Read the full article by clicking the link at the bottom.
I can understand this upsets some people. If your bird feeder is being frequented by a hawk every day and ruining the bird-feeding experience for both you and the little birds, the best thing to do is to take the feeder down for a week or so. When the hawk realizes the "watering hole" has dried up, it will move on to another area. As soon as you put the feeders back up, the smaller birds will return to the yard right away.
This is a fabulous article about the memories of birds. Click the link at the bottom to read the full article-it's well worth it.
If someone calls you a “bird brain,” they don’t mean to compliment you. It turns out, however, that birds you see every day can accomplish astonishing feats of memory.
What’s truly amazing isn’t the sheer number of seeds chickadees can store, but that they remember most of them! Black-capped Chickadees have been observed storing close to 1,000 seeds in one day. That means thousands of seeds each winter. They've been tested to remember these locations for at least a month if not longer.
Ontario SwiftWatch is a volunteer-based program where community groups and professional biologists work together to locate and describe nesting and roosting Chimney Swift habitat within Ontario's urban areas. These grass-roots groups find and track Chimney Swift nest and roost locations within their communities, count numbers of birds, and act as urban stewards for active habitat sites. Bird Studies Canada (BSC) helps facilitate this process by providing training, support, monitoring resources, and data management and analysis.
Nice article-click the link at the bottom to read more.
Outside our kitchen window we have a squirrel-proof bird feeder. It not only attracts birds, many species, but it brings in squirrels, chipmunks, even predators like hawks and cats.
We enjoy our wildlife menagerie because they are not only enjoyable to watch but they also remind us of certain personal responsibilities that cannot be delegated to the community or to the government — like having adequate food supplies on hand in case of natural emergencies. Incidentally, the squirrel-proof feeder drives the squirrel’s nuts — pun intended.
“Those are Black Capped Chickadees,” declared the man next to us. Yes, I thought, COSI is north of Interstate 70 but, if that chickadee flies a quarter of a mile south, across the highway, people at the Grange Audubon Center would identify that very same bird as a Carolina Chickadee! Why? Location, location, location, it’s all about location. Melanie Shuter had shared this chickadee I.D. tip with me just weeks earlier. Since then I have been learning all I can about the whimsical little chickadee.
Just about everybody with a bird feeder sees them sooner or later: those clumps of feathers strewn nearby like leftovers from an old-fashioned pillow fight.
The response is to cringe in recognition: A hawk must have nailed a small bird while it was trying to grab a meal on a cold winter's day.
The cringe is typically accompanied by a twinge: You are somehow complicit in this carnage. After all, you're the one who put out the feeder in the first place.
If you are an artist-check out the link below for information on decorating a bird house.
"Artists are being asked to creatively paint the feeders as part of a fun way to educate the community about birds, their habitat and nature.
Potential artists will be required to submit a short summary and sketch of their intended design for a bird feeder. Wilderness Center staff will choose the artists."
When a pair of the squirrels scooted up a nearby tree, things got testy, in an adversarial kind of way. Perched on a thin limb that gave it a great vantage point to observe the goings-on at the feeder was a meat-eater, a predator, a Cooper's hawk.
I can remember my grandmother telling me stories about all the different birds that used to visit her feeders and the ones that would actually eat out of her hand. Click the link below for some more musing by a fellow birder.
Sometimes, when I listen to the stories of longtime birdwatchers, it sounds like they’re telling fairy tales. Once upon a time, the warblers were so abundant during spring migration that you would find a tree filled with an entire flock of black-throated blue warblers, and another tree with dozens of scarlet tanagers.
There is still time to get involved in the 2012 Great Backyard Bird count. Click the link below to read more about one birdwatchers experience.
But she insists birdwatching is not an expensive hobby. She figured she spends about $15 a month on seed. (She lives in a subdivision without mature trees, so pilfering squirrels aren’t an issue.)
"The veery singing and flitting through the understory of Vermont’s forests may have caught Nancy Patch’s ear or eye in the past, but these days when she sees the bird she thinks about how the surrounding habitat is meeting its needs. Patch, a forester with the Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation Department, credits a novel program called Foresters for the Birds with changing her perspective. The three-year-old effort combines Audubon Vermont’s bird expertise and land managers’ know-how to conserve forests that are important to avian species."
Interesting article. Click the bottom link for more information.
"Love is in the air. This Valentine’s Day, take inspiration from some of the great bird species that mate for life. Here are just a few examples of the many winged wonders that fall into this category."
Here are the rules for the 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count. Click the link at the bottom for more details.
1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.
2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful to print out your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February. You could take note of the highest number of each species you see on this checklist.
3. When you're finished, enter your results through our web page. You'll see a button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count. It will remain active until the deadline for data submission.
"The BC Coastal Waterbird Survey aims to coordinate the efforts of people who care about waterbirds in British Columbia. Anyone who can identify coastal waterbird species in their area can participate in the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey! The goal of such coordinated collective efforts is the conservation of coastal waterbird populations in British Columbia."
To read more about the Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative click the link at the bottom to get to their home page.
"It is complex to protect thousands of acres of habitat which cross jurisdictions—from private to state ownership, across state and even national boundaries. An effective way to conserve this critical habitat is by creating partnerships. The good news is that scientists, land owners, state and federal government agencies, environmental non-governmental organizations are working together. The Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative (CRIMBI) is an example of a successful partnership."
Join us for the 2012 Baillie Birdathon, the oldest sponsored bird count in North America, raising money for bird research and conservation. The challenge is to identify as many bird species as possible within a 24-hour period, during the month of May. The money raised benefits Bird Studies Canada, the James L. Baillie Memorial Fund, and participating migration monitoring stations and conservation organizations (designated by participants to receive a portion of funds raised).
Good report about North American raptors. Click the link at the bottom for more information.
How are raptors doing? Most North American species are doing well. A stark exception is the tiny American Kestrel. Unfortunately this colorful falcon continues to raise alarm among conservationists. The new RPI analysis shows kestrels continuing the long-term decline reported in previous RPI analyses. “Conservation concern remains high for this species” says Laurie Goodrich, Senior Monitoring Biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, “and warrants increased efforts to monitor populations and identify causes of the decline.”
Click the link at the bottom to see some great photos of the Painted Bunting.
While Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, and American Goldfinches will all show up at bird feeders here in the northeast and share their brilliant blue, red, and yellow visages, we have no bird at our feeders to compare to the Painted Bunting. While I have mentioned their technicolor dreamcoats before it never hurts to mention again that a bird made of blue, yellow, red and green is absurd and proof that nature is awesome.
This looks like a great new feature for the Bird Count. Click the link at the bottom for more details.
During this year's Great Backyard Bird Count, February 17-20, you’re going to see something new in the corner of the website home page where the map is located. As each checklist is entered online, it will show up as a bright dot on the map. As the tens of thousands of reports come in, the map should light up like mini-fireworks! You’ll be able to click on the map to make it larger so you get the full impact of all those bird watchers reporting their tallies. Watch for it!
Check out this short video:
An adult Bald Eagle preying on American Coots at Long Point, Ontario, Canada.
Representatives from the main volunteer surveys in Canada met in September 1999 to develop a set of standards for owl monitoring. The outcome of that meeting was agreement on a set of standard components that should be incorporated into roadside surveys for breeding owls. These meetings, with subsequent discussions, have led to development of guidelines for survey protocols that we hope will be adopted by all organizations running nocturnal roadside surveys for owls.
The Doug Tarry Bird Study Awards foster the development of ornithological interests in Canadian teenagers. Recipients of the awards attend a week-long workshop/natural history camp or a month-long student internship at Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO).
If you are interested in any of these positions please click the Job Opportunites link below.
Applications for the various Student Research Awards offered annually by Bird Studies Canada (BSC) and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists (SCO) are due by February 15, 2012. Awards sponsored in whole or in part by BSC include the James L. Baillie Student Research Award (funded by proceeds of the Baillie Birdathon), and the Fred Cooke Student Research Award (offered jointly by BSC and SCO). These awards are open to students conducting ornithological research at a Canadian university.
Call for Applications – Student Awards for Ornithological Research
"The program is designed to collect information about the presence and abundance of bird and amphibian species in Great Lakes coastal and inland marshes, to contribute to our understanding of these species and their habitat needs."
"We provide training, equipment, and resources to help document the diversity of life with sound and video. Through workshops and informal training sessions, we teach field techniques and share technical knowledge to help meet the challenges of recording birds and other animals in the wild."
Help to build the bird database by clicking through the images:
"We'll show you a photo of a bird and ask a series of questions. You'll sharpen your observation skills. And, your answers will train Merlin to identify birds in photos! "
"A tiny hawk that appears in a blur of motion—and often disappears in a flurry of feathers. That’s the Sharp-shinned Hawk, the smallest hawk in North America and a daring, acrobatic flier. These raptors have distinctive proportions: long legs, short wings, and very long tails, which they use for navigating their deep-woods homes at top speed in pursuit of songbirds and mice."
"Scientists working in Haiti have obtained the first-ever photos of an endangered Black-capped Petrel chick—a little ball of gray fluff that was discovered at its nest inside a mountaintop cave. The finding helps answer questions about this secretive species’ life cycle."
Snowy Owls lead nomadic lives and travel vast distances from year to year searching for productive feeding areas. Some years, most recently in the winter of 2011/2012, conditions cause them to come south in great numbers.
Get an intimate look at these white owls from the north through video and photographs captured by the Cornell Lab's, Gerrit Vyn.
Learn about the 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count:
"Bird enthusiasts across the U.S. and Canada are gearing up for the Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s not too late to participate in the February 17-20 event. It’s free to participate, and everything is available online. The GBBC is open to anyone, including novice bird-watchers and students. Participants don’t need to be able to identify every bird, and the online submission process helps check their accuracy and prevent errors. Out of excuses yet?"
Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a 14,000 acre preserve located near Naples, Florida in the heart of the Western Everglades. It is home to the largest remaining stand of old growth Bald Cypress forest in North America. A 2.25 mile boardwalk trail, which winds its way through 4 native habitats, is open to the public 365 days a year.
"It was quite a moment. Audubon’s national board approved our new roadmap. Forty staff members rose to applaud the board, and then the board rose to applaud the staff. People hugged. A few tears were shed. Gratitude wasn’t on the agenda, but it flowed freely."
"Birds can tell us a lot about the environment in which we live. Because they are sensitive to environmental stressors and occupy virtually all terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, knowing where birds are and what habitats they use can help us assess ecosystem health. The Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas is a five-year project to determine the distribution and abundance of all bird species breeding in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Since 2006, over 1,000 volunteers have spent 45,000 hours combing the Maritimes in search of breeding birds, and now it is time to put that data to use!"
"Stretching in a thin arc from Anguilla to Grenada, the Lesser Antilles are the final frontier between the Caribbean Sea and the vast expanses of the Atlantic Ocean. A full seabird census had previously never been undertaken in the region, with many existing records based on anecdotal notes from the early 19th century.
Over an eleven month study period, between 2009 and 2010, EPIC’s partners Katharine and David Lowrie, sailed 3,162 nautical miles, surveying by land and/or sea 200 islands above the high-tide level capable of supporting seabirds, surveying each island in the winter breeding season and again during the summer."
The University of British Columbia, and the city of Vancouver will host the 5th North American Ornithological Conference in beautiful British Columbia, 14 to 18 August 2012. Vancouver, with its magnificent setting on the Pacific Ocean, offers a wealth of marine, coastal and terrestrial biodiversity, scientific resources and entertainment.
"Binoculars are a very important, if not essential, part of birding. Aside from our own eyes and ears, they are the primary tool by which we can differentiate between birds at a distance. There are many brands and models to choose from, and picking a pair that is well suited to your needs is key. Here we hope to provide you with some pointers on choosing, using, and caring for your binoculars."
"The count period for the 112th Christmas Bird Count, from December 14, 2011 through January 5, 2012, has concluded. Stay tuned to find out how the counts went."
"Download the 2012 PowerPoint presentation explaining how to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, why participation is needed, and what we can learn from the count. It also features the top 10 birds reported during the last count."
"Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed. Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20, 2012. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations."
Video of sand cranes and snow geese-click below:
Sand Cranes, Snow Geese and Bird Watchers at Bosque del Apache
Video of sand cranes and snow geese-click below:
Sand Cranes, Snow Geese and Bird Watchers at Bosque del Apache
Ornithologists arrived from far and wide to take part in the event and watch the birds in migration.
Ornithologists arrived from far and wide to take part in the event and watch the birds in migration.
A great grey owl, rarely seen south of Lake Superior, has been spotted in one of the southernmost communities in Canada.
Take an evergreen bough—such as a trimming from a Christmas tree, wreath or garland—and use twine to secure it above the bird feeder, tying it either to the branch or hook that holds the bird feeder or the bird feeder itself.
A rare duck normally only seen in Asia has somehow turned up in California, drawing excited bird watchers from all over the U.S. and Canada to a wildlife refuge in the state's Central Valley.Rare Asian duck draws bird watchers to Calif.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2012/01/rare-asian-duck-draws-birders-central-calif/2072156#ixzz1j0r9z1aT
According to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more people feed birds than hunt or fish combined. In fact, 60 million people in the United States alone feed wild birds. The type of feed offered and the location of feeders will determine the species of birds that come to your back yard.
Paul set up the camera, and the "gee whiz" moment occurred. They were American goldfinches, and they were landing next to, grabbing onto, and sometimes hanging upside down from sweetgum-balls on the trees, busily extracting tiny seeds, one at a time.
A greenfinch asserts his dominance at the table. Others eat only if he allows.
From your friends at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, here is an inspiring video as we start a new year. Happy 2012.
Susan is demonstrating to Kathryn a simple bird feeder for apples, can also be used with cheese or bread. Apples are important for feeding blackbirds and blackcaps in the garden in winter. This feeder will help to bring them to your garden.
Short clip of sparrows eating and swinging on a bird feeder. At the end, they see a cat...
