While going through my email account while I was gone, I found that the banders at Carpenter Nature Center retrapped a chickadee last Friday that was at least 8 years old! Crazy!

Say, also in my inbox was an announcement from Cornell Lab of Ornithology inviting organizations and educators to apply for its Celebrate Urban Birds project mini-grants. Mini-grants average $100 to $500 and help fund neighborhood events across North America. Organizations working with traditionally underserved communities are strongly urged to apply.

Celebrate Urban Birds is a free year-round project that collects information from everyday people about 16 species of birds that may be found in urban areas. Participants spend 10 minutes watching birds in their neighborhood and report their observations online. This information helps scientists better understand how birds survive in cities and make use of greens spaces, including parks and gardens.

A local Celebrate Urban Birds event connects the arts, music, dance, and gardening with birds and science. Celebrate Urban Birds mini-grants could be used to support a bird-activity day at a local museum, afterschool, library, or community center, or fund art and gardening activities at your club, business, school, senior center, or neighborhood.