant which landed near them.  We did explain that this bird was not a heron.  A good look at a low flying Bald Eagle provided a memorable ending to the walk.  All of the students were amazed at the variety of birds in the neighborhood of their university.