Christmas Bird Count Continues Through January 5th

Bird Feeder

For the 112th year, volunteer birders are fanning out across the country for the annual birding census this winter. The Christmas Bird Count continues through January 5th.

Christmas bird watching with a benefit

 

Birds And Biodiversity

Bird Feeder

This inspiring footage of birds and wildlife celebrates the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's long-standing tradition of documenting and sharing information about the natural world. Thanks to you, that tradition continues. We hope you'll keep watching, listening, and exploring with us to improve the understanding and protection of birds and biodiversity.

Explore the World of Birds and Biodiversity

Downy Woodpecker At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Seed and suet feeders are visited many times a day by chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and the woodpecker that is the smallest American member of its family, the downy woodpecker.

Downies are part of action at bird feeder

The Spread Of House Finches

Bird Feeder

That reddish finch at your feeders is an amazing bird, capable of great feats of resilience in the face of some very hard times. Consider its recent history: Its ancestors were netted for years along the West Coast and sold, illegally, as caged birds, valued for their year-round singing. Transported, again illegally, to the East by pet dealers, some dozens were released around New York in the 1940s to avoid federal investigators.

House finches spread like wildfire

Unusually Warm Weather Means Fewer Birds At The Feeder

Bird Feeder

"When weather is less demanding and natural food is in abundance, birds eat less at feeders," he explained.

No snow, just cold for Christmas

Tips For Feeding The Birds

Bird Feeder

The bird feeders out my kitchen window are bustling with activity. Our most frequent visitors include nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers and sparrows. If you would like to attract and feed birds this season, here are a few bird feeding tips.

Winter bird feeding

Christmas Bird Count Tradition

Bird Feeder

On Dec. 27, area bird enthusiasts will meet and spend the day counting as many varieties of bird species as they can spot in a 24-hour period as part of the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Local bird count an annual holiday tradition

Help With The Kouchibouguac Bird Count

Bird Feeder

 

"Kouchibouguac National Park's Annual Christmas Bird Count is here again.

On Dec. 28, the park will allow bird lovers to accompany staff in identifying and counting all the birds in the park that day."

 

 

Kouchibouguac bird count set

 

Science On Ice-Arctic Ocean Research

Bird Feeder

Check out the video and information on the book. Click Science on Ice below.

"The book tells the story of scientific research at the extremes of the earth: at the southernmost penguin colony in the world; during spring thaw in the Bering Sea; in the unexplored depths of the Arctic Ocean; and amid the blue lakes and rushing moulins that sit atop the Greenland ice sheet. It’s a picture book, stuffed from cover to cover with Linder’s signature photos, which are at once beautiful and insightful in their illustration of scientists at work in their surroundings."

Science on Ice

Snowy Owls In The Lower 48 States

Bird Feeder

Slowly at first, but now quickly picking up steam, Snowy Owl reports continue to mount, signaling a significant movement of this species into the Lower 48 from coast to coast -- or in other words, an irruption year! But what is really causing these birds to move into our area? We need your observations of this species to learn more.

Got Snowies?  

Using RFID For Tracking Birds At Your Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

The same technology used to locate lost pets is now being used to track common backyard birds. Scientists and students at the Cornell Lab have collected data on hundreds of thousands of feeder visits so far by Black-capped Chickadees and other birds. Tiny tags weighing less than one-tenth of a gram are attached to the birds' legs and are detected each time the birds visit specially-rigged feeders. Watch this in which David Bonter describes the radio frequency identification (RFID) technique and what we can learn by keeping track of who's coming to dinner.

Tracking Feeder Birds with RFID 

Oak Park's Mystery Hummingbird Is Identified

Bird Feeder

The verdict is in on the Oak Park Hummingbird mystery:

Then I looked at the mitochondrial sequence, the gene nd2. The results weren't immediately clear to me, so I ran a couple of quick analyses; then I knew. It's 100% Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus.

Oak Park's Mystery Hummingbird Identified

Research In Maine To Help Baja California Peninsula

Bird Feeder

Over the last 38 years, techniques developed by Dr. Stephen Kress, Director of Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Program and Project Puffin, have restored breeding Atlantic Puffins and other seabirds to Maine’s coastal islands. Beginning this spring, the innovative approach, which uses decoys, mirrors, and recordings to attract birds to suitable nesting sites, will be implemented on the Baja California peninsula.

Techniques Pioneered by Audubon for Maine Puffins will Help other Species 3,300 Miles Away 

Hope In The Bayou

Bird Feeder

"Whether a struggling, oil-covered Brown Pelican on the Gulf Coast or the beautiful “sweet, sweet, sweet” song of a male Prothonotary Warbler along the Mississippi River, birds have the power to reconnect us to our deepest hopes for all life. Once we feel that connection, we know we must act on it. I so appreciate the actions so many have taken and are taking to make conservation not just a hope but a reality."

Glimmers of Hope in the Bayou

Bolivar Christmas Bird Count

Bird Feeder

"Five decades ago, when Bill Graber started the Bolivar Peninsula Christmas Bird Count in southeastern Texas, the brown pelican’s future was in doubt. The widespread use of DDT had made the birds’ eggshells too thin, causing the parents to unintentionally crack them during incubation. Despite these setbacks, the species could still be found in small numbers along the Texas coast—but Graber had never seen one during his annual tally. In 1977 his luck changed."

Christmas Bird Count Bastion

Identify Cooper's and Sharp-Shinned Hawks

Bird Feeder

"Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks pose a real ID challenge, even for longtime birders. Throughout the year, there is great variation in plumage and in size for these two species. They look so much alike that no single field mark stands out to help bird watchers easily tell one from the other."

Hung Up on Hawks

Project Feeder Watch Count Day Instructions

Bird Feeder

Get the full instructions for Project Feeder Watch by clicking the count day instructions below:

FeederWatch count days are two consecutive days when you count the birds at your feeders for Project FeederWatch. Count days always come in pairs. Pick days that will maximize the time you have to count birds. Schedule your count days in advance, if possible. Do not change your count days just because you see remarkable numbers or kinds of birds. Doing so would bias your data. If you are unable to count during a particular week or count period, that's okay. Your data are valuable even if you were only able to count on a few occasions.

Count Day Instructions

Project Feeder Watch Photo Gallery

Bird Feeder

More photos have been added to the Project Feeder Watch Website. Click the link below:

Photo Gallery 2010-2011

Great Backyard Bird Count 2011 Photo Contest Winners

Your Bird Feeder

From an elegant American Tree Sparrow to an acrobatic, snake-snatching Red-shouldered Hawk, the photos submitted for the 2011 GBBC photo contest were stunning. Our judges have made their choices and we are delighted to present the 2011 winners and runners-up, chosen from the nearly 6,000 images submitted.

 

2011 Photo Contest Winners

 

 

Hummingbird Mystery In Oak Park, Illinois

Bird Feeder

Click the Oak Park's Mystery Hummingbird below for updates on this hummingbird.

The bird was initially believed to be a broad-tailed hummingbird, a species that breeds in the Rocky Mountains and spends winters in Central America. Experts know of no previous sighting of a broad-tailed hummingbird in Illinois.

BIRD WATCHERS ALL AFLUTTER OVER MYSTERY HUMMINGBIRD IN ILLINOIS

 

Oak Park’s Mystery Hummingbird 

"Most recent update to this page: December 9, 10:43 a.m. Central Standard Time

TODAY IS BANDING DAY — NO VISITORS ALLOWED IN OUR YARD. We want to give the hummer a chance to recover from its banding experience.

Most recent sighting: Friday, December 9, at 10:37 a.m.The hummer first visited our feeders today before sunrise, at 6:39 a.m., despite the thin coating of snow on the ground.

Banding and DNA updateVern Kleen came to the our yard this morning to capture and band the hummingbird, and HE WAS SUCCESSFUL!  You can read about it here:http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/IBET.html#1323448279

Along with detailed measurements that could help with identification of the hummer, Vern and two Field Museum scientists collected samples that will be used for DNA testing. Here is a Field Museum scientist’s summary of how DNA testing is done, and what it can tell us: http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=49536.msg69112#msg69112  (This was written back when we thought we would only have a fecal sample to work with.)"

2011 Christmas Bird Count

Bird Feeder

"The count period for the 112th Christmas Bird Count will begin on December 14, 2011. Please check the Current Year's Results link to the right to find out what CBC circles reported on the 111th CBC. "

Christmas Bird Count 

Join The Ontario SwiftWatch Monitoring Program

Your Bird Feeder

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.

Ontario SwiftWatch Monitoring Program 

Two Projects Make Top Twenty UNEP-GEF List

Bird Feeder

Sustainable Conservation of Globally Important Caribbean Bird Habitats: Strengthening a Regional Network for a Shared Resource ran from 2003-2007, receiving around $1 million from the GEF. Based in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, this project enabled the development of a strong network of organisations committed to the conservation of Caribbean birds and biodiversity at Important Bird Areas (IBAs).

BirdLife projects flying high in UNEP-GEF top-twenty

Winter Bird Watching-Woodpeckers

Bird Feeder

Winter is a good time of year to observe woodpeckers hunting in dead trees. The Downy, Hairy, and Piliated Woodpeckers are compared in this episode.

Woodpeckers:winter bird watching

 

Bird Watching Video In Carvallis Oregon

Bird Feeder

Made for the Naturalist, this video gives a short over-view of bird watching in Corvallis.

Bird Watching in Corvallis, Oregon

How To Select Your Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

How to Choose a Bird Feeder -

In the cold weather, birds need extra help finding the seeds they crave.

How to Choose a Bird Feeder

Bird Watching In Thailand

Bird Feeder

Nice video of birds in Thailand

Video of Ashy Drongo, Blue-winged Leafbird, Chestnut-flanked White eye, Japanese White eye, Mrs Gould Sunbird, Velvet Nut Hatch,Plumbeous Water Redstart male and female, Rock Thrush, Chestnut tailed Minla at Doi Inthanon National Park.

Thailand bird watching in Doi Inthanon National Park

Snow Goose Migration

Bird Feeder

This is a great video showing the snow goose migration.

Snow Goose migration is spectacular!

Cornell Lab of Ornithology photographer Gerrit Vyn takes us to New York's Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to experience this yearly event.

Through the Lens: Snow Goose Migration 

National Aviary Holiday Bird Show

Bird Feeder

The 1-year-old snowy owl makes his public debut this weekend in the National Aviary's Holiday Bird Show. His name is Fleury in honor of Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

Pet Tales: There's a new member of the flock at the Aviary

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11330/1192631-62-0.stm#ixzz1ep7XsdUV

Christmas Bird Count For 2011

Bird Feeder

"This winter an estimated 60,000 people in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere will take part in the 112th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). From Alaska to Antarctica, between December 14 and January 5, within count circles registered in advance with Audubon, teams of birders will take to the field for fun, for tradition, and for science."

Birding That Counts

Comment About "Birding The Net Contest"

Bird Feeder

Great follow-up to the Birding The Net Contest. Click the link below for more details:

"Audubon heard from thousands of people on Facebook. The unique campaign delivered on its goal of connecting people to the natural world around them and making them more aware of birdlife in their everyday lives."

Audubon's Birding the Net Sparks Interest in Real Birds

Watch The 2011 Parade of Students

Bird Feeder 

To watch the 2011 Parade of Students at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology click the link below:

Our 2011 Parade of Students consisted of 53 research projects in 53 minutes—a breakneck tour through student research here at the Cornell Lab.

Watch Our 2011 Parade of Students

Identify The American Tree Sparrow

Bird Feeder

Learn to identify the American Tree Sparrow:

Plump and long-tailed, American Tree Sparrows are busy visitors in winter backyards and weedy, snow-covered fields across southern Canada and the northern United States. 

American Tree Sparrow

Talk To A Pale-billed Woodpecker

Bird Feeder

Magnificent and elusive, the Campephilus woodpeckers include the Ivory-billed and Imperial woodpeckers, which may be extinct, and the Pale-billed Woodpecker, which still haunt the forests of Costa Rica today. Join the experience as scientists Martjan Lammertink and Chris Saker search for this little-known species in a tropical forest, using a wooden "double-knocker" as their most valuable device.

Talking with a Pale-billed Woodpecker

Identify Warbler Sounds

Bird Feeder

Scientists can compare spectrograms of night recordings to spectrograms of known species to identify nocturnal migrants in total darkness. Andrew Farnsworth, a scientist in the Cornell Lab’s Conservation Science program, developed this “Rosetta Stone” in 2006 in collaboration with Michael Lanzone, Cellular Tracking Technologies, William R. Evans, and Michael O'Brien. It covers all 48 warbler species of the U.S. and Canada (including Grace’s and Red-faced warblers, not shown), and is a major tool in our Acoustic Monitoring Project.

Rosetta Stone for Warblers

Tips For Organizing A Christmas Bird Count For Kids

Your Bird Feeder

Every year for over a century, “Christmas Bird Counts” (CBC's) have been organized across America through Audubon, mainly for adults, during mid-December and early January. Young kids with their families are often not included with this important 24 hour rigorous “citizen science” effort...so we created the CBC 4 Kids...and families... a stand alone half day event instilling some of the important basic ingredients of this grand old Audubon tradition. 

2011 CBC4Kids - How to Get Started!

Look After Your Birds By Setting Up A Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Set up your feeders in a quiet area of the garden close to trees so that they can fly to and fro. The most activity takes place in the first hours of daylight and an hour or two before dusk, so try to fill the feeders at midday, if possible. Try not to spill seeds and nuts on the ground as spillages attract rodents.

Look after your birds

Some Reasons Birds Aren't Visiting Your Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

I don’t think a passing bald eagle or even an infrequently soaring hawk would cause birds to shy away from feeding areas for any length of time. A sudden local shortage of birds can result from a frequent, unwelcome visit from a resident hawk. When a sharp-shinned or Cooper’s hawk appears on the scene, birds appear to “freeze” without any movement and can remain motionless for as long as a half-hour. 

Several factors could account for ‘shortage’ of birds

Win a Bird Feeder And Hedgehog House

Bird Feeder

Interesting contest. 

Jordans is the only cereal brand in the UK that asks the farmers that grow their grain to dedicate 10% of their farmland to wildlife habitats, so that birds, bees and butterflies can thrive

We've teamed up with Jordans Cereals to offer readers the chance to win a hedgehog house and bird feeder.

Win a hedgehog house and bird feeder from Jordans Cereal

Audubon Illustrations To Be On Display

Bird Feeder

This looks like a great event and the article has some good information about John Audubon.

On Friday, more than 20 of Audubon's illustrations will be exhibited for one day as the University of Pittsburgh's Library System holds its first public celebration of Audubon Day. The rare prints will be displayed in Hillman Library's third-floor special collections, Room 363, in Oakland. From 1 to 2 p.m., library staff members Charles Aston, Jeanann Haas and Ed Galloway will give informal talks about aspects of Audubon's life in the Amy Knapp Room. The event is free.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11320/1190093-437-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel0#ixzz1du0JgzN4

Audubon's bird's-eye view: Vivid illustrations on display at Pitt for one-day-only exhibition

Anatomy Of An Owl

Your Bird Feeder

To complete our 3 day study of owls click below to see the anatomy of the owl.

Owl Anatomy

Learn How To Build A Screech Owl Box

Your Bird Feeder

Learn how to build a screech owl box. Click on the link below.

Build A Screech Owl Box

Awesome Owl Information

Your Bird Feeder

Did you know that there are 130 species of owls thoughout the world? Do you know how big the smallest owl is? Click the awesome owls below to get more information about owls.

Awesome Owls

Birds At The Bird Feeder And Bird Bath

Your Bird Feeder

Black-Capped Chickadees, Chestnut-Backed Chickadees, and Nuthatches come to my bird-feeder and birdbath

Feeder Birds

Water Bottle Bird Feeder

Your Bird Feeder

This is a how-to video.

 How to make a Bird feeder with Water Bottles

Chipmunk Has High Hopes That He Can Reach The Bird Feeder

Your Bird Feeder

Cute video of a chipmunk that is determined to get to the bird feeder.

chipmunk vs bird feeder

Bird Feeder In Slow Motion And Normal Speed

Your Bird Feeder

Interesting video showing the bird feeder in slow motion and at normal speed.

Bird feeder normal speed vs slow motion

Make Your Own Peanut Butter Bird Feeder

Your Bird Feeder

Video shows us how to make a bird feeder from a pine cone and peanut butter and seed.

How to make a bird feeder - at the West Norwood Feast

Cardinals Enjoy A Snowy Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Nice video of cardinals at the bird feeder while it is snowing.

Cardinals On A Snowy Bird Feeder

Peregrine Falcon At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Not a normal sight at most bird feeders:

Peregrine Falcon at our Bird Feeder

Peregrine Falcon at our Bird Feeder

Applications Being Accepted For The James L. Baillie Memorial Fund

Bird Feeder

Find out how to apply for a grant from this organization:

The James L. Baillie Memorial Fund for Bird Research and Preservation was established by Bird Studies Canada in 1976. It is funded by the annual Baillie Birdathon and by private donations. 

James L. Baillie Memorial Fund 

Bird Conservation Nepal Project

Bird Feeder

"Bird Conservation Nepal (BirdLife Partner) has launched a documentary to highlight the value of Important Bird Areas (IBAs: critical areas for biodiversity conservation) to people and therefore the importance of conserving these sites. Despite great efforts being made to conserve biodiversity in Nepal, the country still lags behind in protecting natural habitats."

New documentary highlights importance of IBAs for people in Nepal

Participate In The Bird Color Challenge

Bird Feeder

This is a fun exercise. Click Bird Color Challenge to participate.

"We'll show you a bird for five seconds, then take the photo away and ask you to recall the bird's main colors. After you've chosen, we'll show you the responses that other players have selected. The game sharpens your powers of observation—and teaches Merlin about the ways that people perceive and describe colors."

Bird Color Challenge

New Winter 2011 Bird Photo Contest

Bird Feeder

It's time for the next WeLoveBirds photo contest. 

Welcome to the 4th WeLoveBirds.org photo contest!  We will be accepting photos up until Nov. 21 at midnight, eastern standard time; then community voting will take place from Nov.28 to Dec. 9. Click below for more information.

Winter 2011 Photo Contest

The Big Year Movie Review

Bird Feeder

This film is an enjoyable tramp through America’s wilds and through the familial tangles of its three main characters. Peppered with polite humor, a bit of slapstick, and many gorgeous—and remarkably accurate—birds, this PG movie, directed by David Frankel, will entertain most any family, birding or nonbirding.

 

The Big Year: Our Movie Review

 

Barrier Island Shorebirds

Bird Feeder

Louisiana's barrier islands provide critical and unique habitat for a range of migrant and wintering bird species. Shorebirds in particular utilize a variety of specialized feeding techniques to harvest their own favored types of prey.

How Nature Works: Barrier Island Foraging Strategies 

Rare Imperial Woodpecker Footage

Bird Feeder

This is fascinating article and amazing to think this footage was hidden for so many years. 

"The last documented sighting of an Imperial Woodpecker took place in 1956 in the state of Durango in the high-altitude old-growth pine forest of the Sierra Madre. It was this sighting, by Pennsylvania dentist and amateur ornithologist William Rhein, that drew the attention of woodpecker researcher Martjan Lammertink and me and eventually led us to launch an expedition in March 2010 to explore the area where Rhein had filmed a lone female Imperial Woodpecker. Amazingly, the 85 seconds of 16mm color movie footage Rhein shot in 1956 is the only photographic documentation ever captured of this species in life. Yet for decades the scientific community knew nothing about it, and that might still be the case if not for Martjan’s tireless efforts. It was he who first found a mention of the film while reading through a 1962 letter in James Tanner’s personal correspondence, archived at Cornell University."  Click below to continue reading this great story.

Return to Durango

How Long For Birds To Find Your Bird Feeder?

Bird Feeder

Bill Oddie explains how timid birds can be when a new bird feeder is placed in the garden.

How long does it take birds to come to a new bird feeder?

Blue Jay Selects Peanuts

Bird Feeder

Great video showing a blue jay and a chipmunk selecting peanuts:

"It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on here since we don’t really know what goes on inside a bird’s brain, but it is likely that this jay’s behavior has something to do with food storage. Jays and other corvids cache (store) food for later consumption.  It looks like this jay might be trying to find the best peanut for its cache."

Choosing the Right Peanut

Sensory Versus Physiological Feedback For Hummingbird

Bird Feeder

Animals determine information about food in two ways: sensory input and physiological feedback.  The sensory input in this context is taste.  A hummingbird uses taste to immediately determine the caloric quality of a food.  A food that contains more calories will taste more desirable.

Hummingbirds don’t rely on taste when choosing food options

Project Feeder Watch

Bird Feeder

"We have started shipping kits for the 2011-12 FeederWatch season, which begins November 12. Be sure to sign up if you haven't already!"

Learn To Identify The Red Finches

Bird Feeder

Confused about red finches? This article will help you:

The identification of these three finches of the Carpodacus genus can be extremely difficult. Each species is about the same size and shape, each is colored red with varying degrees of brown streaking, and each is common to feeder areas. What's more, the ranges of these birds overlap quite a bit, primarily owing to the ubiquitous distribution of the House Finch. In certain areas of the West, it is possible to encounter all three species!

Which red finch is it?

Brad Storey Is Raising Money For Bird Areas Program

Bird Feeder

"Brad and Xena have already started their journey across America, stopping at Audubon Centers and Important Bird Areas along the way."

Brad Storey Journeys Across America to support the Important Bird Areas Program!

Road Scholars Help Out On Eastern Egg Rock Island

Bird Feeder

Reservations are now being accepted for the 2012 programs. Click below to read more:

On September 11-16, 22 participants in the Road Scholar session titled ‘Maine Seabird Biology and Conservation’ arrived on Hog Island for a very successful service-learning program. 

Road Scholars assist Audubon biologists to improve habitat for Maine seabirds

The 2012 Great Backyard Bird Count Dates Are Announced

Bird Feeder

The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20, 2012.

Click below for the results of the 2011 Count

Participants submitted more than 92,000 checklists to the GBBC this year--the third year in a row that checklists topped 90,000. New checklist records were set in 11 states and in 7 out of 13 Canadian provinces and territories, resulting in a new overall checklist record for Canada. Altogether, participants identified 596 species and 11.4 million bird observations.

Great Backyard Bird Count Highlights

Bird Feeder Cams Show Dinner Time At The Feeder

Your Bird Feeder

Lawn-cam and bird-feeder cam views of a dinner rush on a bird feeder (and the spilled-over seeds below it).

Bird Feeder

Dinner At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Watch the various birds feeding at the bird feeders:

Dinner time at the bird feeder

Hummingbird Lands On A Hand

Bird Feeder

This poor little hummer got stranded in a garage-looks like he found a friend:

Hummingbird Landed on my hand without feeding 

Bird Feeder Featuring Sparrows

Bird Feeder

Interesting Idea-Is the technology available yet?

Audio track contains suggestion for design of a bird feeder that would distinguish between nuisance birds (sparrows, pigeons, and starlings) and native songbirds, and only dispense food to the songbirds, discouraging nuisance birds from feeding there.

Sparrows Feeding at a Bird Feeder (in slow motion)

Woodpecker At The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

A bit of a surprise to see a large woodpecker hanging on the birdfeeder. The nuthatch was not impressed.

H2HQ Bird Feeder

Peanuts In The Bird Feeder Disappear

Bird Feeder

Watch as the birds grab and go:

My Bird Feeder

Cardinals On The Snowy Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Enjoy watching the cardinals at the bird feeder while the snow falls:

Cardinals On The Snowy Bird Feeder

Time Lapse Photography Of The Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

I'm having fun with my new time lapse camera.

Bird Feeder Time Lapse

Eagle At Parque Condor

Bird Feeder

Birds at Parque Condor, condor and bird refuge in Otavalo, Ecuador

Eagle watching at Parque Condor

Cardinals Stand Out Against The Fall Leaves

Bird Feeder

It rained a bit here yesterday and I was out with the camera when a flash of red caught my eye.  Yes, it was a male Northern Cardinal sitting in the neighbor’s Lilac bush. 

A Cardinal in the Lilac

Audubon Introduces Birding The Net Contest

Bird Feeder

Birding the Net is a great new contest by the Audubon Society.  Get all the details by clicking the link below

"Be one of the first to spot all the birds and win amazing prizes. If you're among the top 200 birders,you'll also win a complimentary one-year membership to Audubon."

Birding The Net

Make Your Garden Bird-Friendly This Winter

Bird Feeder

Harrow Garden Centre, in Headstone Lane, will start teaching visitors on Saturday, October 15, how to make their gardens bird-friendly in the colder months.

Garden centre to launch fortnight of events around garden birds

Prepare Your Bird Feeders

Bird Feeder

Still, it is not too early to get bird feeders out, cleaned and hung up. In fact, there may be a reason to do so even if feeders should remain empty for a few more weeks. I read somewhere that birds notice when feeders are put up in the fall, even if they don't have seed in them. Apparently birds plan in advance where they are going to eat when food becomes scare. This is something I am not sure I give birds credit for, but if bears can remember where feeders are, why not birds?

Time is now to hang bird feeders -- but don't fill them yet

Residents Make Bird Feeders And Bird Boxes

Bird Feeder

WILDLIFE week at a residential home will benefit its less mobile inhabitants. 
They will be able to watch birds coming and going among the feeders and bird boxes their fellow residents have made. 

Watch the birdies

Iberian Bird App Is Free

Bird Feeder

What a great app. Check it out if you are in that area:

A free app that aims to encourage sustainable tourism in the Important Bird Areas of Spain and Portugal is available for users of Apple’s iPhones and iPads. The app, Iberian Birds, will enable users to find the nearest IBA, based on their geo-location (GPS) data, and learn what birds are to be found there.

Free app puts Iberian IBAs on the map

What Are The Dangers Of Windfarms To Migrating Birds?

Bird Feeder

This article address concerns about the impact of windfarms on migrating birds. Take a look:

As they do every year when autumn approaches, a small group of bird-watchers gathered Tuesday afternoon on Poor Mountain to record the southern migration of hawks, eagles, falcons, ospreys and harriers.

Roanoke County bird-watchers worry about windmills' wake

Bird Watching Panel Discusses The Birds of Rochester

Bird Feeder

This looks like a great event:

Three local bird watchers will detail their part in "The Big Chase: Looking for Birds in Rochester and Beyond" at the event, beginning at 7 p.m.   Bob Mauceli, Randi Minetor and Dominic Sherony will also share personal stories of some of their successful searches for birds, and discuss the people they have encountered on their bird-watching expeditions. 

Bird-watching panel at Pittsford Library

Bird Watching In Los Llanos, Venezuela-Part Two

Bird Feeder

Bird watching Los Llanos del Orinoco Venezuela with Joe Klaiber
These birds are several birds and wildlife we see frequently on our excursions to Los Llanos del Orinoco.

Bird watching Los Llanos del Orinoco Venezuela with Joe Klaiber - Part 2

Bird Watching In Venezuela-Part One

Bird Feeder

Bird watching Los Llanos del Orinoco Venezuela with Joe Klaiber
These birds are several birds and wildlife we see frequently on our excursions to Los Llanos del Orinoco.

Bird watching Los Llanos del Orinoco Venezuela with Joe Klaiber - Part 1

Learn How To Identify A Mockingbird

Bird Feeder

Mockingbirds are a common bird for birdwatchers to spot in North America. Most types are grey, black and white songbirds, noted for their beautiful singing. This video teaches you the proper methods for identifying a mockingbird, as well as distinguishing the different species.

How to spot a mockingbird while bird watching

 

 

Leucistic Hummingbird Photographed

Bird Feeder

Great pictures of a leucistic hummingbird-check out the story:

“I have always wanted to see either an albino or leucistic, and over the years have never had it happen until now,” he said. “My friend Roger Johnson has hummingbird feeders all over his place in Opelika, and always has an eye out for the birds.”

Man photographs rare hummingbird in Opelika

Hummingbird Trapped In Spider Web

Bird Feeder

"I've rescued about four or five hummingbirds," George Stone said, "but I'd never seen one trapped in a web like that before."

"After discovering the bird was still alive, the couple brought the bird inside and attempted to remove and clean off as much of the web as possible. They then fed it a bottle cap-full of a sugar-water mixture, which the bird eagerly lapped up."

ILLINOIS SPOTLIGHT: Carterville couple rescue hummingbird trapped in spider's web

Pileated Woodpecker Visits The Suet Feeder

Bird Feeder

There are some nice pictures of a pileated woodpecker on this post:

 I poked my head outside and had a look and yes, there was an older juvenile Pileated Woodpecker in the old dead Oak next to the suet feeder.  The bird kept up its calling and I looked at the suet feeder.  Sure enough, there was a Grey Squirrel up on the feeder furtively snatching suet as fast as it could.  

The Juvenile Pileated Woodpecker and the Grey Squirrel

Details Of Nest Watchers

Bird Feeder

This article explains why all the nesting details are necessary for following birds as they nest and produce young.:

NestWatchers often question the importance of entering data from individual nest checks. “Do I really have to report what was in the nest every time that I visited?”

The Devil is in the Details

Keep Hummingbird Feeders Up After Labor Day

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I saw a ruby-throated hummingbird 2 days ago in Pennsylvania-they have not all flown south for the winter yet.

You do not need to take your hummingbird feeder in on Labor Day.  It is a myth, an old wives’ tale and completely not true that if you leave your hummingbird feeder outside that you will prevent them from migrating south. 

 Labor Day & Hummingbird Feeders

 

Watching Birds In The South

Bird Feeder

My very favorite coastal bird in South Carolina is the Brown Pelican. They are so majestic, whether they are flying in formation, hanging out on the docks waiting for scraps from the shrimp and fishing boats coming in or fishing on their own. The first time I ever saw a Brown Pelican dive for fish, it scared me to death! 

Read more: http://www.thetandd.com/news/opinion/blogs/day_tripper/article_8ce75fdc-e078-11e0-9758-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1YAaWyqUJ

Birding in The South!

Backyard Habitat

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Even if your outside space is limited to a balcony, you can enjoy the pleasure that comes with creating a certified wildlife habitat.  

Creating a Backyard Habitat

Seeds Can Lure Birds To Your Yard

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The eastern meadowlark and the bobolink, two grassland species seldom seen in Central Jersey, suddenly were being reported in large flocks across the area.“The site went from having almost none of the birds we were looking for to now teeming with the target species,” Troy Ettel, director of conservation and stewardship for the New Jersey Audubon Society, said last month as he recalled the activity on the mailing list.

Sunflower seeds luring back bobolinks, meadowlarks

Build Your Own Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

How to build a wild bird feeder, instructions and pictures, easy to build wood bird feeders. Build your own bird feeders, free bird feeder plans. D-I-Y backyard projects.

How To Build Wood Bird Feeders - DIY Backyard Projects

Training Session For The Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program

Bird Feeder

Bird Studies Canada, through support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is hosting a free one-day workshop to introduce Minnesota and Wisconsin residents to the volunteer-based Marsh Monitoring Program. Due to space limitations anyone planning to attend the workshop are asked to pre-register using this website.

Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program Training Session - Duluth/Superior

Participate In British Columbia Coastal Waterbirds Survey

Bird Feeder

"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."

British Columbia Coastal Waterbirds Survey

Sociable Lapwings In Kazakhstan

Bird Feeder

The study team from ACBK who, with support from RSPB, are conducting breeding research and migration monitoring around Korgalzhyn, in central Kazakhstan, found the record flock of more than 500 birds on August 16th - at Arykty – about 35 km east of their main study site.

Record flock of migrating Sociable Lapwings recorded in Kazakhstan