A cat credit for wind farms?

Red-winged blackbird riding a red-tailed hawk.

Bald eagle foreplay gets out of hand.

Alaska eagle party.

6 year old reinstated as Jr Duck Stamp winner.

Eye-rolling bird watching article [...]]]> The LA Times had a jaw dropping headline: Companies Won’t Face Charges In Condor Deaths…but how accurate is the reporting?

A cat credit for wind farms?

Red-winged blackbird riding a red-tailed hawk.

Bald eagle foreplay gets out of hand.

Alaska eagle party.

6 year old reinstated as Jr Duck Stamp winner.

Eye-rolling bird watching article (at least for me).

Non Birding Bill and I are about to head to Biggest Week in Birding, will we run into you?  We’ll both be there the first weekend and just me the second.  If you see us on the boardwalk, please say “hi.”

CRAZY migration fallout happened in Texas at South Padre [...]]]> So. Much. News.

Non Birding Bill and I are about to head to Biggest Week in Birding, will we run into you?  We’ll both be there the first weekend and just me the second.  If you see us on the boardwalk, please say “hi.”

CRAZY migration fallout happened in Texas at South Padre Island. The above is not a weird shaggy vine on a painted palm tree…those are all chimney swifts.  Here’s another photo. Check out this photo of a hoard of dickcissel and a lone indigo bunting or this one of orioles.

The Jr Duck Stamp was just a mess this year. From the Associated Press having to print a correction to the prize being revoked from the 6 year old.

Dude fights off grizzly bear with his spotting scope.

Cool photo gallery of hummingbird nests. You must look.

Crazy, beautiful red-winged blackbird with some pigment issues.

15 products to prevent birds from hitting windows.

A TED talk on duck homosexual necrophilia. I know, right?

The house where Alfred Hitchcock wrote “The Birds” is up for sale.

Raptor Center is asking for a little extra help this spring after an influx of injured owls that have been admitted.

Holy cow! Thousands of misdirected grebes saved by volunteers in Utah.

We gotta pay more attention to pesticides.

A very bitter blog from Birdist about state birds.

A [...]]]> A California Condor section of sorts.

Raptor Center is asking for a little extra help this spring after an influx of injured owls that have been admitted.

Holy cow! Thousands of misdirected grebes saved by volunteers in Utah.

We gotta pay more attention to pesticides.

A very bitter blog from Birdist about state birds.

A study  by the National Park Service and the US Geological Survey found that feral cats are directly responsible for killing endangered petrels.

Get it now while supplies last: owl skirt!

Playtex is using a hairy woodpecker to advertise “intimate wipes.”

Audubon and Ted Williams: reunited and feels so good.

If you like this video, share it.

Somebody, send this guy to a writing class.

Hey, remember how we talked about Georgia hanging up fake vultures to scare away vulutres…well New Jersey is hanging up real dead vultures.

Ambient traffic noise can kind of emasculate singing male birds. Also, some species change their songs over the years.

Remix your birdsong contest.

Huh, crystals can be formed from [...]]]> Recent bird jobs.

Hey, remember how we talked about Georgia hanging up fake vultures to scare away vulutres…well New Jersey is hanging up real dead vultures.

Ambient traffic noise can kind of emasculate singing male birds. Also, some species change their songs over the years.

Remix your birdsong contest.

Huh, crystals can be formed from birds poop.

The New York Times just doesn’t care about the sage grouse issue because they illustrated their article with this:

The Gunnison sage grouse should be on the endangered species list. Please consider commenting on it to US Fish and Wildlife.

If you haven’t seen this on Facebook, check out the yellow cardinal in Ohio.

The latest in bird photography shaming on YouTube. A guy teases a great gray owl with live bait (he didn’t even give the bird the food–what the heck, jerk wad?)

So…if you want to get rid of vultures…you hang out dead vultures?

Is someone going to try and “de-extinct” the passenger pigeon? (I apologize [...]]]>  

The latest in bird photography shaming on YouTube. A guy teases a great gray owl with live bait (he didn’t even give the bird the food–what the heck, jerk wad?)

So…if you want to get rid of vultures…you hang out dead vultures?

Is someone going to try and “de-extinct” the passenger pigeon? (I apologize for the amount of times the blog author uses the word “hip.” Oy.

What’s up with the whooping crane that was shot in Texas by a hunter?

Hilarious take on Duck Duck Goose.

The grossest cowbird photo series you’ll see this week!

So cool.  Prairie Birder has created her own digiscoping adapter! Swarovski, give her an internship!

NBB has another podcast: Drinking With Geeks!

10 huge discoveries about migration discovered with geolocators.

Somebody in Ohio sees Jesus in bird poop…so of course he’s going to auction it.

Weird looking redpoll in Alaska.

Grouse attack!!

Crow article.

In case we didn’t know this…pesticide over use is REALLY [...]]]>

An internship for someone who is a furry and a bird watcher!

10 huge discoveries about migration discovered with geolocators.

Somebody in Ohio sees Jesus in bird poop…so of course he’s going to auction it.

Weird looking redpoll in Alaska.

Grouse attack!!

Crow article.

In case we didn’t know this…pesticide over use is REALLY bad for birds.

A general owl article that I saw Johh Cusack link to on Twitter.

Eye rollingly bad story about blackbirds roosting in a Kentucky town.

Bird watchers not happy about proposed zip line.

Man who accidentally shot a whooping crane turns himself in.

Did you see the finalists for the worst bird photo contest?

Bird jobs this week.

Need a laugh? Just [...]]]> FYI: the subject of nudity as in “I used to be a nude art model in college” kind of way comes up in this podcast.  Just so you know in case you listen with your kids.

Did you see the finalists for the worst bird photo contest?

Bird jobs this week.

Need a laugh? Just watch this.

62 year old albatross still laying eggs!

In other crazy nesting news, bald eagles laid eggs in the Twin Cities in January and there’s a live cam. In other news, a great horned owl took over an eagle nest that’s on a live cam.

Speaking of great horned owls, a great horned got caught in the grille of someone’s SUV and a red-tailed hawk got caught in someone’s Civic.

Somebody (not me) is claiming to do a nude big year of birding.

Did you know you can see submissions to eBird in real time?

Interesting theory of how starlings monitor each other when in a murmuration.

A good article on why you can’t exactly trust using Google Images to id birds.

Bavarian Blue Tit study.

Montana Bird Technicians.

Hawaii Bird Banding Technicians.

Birds and Beers is in the news!

Hurricane Sandy could continue to have a devastating impact on migratory birds, including the red knot. Also there is a petition to continue the moratorium on harvesting horseshoe crabs.

Listing Rules…at least [...]]]> This week’s crazy bird jobs:

Bavarian Blue Tit study.

Montana Bird Technicians.

Hawaii Bird Banding Technicians.

Birds and Beers is in the news!

Hurricane Sandy could continue to have a devastating impact on migratory birds, including the red knot. Also there is a petition to continue the moratorium on harvesting horseshoe crabs.

Listing Rules…at least from the American Birding Association rule book.

Um…it’s National Bird Feeding Month.

Google Maps inspired bird house.

Brian Williams gets catty.

Whoa, whoa, whoa…I got a press release from the American Bird Conservancy and it was good news.  What the heck is going on.

There’s still time to enter to win my spotting scope!

This week in crazy bird jobs:

Volunteer Field Assistant for the Blue-throated Macaw

Couples encouraged to apply for land [...]]]> Hey!  Did you know that I’m having a contest to give away my Swarovski ATM spotting scope? Yes, you could win, just send me your worst bird photo (but please read all the contest rules first).

This week in crazy bird jobs:

Volunteer Field Assistant for the Blue-throated Macaw

Couples encouraged to apply for land bird surveys!

TOMKAT Ranch field assistant

Reader responds to the new bird job segment about cougars in California and you should check out biobabbler blog post on a cougar in her yard…and her creative defense.

A new comprehensive study about cats effect on wildlife has staggering results.

Another fossil is supposed to make us look at birds differently…don’t all fossils, I mean, c’mon? Oh and here’s a story about scientists figuring out that a fossil was a female bird that was ovulating…maybe that makes me look at scientists differently…

Swamp sparrows are way more aggressive than you may realize. Here’s a video:

It reminds me a lot of the book Birds Fighting.

Polish Bird Job

Klamath Intern

Kittlitz’s Murrelet “job”

Top 10 Birding Taboos…

Speaking of which, the American Birding Association has a whole new listing website called Listing Central!

Man claims to have photographed a red-tailed hawk that ate too much.

Sax Zim Bog in the news!

Some people are weirder [...]]]> Crazy Bird Jobs:

Polish Bird Job

Klamath Intern

Kittlitz’s Murrelet “job”

Top 10 Birding Taboos…

Speaking of which, the American Birding Association has a whole new listing website called Listing Central!

Man claims to have photographed a red-tailed hawk that ate too much.

Sax Zim Bog in the news!

Some people are weirder about birds than I am.

Image from the National Audubon Society Gala…

Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Black Swamp Bird Observatory launched a website to try and connect young birders called Young Birders Network.

Ornithologist forced to participate in reality tv show.

Some gruesome but awesome images of a lanner falcon and chanting goshawk…that does [...]]]> Stuff that happened while Non Birding Bill and I were out of town:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Black Swamp Bird Observatory launched a website to try and connect young birders called Young Birders Network.

Ornithologist forced to participate in reality tv show.

Some gruesome but awesome images of a lanner falcon and chanting goshawk…that does not end well for at least one of a flock of turtle doves.

The American Birding Association announced the 2013 Bird of the Year and Robert Mortensen of Birding is Fun fame made a hilarious video.  This man knows how to commit:

And this video led to this:

And then this:

Sometimes, there are just plain weird projects on Kickstarter and it may be best to quietly navigate away from the page.

The Hitler Hoary Redpoll video…(man, if you’re not a birder, that probably sounds weird).

You can use a pigeon to deliver your mail…but not feel guilty about it!

And you think you have a crappy job…

1. ABA Roger Tory Peterson Award-Promoting the Cause of Birding

2. ABA Chandler Robbins Award-Contributions to Education/Conservation

3. ABA Claudia Wilds Award-Distinguished Service to ABA

4. ABA Robert Ridgway Award-Excellence in Publications in Field Ornithology

5. [...]]]> Hey! You have until December 31, 2012 to get your nominations in for the American Birding Association’s annual awards:

1. ABA Roger Tory Peterson Award-Promoting the Cause of Birding

2. ABA Chandler Robbins Award-Contributions to Education/Conservation

3. ABA Claudia Wilds Award-Distinguished Service to ABA

4. ABA Robert Ridgway Award-Excellence in Publications in Field Ornithology

5. ABA Ludlow Griscom Award-Outstanding Contributions in Regional Ornithology

Get your nominations in now!

Nemesis Bird has a good article for people who may have gotten iPhones or iPads over the holidays and want to know what apps are useful.

This video claims to be ravens playing in snow…but it looks like bathing behavior to me (though weird that they are upside and rolling).

Really cool photo series of all sorts of animals but quite a few birds where you can really see how their camouflage works.

Some birders are dismayed at a habitat restoration project in CA.

Study that involves headphones on finches is a bit controversial for some.

This is noteworthy for the last paragraph.

Golden eagles flying off with children is not true…this is the proof…and this is why.

Non Birding Bill offers a video of a golden eagle rescuing a kid.

However, catfish eating pigeons is totally true.

Researchers are studying [...]]]> This podcast is not brought to you by Goosinator, but we’re gonna talk about it anyway.

Golden eagles flying off with children is not true…this is the proof…and this is why.

Non Birding Bill offers a video of a golden eagle rescuing a kid.

However, catfish eating pigeons is totally true.

Researchers are studying bustard poop. I need to get that gig.

Crazy invasion of north Atlantic seabirds in Florida, what’s up with the razorbills?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you want to rehab birds, get a permit so you want have to go through this.

Cool video of a whip-poor-will trying to defend its nest from a browsing deer:

Also, we can see how people voted about what areas could be included in the ABA listing field.

Study muses that some species of birds use cigarette butts [...]]]> Elders of the Internet, save us all.  The American Birding Association opened up a debate about using taped calls of birds to find them in the field.

Also, we can see how people voted about what areas could be included in the ABA listing field.

Study muses that some species of birds use cigarette butts to deter parasites in the nest.

For the birder who has everything…

For some reason, Non Birding Bill will talk about this sketch from SNL.

Really awesome birding bumper stickers and mugs at BirdNerdz.

There’s a petition to create a “duck stamp” for birders so the money will go to more non game species and not lump birders into hunters on wildlife surveys.

Check out SciStarter. Kind of like Kickstarter but instead of looking for funding, they’re looking for [...]]]>

Really awesome birding bumper stickers and mugs at BirdNerdz.

There’s a petition to create a “duck stamp” for birders so the money will go to more non game species and not lump birders into hunters on wildlife surveys.

Check out SciStarter. Kind of like Kickstarter but instead of looking for funding, they’re looking for people to participate in research projects.  They have a section just on BIRDS!

Hmmmm…energy companies are not in favor of the lesser prairie chicken being put on the Threatened List.  That’s not suspicious at all…

A crane in New Mexico is debatable for some, clearly a sandhill crane for others.

Should birds have an expiration date on your list?  Whatever.

Really gross photo of a bald eagle and a mallard (gross but AWESOME). ‘Merica!

Sam Galick got some amazeballs photos of a northern goshawk taking out a Cooper’s hawk.

Sparrowhawk nails rare wayward cliff [...]]]> Warning…links to potentially gross photos. If you click on a link and are disturbed, I don’t want to know about it.

Really gross photo of a bald eagle and a mallard (gross but AWESOME). ‘Merica!

Sam Galick got some amazeballs photos of a northern goshawk taking out a Cooper’s hawk.

Sparrowhawk nails rare wayward cliff swallow in Sweden.

Birders are gaining in popularity.  Another birder movie might be coming if it gets the rest of its funding on Kickstarter (c’mon, it’s got Fred Willard) and…a birder reality show in the works???

California restaurant owners build restaurants near the sea where there are birds and sea lions…and get upset about the smell.

Kenn Kaufman talks about Hurricane Sandy’s effect of migrant birds.

Woman finds a cormorant with a camera and is now trying to find the owner of the camera.

What the WHAT? 14 surprising turkey facts.

My beat for 10000 Birds on winter [...]]]> City birds adapt in different ways to urban predators than their country counterparts.

Kenn Kaufman talks about Hurricane Sandy’s effect of migrant birds.

Woman finds a cormorant with a camera and is now trying to find the owner of the camera.

What the WHAT? 14 surprising turkey facts.

My beat for 10000 Birds on winter finch feeding.

This is a video for the American Birding Association multimedia contest for their Bird of the Year. Honestly, you can try and enter this, but I’m not sure you can top this video. You can try. But I’m not sure it can be done. I’ve watched it five times already.

Things get heated at [...]]]>

This is a video for the American Birding Association multimedia contest for their Bird of the Year. Honestly, you can try and enter this, but I’m not sure you can top this video. You can try. But I’m not sure it can be done. I’ve watched it five times already.

Things get heated at an election for the Madison Audubon Society…to the point that the election resulted in a court case.

Dude with food poisoning refinds finch that hasn’t been seen in 80 years!

Guy sees over 9000 birds and decides to let the listing go…

A weird form of bird photography...birds in mist nets and if that weirds you out, here are some gorgeous traditional portraits. Hat tip to Bill Todd.

It’s the 2012-2013 Winter Finch Forecast!!

Come to the Focus on Diversity Conference!

The Big Sit is coming up October 13, 2012!

Bird book writing tips.

Cool shot from BadBirdz Migration RADAR.

Where have the birds gone?

Read Tiny Little Love Stories. (not for kids)

Alarmist story about how your bird feeder could be affecting birds.

Car hits a flock of starlings.

Weirdest survey about birders and birding…ever. Warning, it takes awhile.

Are you a member of the American Birding Association? Be sure to cast your vote on whether or [...]]]> Scott’s Wild Bird Food aka Miracle Grow fined $12.5 million in criminal and civil penalties that regulators say are the heftiest ever issued under federal pesticide law.

Weirdest survey about birders and birding…ever. Warning, it takes awhile.

Are you a member of the American Birding Association? Be sure to cast your vote on whether or not to expand the listing area!

Click here to view the embedded video.

12 year old Canadian boy (or should I say Canada Boy) enters the 100 millionth observation to eBird.

Boy hit by bird on a roller coaster.

Birding is Fun personality graph.

So we redid it.

Yes, we are still married.

Things we talked about:

Crazy Pants in [...]]]> OK, so we kind of got in an argument with the last podcast (certainly not the first time and certainly not the last) so we took it down.  We didn’t realize it would still show up in the feeds.

So we redid it.

Yes, we are still married.

Things we talked about:

Crazy Pants in Duluth, MN wants to shoot hawks…cause they’re what’s wrong with the ecosystem.

Like Omar on The Wire, changes to the American Ornithologists Union taxonomy a’ comin’.

You should listen to Joseph Scrimshaw’s Obsessed Podcast. You can also buy his book here.

Pledge to Fledge

What color car attracts the most bird poop?

Turkeys running amok in South Jersey.

Can’t wait til US Fish and Wildlife and ABC’s Cat’s Indoors! Campaign sees this: woman raising baby robin with her cats…I suspect she’s not a licensed wildlife rehabber. (This is a terrible idea, if this bird ever gets released, it will not associate [...]]]> Bird stowaway on a plane goes all the way across the Pacific.

Can’t wait til US Fish and Wildlife and ABC’s Cat’s Indoors! Campaign sees this: woman raising baby robin with her cats…I suspect she’s not a licensed wildlife rehabber. (This is a terrible idea, if this bird ever gets released, it will not associate cats as predators…not all cats are so relaxed with birds, this story will not end well).

Guy taking pictures of eagles manages to get all the numbers on an eagle band and id where the bird came from–cool follow up story.

As if bird names weren’t confusing enough, birders and ornithologists like to argue about whether or not to capitalize bird names.

Oh and for those trying to follow Non Birding Bill’s squirrel/bubonic plague story…um…it was actually either a cat or a mouse that infected the man as he was trying to save a mouse from a stray cat…yeah, I know, it’s weird.  Read the full story here.

An interesting discussion about reporting rare ducks and how some hunters use bird listservs, bird blogs and rare bird hotlines to look for rare ducks to shoot.

Mute swan eggs are being stolen from [...]]]> It’s tough to be a banded bird in the Middle East. A dead bee-eater found in Turkey has been accused of being an Israeli spy.  Apparently this is not the first time. Griffin vultures with satellite packs were detained for similar reasons in Saudi Arabia in the past.

Mute swan eggs are being stolen from nests in an Orlando, FL park.  One man was arrested for one particular theft (he ate a couple of the eggs) but the others remain a mystery.  What baffles me is that mute swans are non native so you can’t prosecute people for stealing the eggs…unless these are “pet swans” owned by the city.

Here’s a short video from Birds and Beans about why you should look for shade-grown coffee.

And this made me laugh (and you will too if you are familiar with this meme):

Bird festivals make it into Dear Abby or How to nail closed your coffin on the bird festival speaking circuit.

Holy cow, the eagle cam drama over at the Minnesota Bound Bald Eagle Cam. One eaglet fell out of the nest, the other got [...]]]> A quick recap of the 2012 Biggest Week In American Birding.

Bird festivals make it into Dear Abby or How to nail closed your coffin on the bird festival speaking circuit.

Holy cow, the eagle cam drama over at the Minnesota Bound Bald Eagle Cam. One eaglet fell out of the nest, the other got tangled in nesting material but no worries, after intervention from The Raptor Center, the chick was rescued, rehabbed and back with its parents.

I have 2 Birds and Beers next week, one in Ohio at the Biggest Week in North American Birding and one in Point Pelee, Canada.

Feral parrots in Australia are swearing…and teaching it to wild birds.

These 2 stories seem like something we could reasonably fix and save millions of birds:

The Washington Office [...]]]>  

I have 2 Birds and Beers next week, one in Ohio at the Biggest Week in North American Birding and one in Point Pelee, Canada.

Feral parrots in Australia are swearing…and teaching it to wild birds.

These 2 stories seem like something we could reasonably fix and save millions of birds:

The Washington Office of the Bureau of Land Management is urging all states to use partnerships and available funds to discover, then cap, fill, or pull pipes that are used for mining claims or other activities to prevent birds from going inside to use them as roosting or nesting holes. The sides are so smooth the bird get stuck and die inside the pipes. Western bird clubs, can you unite to help cap these things?

TV towers kill millions of birds every years, the steady burning lights draw them in and they collide with the guy wires. If we change steady-burning lights on the 4,500 towers greater than 490 feet tall – about six percent of the total – could reduce mortality by about 45 percent and save 2.5 million birds.

2 pilots are on trial for harassing birds by flying to low. Their lawyer argues, “Can birds be harassed?”

Bird Man of Devon fills out with 21,600 Bird Ornaments.

There’s a hilarious story out of east Texas about a guy in a trailer park who found an ivory-billed woodpecker. Two stations covered it with footage they recorded. One got footage of a red-headed [...]]]> Another whooping crane has been shot but this time not in Indiana, this time in South Dakota.  There’s a $10,000 Reward.

There’s a hilarious story out of east Texas about a guy in a trailer park who found an ivory-billed woodpecker. Two stations covered it with footage they recorded. One got footage of a red-headed woodpecker, the other started with a red-headed woodpecker and then got footage of a pileated.

One station tried to hide their footage, the other did a follow up that maybe the bird wasn’t an ivory-bill after all.

Meanwhile, a pair of teenagers found an actual rare bird, an elaenia.  Will we ever find out what species tho?

Non native Mute Swan kills 37 year old man in a kayak in Illinois.

Some weirdo in Indianapolis steals a bird feeder and pole from a dentist office.

Terrifying cartoons about animals.  Birders will be interested in the [...]]]> Bird watchers on a cruise spot stranded fishermen and ignored by the captain of the Star Princess.

Non native Mute Swan kills 37 year old man in a kayak in Illinois.

Some weirdo in Indianapolis steals a bird feeder and pole from a dentist office.

Terrifying cartoons about animals.  Birders will be interested in the shrike.

An article about how much we don’t understand about bird migration…ie we can’t prove that they sense magnetic fields in their beaks.

Listen to WITS [...]]]> Well, my avian survey work may become obsolete. This is an incredible story about counting the emperor penguins in Antarctica via satellite!  Watch a video of it here on ABC.

An article about how much we don’t understand about bird migration…ie we can’t prove that they sense magnetic fields in their beaks.

Listen to WITS on Minnesota Public Radio.

Owl raises chicks in a potted plant.

Endangered species condoms.

Playing taped bird songs compared to drinking wine.

Is tail-pumping a predator defense?

Great Blue Heron nest attacked by owl while on a webcam.

Will the Nuthatch be divided into 4 species?

A [...]]]> NBB will rejoin the ABA if 10 more people renew or join.

Owl raises chicks in a potted plant.

Endangered species condoms.

Playing taped bird songs compared to drinking wine.

Is tail-pumping a predator defense?

Great Blue Heron nest attacked by owl while on a webcam.

Will the Nuthatch be divided into 4 species?

A sandpiper in a gorilla enclosure.

There’s a photo of an octopus eating a gull (Thayer’s?).  The problem is that with [...]]]> On a quick non birding note, if you or someone you know is considering getting a kid a rabbit for Easter, please, don’t.  They are a lot of work and are often surrendered to shelters.  Also, MSNBC noticed Disapproving Rabbits.

There’s a photo of an octopus eating a gull (Thayer’s?).  The problem is that with one photo, some are calling fake.  However, there is a series of photos and for whatever reason the photog isn’t sharing on the Internet.  But when you see the full series, it doesn’t look fake.

Oprah.com selected Julie Zickefoose’s The Bluebird Effect as Oprah’s Book of the Week.  Awesome! You can order it here.

There’s a turkey vulture cam! OMG! It’s new and vultures have been seen there grunting (a mating thing) but you may have to check back a few times as it gets going.

10000 Birds has an interesting bird.  Is it a junco? Is it a hybrid?  Who knows?

Fake Owls Don’t Work

A 22 year old female osprey  returns for nesting season.

There’s a great blue heron cam!

Pelicans growing at an alarming rate!

An ABA post on the agony of bird taxonomy changes. Though and April Fools prank, I’m sure some of the lamentation of listing birders is real.

And finally:

BirdsEyeLog finally came out with their app for iPhone that allows you enter bird sightings in the field. It’s currently only $9.99 but will go up to $14.99 soon, get it [...]]]> Cornell wants you to vote on the names for the male hawk on their live cam. I’d encourage you to write in a name.

BirdsEyeLog finally came out with their app for iPhone that allows you enter bird sightings in the field. It’s currently only $9.99 but will go up to $14.99 soon, get it now. It’s also available for Android.

Are you seeing hummingbirds, the internet thinks it’s up for debate.

Speaking of controversy…The American Birding Association is going all Exlax by starting to some stuff and discussing app and phone etiquette in the field.

There’s a salmonella alert going on in Oregon, an excellent remind to one and all to clean your bird feeders!

Dueling press releases! The Department of the Interior has released new voluntary guidelines for wind farm developers to minimize the chance of killing birds. National Audubon Society says, yay while the American Bird Conservancy says boo.  Can’t we meet in the middle somehow?

It’s that special time of year when male birds fight their reflections. There’s no easy solution to this apart from covering up the offending window (on the outside) for a few days.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a live red-tailed hawk cam, check it out!

Remember the whole Scott’s Wild Bird Food fine? GrrlScientist gives an in depth report and Wild Bird Marketing suggests it might be overblown.  Who to believe?

Bird Proof Gel, Bird X, Bird Off Gel and Tangle Foot type bird repellents are [...]]]>

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a live red-tailed hawk cam, check it out!

Remember the whole Scott’s Wild Bird Food fine? GrrlScientist gives an in depth report and Wild Bird Marketing suggests it might be overblown.  Who to believe?

Bird Proof Gel, Bird X, Bird Off Gel and Tangle Foot type bird repellents are dangerous to native birds.

Experimental nest tubes are supposed to be bluebird and swallow friendly but keep starlings out.

Incredibly mild winter leads to interesting sightings from this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count.  You can read the full newsletter here.

10,000 Birds asks if people actually go birding when drunk…I see a videocast experiment coming.  Perhaps something along the lines of my favorite YouTube Channel: My Drunk Kitchen?

Someone in the New York Daily News was really excited to use the phrase “vomit bird” in a headline.

Community upset about vultures roosting in their neighborhood and running amok.  The reporter calls them turkey vultures but they sure look like black [...]]]> How did we get here to the 100th Podcast? Thank you for listening!

Someone in the New York Daily News was really excited to use the phrase “vomit bird” in a headline.

Community upset about vultures roosting in their neighborhood and running amok.  The reporter calls them turkey vultures but they sure look like black vultures to me.

In other vulture news researchers say vultures are changing the way we should age dead bodies left in the wild.

It was so sweet the way The Monitor wrote up about the awesome webcam at the Sabal Palm Sanctuary…too bad they didn’t link to it.  Don’t worry, I will.  Check it out here (you might see a green jay live). Tho all we’ve seen is at night and it’s full of raccoons:

 Birds are found dead on the University of Central Florida (migrating birds hitting windows).  I almost ignored the story apart from this guy, Adam Hull and what does he have to say about it? “Birds are known to do that. They’re kind of stupid.”  I’m guessing he’s not a biology major…and looks to have a promising career in establishing guidelines for the TSA.

For those with two brain cells to rub together this a good reminder that it’s migration and time for Lights Out.  Learn more at FLAP.

Across the pond, Matthew Gonshaw who specializes in stealing wild bird eggs for his personal (and highly illegal) collection has been banned from visiting Scotland for 10  years.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tries to lay some of the blame on geese for keeping lakes open and snow mobile riders falling into lakes…rather than say, “You know, there were warnings and common sense with [...]]]> A snowy owl found its way into the Jefferson North Assembly Plant on the lower east side of Detroit.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tries to lay some of the blame on geese for keeping lakes open and snow mobile riders falling into lakes…rather than say, “You know, there were warnings and common sense with this year’s weather should have told you to stay off of lakes.”

Shorebirds use their hairy tongues to slurp up tasty, tasty biofilm.

We were guests on someone else’s podcast, Ken Plume’s Bit of Chat…listen at your own risk…I apparently call myself the Han Solo of Birding and I might even rap.  Yeah, I’m apologizing now.

What? A guy shoots a bald [...]]]> It’s the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend.  Please count some birds in your backyard.  Please.

We were guests on someone else’s podcast, Ken Plume’s Bit of Chat…listen at your own risk…I apparently call myself the Han Solo of Birding and I might even rap.  Yeah, I’m apologizing now.

What? A guy shoots a bald eagle and gets jail time!

Kidnapped birders still missing in the Philippines.

Mallard helps another mallard trapped in six pack holder…was it an accident or was he making the move on her?

Note: sorry about the mix-up. The podcast is active now.

I blogged earlier that there’s an interesting trend this winter of birders taking photos and videos of people ignoring signgs and getting way too close to snowy owls this winter [...]]]> Warning, this podcast has a joke that’s a little blue.  If you listen with kids you may have to explain some metaphors/similes of human anatomy. 

I blogged earlier that there’s an interesting trend this winter of birders taking photos and videos of people ignoring signgs and getting way too close to snowy owls this winter and posting them online.  Is this the best way to police ourselves?

Speaking of getting too close too close to snowy owls, NA Birding has an AMAZEBALLS blog post about a peregrine falcon and snowy owl encounter. If you do nothing else today, go to that blog, read it and be wowed by the great photos.  One of the photos is begging to be part of the meme Come At Me, Bro.

And since we’re showing photos, here’s one everyone sent me last week:

Oh and for those who wondered what happened to the Hey Girl I made for American Birding Association president, it was taken down for being to racy so I’ll post it here.

And finally, The Birdest doesn’t want any of these emails to show up on his birding listserve…because it’s too hard to hit a delete key.

Dan Meisenzahl told Civil Beat, “USDA officials “really are the unsung heros. Nobody hears about those guys until something like this happens. It’s [...]]]> I’ve heard this story in rumor but here’s an official report: The first Snowy Owl recorded in ever in Hawaii was shot at the Honolulu Airport by a USDA official.  From the article:

Dan Meisenzahl told Civil Beat, “USDA officials “really are the unsung heros. Nobody hears about those guys until something like this happens. It’s just a real shame. They do an outstanding job and unfortunately they were put in a position where there were no easy answers. I can’t tell you with what a heavy heart this happened.”

Apparently, using Google for info on how to deal with snowy owls was too much of an effort for the USDA to go through.

In other news, we’ve had a snowy owl hanging out at the Minnesota Twins stadium and remarkably…no one has shot it yet.  It’s a pretty cool video staff got from the various cams around the stadium.

If you are interested in owls that are not snowy owls…there are great horned owls in New York! OMG!

In non owl news the Whooping Cranes have had a rough migration and will finish it via truck rather than ultra light.

Goshawks are being studied for unmanned aerial vehicles.  I love me some accipiters but they do have a tendency to fly into windows…

Audubon is the most expensive field guide ever?  Speaking of field guides, David Sibley now has an official Facebook Page.

A really cool photo of snowy owls…is it doctored? Or is [...]]]>

Goshawks are being studied for unmanned aerial vehicles.  I love me some accipiters but they do have a tendency to fly into windows…

Audubon is the most expensive field guide ever?  Speaking of field guides, David Sibley now has an official Facebook Page.

A really cool photo of snowy owls…is it doctored? Or is that a full on parliament of owls?

Oh BBC you give us David Attenborough, Bill Oddie and…this guy?  Really BBC?  A new age philosopher and jazz musician on why birds sing?  The upside is the oh so awesome Don Kroodsma giving our artistic dude a scientific smack down.  Man, our sensitive new age guy is sure adding a new argument to the whole playing taped calls around birds debate. If you can make it longer than 2 minutes in without throwing up a little bit in your mouth…you’re a stronger person than me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UN0-Z_OzfbA

First up, James Currie the host of Birding Adventures got a show on National Geographic. Rather than playing it safe, he went with falconry for a topic.  I admire his balls on this and as someone who enjoys falconry (and went just this past Tuesday) I applaud him.  You [...]]]> You were warned by the title.

First up, James Currie the host of Birding Adventures got a show on National Geographic. Rather than playing it safe, he went with falconry for a topic.  I admire his balls on this and as someone who enjoys falconry (and went just this past Tuesday) I applaud him.  You should check it out, falconry is generally misunderstood in the birding community and it’s a wonderful way to learn raptor id (if a falconer ever invites you out, say yes).  You can get a taste of Mr. Currie below…is he the hottest birding tv host we’ve ever seen: discuss!

Aerial Assassins premieres Friday, January 20th at 10pm EST. It will re-air Saturday, January 21st at 1am EST and Friday, January 27th at 3pm EST

Now for the hilarity:

A piece of advice.  If you have an iPhone…maybe don’t use it to send your birding report to your local birding listserv as some poor woman learned with a roadrunner report to Colorado’s list.

Crows start more stuff than Exlaxx.

Bird Watching Magazine (the UK version not the formerly named Birder’s World) is offering a contest for a luxury birding trip to Scotland…can one have luxury and Scotland at the same time?

Busch Garden’s has a new animal care facility.  Watch a flamingo get laser surgery!

Canopy Tower is having a last minute special for February, it’s well worth it if you are looking for a mid winter break.  I’ve been there and if I didn’t have other plans for New York, I’d be going.

Psst, Alexis Madrigal, yes science can. Here’s the video:

“The FAA has granted an exemption to Operation Migration that will allow pilots to continue to aid the whooping crane migration. Normally, the FAA limits light sport aircraft and pilots to personal flights [...]]]> I saw on Facebook today that the FAA has decided to allow the Operation Migration Whooping Cranes to continue their southward migration:

“The FAA has granted an exemption to Operation Migration that will allow pilots to continue to aid the whooping crane migration. Normally, the FAA limits light sport aircraft and pilots to personal flights without compensation. Because the operation is in “mid-migration,” the FAA is granting a one-time exemption so the migration can be completed. The FAA will work with Operation Migration to develop a more comprehensive, long-term solution.”

Bird Watching has more here.

A Falcated Teal in California is making the news–even in the Huffington Post!

Puffin found wandering the streets of Montreal is sent back to the wild.  That poor bird is way off course from the Grand Banks to Montreal!

What kind of jobs can I expect as an ornithologist?

Some of NBB’s friends created this fan version of The Hobbit trailer:

We talked about the minor birdmaggedon in the last podcast and how local police tried to put a ban on fireworks.  Turns out someone may have been trying to intentionally kill them.  Jerks.

Another whooping crane has been shot in Indiana.  It is as though the state government is working [...]]]> The news EXPLODED this week!

We talked about the minor birdmaggedon in the last podcast and how local police tried to put a ban on fireworks.  Turns out someone may have been trying to intentionally kill them.  Jerks.

Another whooping crane has been shot in Indiana.  It is as though the state government is working really hard to say that they don’t want birders to ever visit. At all.

Speaking of whooping cranes, something fishy is up with Operation Migration.  They’ve been grounded for several days because a former pilot filed a complaint with the FAA. Is this a legit concern about birds or someone who has sour grapes with an organization he no longer works with?  It seems unlikely that the whooping cranes will complete their migration this year.

I mentioned this before but now it’s getting some serious attention in the bird world.  US Fish and Wildlife is offering a “take permit” for eagles.

How do tiger sharks end up with songbirds in their stomachs? Because migrating birds get distracted by oil rig lights, fly around them, get exhausted and fall in the water.

Also, we started the podcast with different music.  How awesome are our friends?  They do things like translate the Flintstone’s Theme into Yiddish and then sing it…and put it on YouTube:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Really cool snowy owl video from Cornell:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A black-capped chickadee banded in Minnesota is the oldest on record…by four months.

Pigeons (aka flying rats) can do math and are smart like monkeys.

That wacky North Korean media [...]]]> OMG, we can all finally relax, someone claims to have solved the mystery behind The Birds (the Hitchcock movie and the Daphne du Maurier story).

A black-capped chickadee banded in Minnesota is the oldest on record…by four months.

Pigeons (aka flying rats) can do math and are smart like monkeys.

That wacky North Korean media claims that roosting magpies are really hanging out to mourn the death of Kim Jong-il.

Apps mentioned in the [...]]]> This podcast is mostly NBB and I talking about birding apps and NBB giving advice on what to do first if you get a Droid or iPhone for Christmas.  These are apps that tickle my fancy, if you would like to add your favorite and why, feel free to do so.

Apps mentioned in the podcast:

Sibley App

BirdsEye bird finding app

Audubon Guides apps

iBird apps

I didn’t mention it in the podcast, but there’s a company called Bird Guides that has some excellent European birding guides too.  The have a Birds of Brazil and I’m hoping they’ll be adding other countries.  How awesome to not have to pack a giant field guide when traveling abroad.

An article [...]]]> Thousands of eared grebes crash landed in Utah winding up on football fields, a Walmart parking lot and highways in Utah.  At least 3000 live grebes were collected but a low estimate of 1500 grebes died on impact.  You can listen to Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Kevin McGowen talk about it on NPR.

An article about song sparrows and how taped predator calls affect them.  An interesting article, but how often is a bird like a song sparrow going to be exposed to predator calls 24 hours a day, four days in a row by birders?

A huge discussion was started on the American Birding Association’s group page about birders and why the uniform appears to be ill fitting khaki pants, vests and floppy hats.  Why is this our uniform?  Why the vest?

Remember the mystery hummingbird in Chicago (they one they tried to ID based on poop)? Well, they got a feather and they now know exactly what species it is based on DNA testing.  Find out the id here (or listen to the podcast).

A hooded crane has been reported in Tennessee.  Now the question is if this bird is truly a vagrant from another country or an escapee from a private collection.

Has 2011 been the year of the bird penis? I feel like it’s been in the news a lot…at least with ducks.  This time, it’s about how ostrich penises reveal that the evolution of a lymphatic erection mechanism likely occurred in the ancestor of all birds rather than within birds.

Have you [...]]]> This week’s news!

Has 2011 been the year of the bird penis? I feel like it’s been in the news a lot…at least with ducks.  This time, it’s about how ostrich penises reveal that the evolution of a lymphatic erection mechanism likely occurred in the ancestor of all birds rather than within birds.

Have you heard of Birds Be Safe before? It’s a collar for people who insist on letting their cats roam outdoors and is supposed to reduce the invasive species ability to kill native birds.  Does it actually work or is it just feline humiliation?

Remember the mystery hummingbird in Chicago? They tried to id it based on poop but that failed, but don’t worry they have a feather!

An uber rare bird called a red-flanked was found…and then eaten by a shrike.

Wondering how to find a snowy owl near [...]]]> Snowy owls are in the news!  They are everywhere.  Here’s a link to my Google News with “snowy owl” typed in!  Some of the most interesting stories:  over 100 snowies are reported to be in Wisconsin! And of course the obligatory “a snowy owl killed my dog.”

Wondering how to find a snowy owl near you?  Try typing in your state’s name and the words “bird listserv” to see if there are reports in your area or check out the handy dandy map that eBird has set up based on user reports.

Check in with us on Wednesday…we’re going to have a really cool bird contest courtesy of Larkwire!

Also, have you ever considered signing up for a Christmas Bird Count?  If not you should, find one near you!

A proposed bird feeding ban in a development community shows a terrible lack of science education.

From Craig we get this story:

Owls accused of eating pets in New Mexico.

Sometimes artists just hurt my head.

10000 Birds brings up the pipe dream of having a non hunting duck stamp.

Starbucks is discontinuing it’s shade-grown coffee line.  If you don’t have a place that sells shade-grown coffee near you, I like to order the [...]]]> Red Rock Audubon wants you to help remove mining claim pipes in Nevada–this really does help birds!

10000 Birds brings up the pipe dream of having a non hunting duck stamp.

Starbucks is discontinuing it’s shade-grown coffee line.  If you don’t have a place that sells shade-grown coffee near you, I like to order the Chestnut-sided Warbler blend from Birds and Beans.

The American Birding Association wants YOU to contribute to Wikipedia.

Laughing gull tries to steal food from a great egret.

I haven’t read the story but the headline involves the words “hawk” and “escalator” and it can only be a Cooper’s hawk.

Burly Bird is unleashing some cool new stickers.  Check them out and if you want one…you know what to do.

Really cool video of starlings wheeling and spinning.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sometimes even super common birds unleash their awesomeness.  Here’s another video from @sfraster [...]]]> Warning.  This podcast gets a bit BLUE at the end.  If you listen to this with kids or at work…may not be the best one for you.

Really cool video of starlings wheeling and spinning.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sometimes even super common birds unleash their awesomeness.  Here’s another video from @sfraster

My buddy Amber has an an op-ed piece in the Star Tribune about using lead alternatives when deer hunting.

Red-tailed hawk with the nail through it’s face has been released–yay!

The duets of long-tailed wrens in Ecuador.  Be sure to watch the video with the article.

There’s now a Kickstarter site for people doing science projects called Rocket Hub…and of course there’s a research project on duck penises that needs funding.

Birding the Net, the Audubon-sponsored campaign that has thousands of people scouring the Internet for birds, is benefitting from the largesse of more than 100 websites — including AOL, Slate, and Discovery Channel — that have donated a combined $700,000 [...]]]> Texas couple ignore warnings to evacuate their home during wildfires and feed hundreds of hummingbirds.

Birding the Net, the Audubon-sponsored campaign that has thousands of people scouring the Internet for birds, is benefitting from the largesse of more than 100 websites — including AOL, Slate, and Discovery Channel — that have donated a combined $700,000 in prime ad space for the imaginative and engaging project.

500 birds died at West Virgina wind farm.  Jim McCormac says they were mostly blackpoll warblers.

Fascinating story from Audubon about a wood thrush banded in Nicaragua that was found dead in Pennsylvania.

There’s a new book coming Pale Male and the Infertile Girl…

Do birds have grammatical structure?

Oh, Pine Tree Farms, what were you thinking when coming up with product names? Nutsie? Log Jammers?  Oy.

Prizes to be given away in this podcast:

Backyard Birding

And the Hummer Swing.

Also, check out this article on Birding While Black–Does It Really Matter? He was part of [...]]]> Two VERY interesting articles on my list this week.  One from the American Birding Association’s publication called Winging It.  Go to the Winging It page and click on Vol 23, no. 5 and look for Birding With A Conscience.

Also, check out this article on Birding While Black–Does It Really Matter? He was part of the Focus on Diversity birding conference.  You can watch some of the speakers here.

Fidelity Exploration & Production Co., of Denver agreed to plead guilty and pay a $1,500 fine for killing a solitary sandpiper that was found in a waste pit during drilling operations in western North Dakota.

When I was in North Dakota this past June with fellow bird bloggers we saw the above oiled duck (I think it’s an oiled pintail).  I’m now wondering if was oiled in similar circumstances and wish we’d documented it better.  It was far away on private property and mobile enough to get away from us.  There was no safe way to retrieve it, but wish I documented it better.

Human encroachment on the Tundra (like oil refineries) are creating an imbalance in the predator/prey balance.

From Nature Canada, Birds at Risk: The Importance of Canada’s Boreal Wetlands and Waterways:  “The North American boreal forest supports more than 50 percent of the global populations of 96 bird species, including landbirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds.10 The boreal is critical to the majority of iconic species such as the Common Loon, Whooping Crane, Canada Warbler, and White-throated Sparrow.”

And if you don’t understand why the tar sands are a bad idea, take a look at this before and after photo of what happens to the area when they go in for the oil.  This is terrible land stewardship, short-sighted and a terrible option.

And now a really cleansing link:

Really awesome homemade kestrel Halloween costume.

I got an iPhone 4S with HD camera and video.  I’m testing out ways to use it for digiscoping with my Swarovski Scope and DCA adaptor.  I’m pretty impressed with the initial results.  Will this cause me to give up my SLR?

App I’m playing with this week: BirdBeat–kind of a field sketch book.  [...]]]>

I got an iPhone 4S with HD camera and video.  I’m testing out ways to use it for digiscoping with my Swarovski Scope and DCA adaptor.  I’m pretty impressed with the initial results.  Will this cause me to give up my SLR?

App I’m playing with this week: BirdBeat–kind of a field sketch book.  Might be ideal for kids who would like to learn more about looking for field marks on birds.  Also, it’s an alternative to someone who doesn’t have the ability to digiscope.

Knitters around the world answers the request to knit jumpers for oil soaked penguins.

Red-tailed hawk with a nail through its face has been captured and is in recovery.

With the rising cost of sunflower seed we are seeing some interesting alternative mixes for birds show up on the market.

Project FeederWatch is about to start in November, have you signed up?

Articles on bird tourism money in both Florida and Texas.

Julie Zickefoose is awesome and if you haven’t read her before, start now!

We’ll return to our normal (?) podcast format with the next one.

Audubon has unleashed a birdwatching game on the Internet called Birding The Net.

Ornithologist claims to have developed an app called WeBird which will allow you to record bird song with a smart phone and id them for you.  I am dubious.

Teen [...]]]> There was a movie about birds…not sure if you heard about it…

Audubon has unleashed a birdwatching game on the Internet called Birding The Net.

Ornithologist claims to have developed an app called WeBird which will allow you to record bird song with a smart phone and id them for you.  I am dubious.

Teen kill whooping crane.

Awesome series of photos of a gull eating a starfish (warning…this does not end well for the starfish).

Article about the high cost of bird feeding.

Why were these birds on Project Runway?

There’s a rare original copy of Audubon’s Birds of America on display at Trinity College in Connecticut.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology is [...]]]> Birds and Beers: Midnight Screening of The Big Year (Facebook Event) on Friday! You can also get the info on The Birdchick Birds and Beers Page.

Why were these birds on Project Runway?

There’s a rare original copy of Audubon’s Birds of America on display at Trinity College in Connecticut.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology is having a “Close Encounters of the Bird Kind” contest.

Wild Turkey chases a TV reporter. What more do you need to know?

Will bird poop ruin your car’s paint job?

Famer who destroyed thousands of protected pelican eggs claims he “just snapped.”

Guys who make bird repellents say they can cut down on bird deaths.  Both Flock Buster (here’s the ingredients) and Bird [...]]]> Immature bald eagle causes some serious shenanigans at Santa Barbara Zoo.  On a side note, Karen pointed me towards another wild eagle that got flirty with a captive eagle at the Orange County Zoo.

Guys who make bird repellents say they can cut down on bird deaths.  Both Flock Buster (here’s the ingredients) and Bird Bright ultraviolet paint say they can help.

Steve Dale from Cat Channel tries to extend an olive branch to birders over the whole feral cat issue…all while still getting in a good poke at bird advocates.

Birding is Fun is now a multi-author blog!

I’m very confused.  I love stuff from Princeton University Press, but illustrated field checklists confuse me.  This book is an illustrated checklist of the Birds of North America and Greenland by Norman Arlott.

It looks like a field guide…but it’s not.  I like the illustrations but I don’t understand it as a checklist. But if you’re looking for a book with all the birds in North American (and Greenland) you’ll find this book handy.  Although, if it’s a checklist, where are the boxes to check?

Blake Richard Riede was a complete idiot and released several permanently injured birds of prey from their enclosures in Florida.  Species released from Boyd Hill Nature Trail Park include red-shouldered hawk, bald eagle [...]]]> This is an old story (about a year ago) but there are photos of some jerk trying to smuggle hummingbirds in his underwear.

Blake Richard Riede was a complete idiot and released several permanently injured birds of prey from their enclosures in Florida.  Species released from Boyd Hill Nature Trail Park include red-shouldered hawk, bald eagle and turkey vultures. All but one of the injured birds (a red-shouldered hawk) have been recovered.  You can TRY to watch the YouTube video that incriminated him but it’s really long.  You don’t see shenanigans happen until at least 10 minutes in and it’s totally worse at 30 minutes in.

Ned Brinkley sent an awesome letter on behalf of the tagged whimbrels who were legally shot in Guadeloupe about the importance of these birds to the rest of the world. Maybe Ned’s letter (along with several others) will be  step in the right direction to get to set hunting limits during migration.  Go Ned and go ABA!

Praying mantis kills another hummingbird.  It has happened before.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Excellent clip from the Big Year movie–opens October 14!!

Operation Migration has a web cam that live streams flight training for young whooping cranes.  Check it out (in daylight hours).

NPR wants to tell us about a bird we’ve never heard of…though many birders have–the bar-tailed [...]]]> It’s the special news report everyone is waiting for–The Winter Finch Forecast!  Will you see finches this winter?

Operation Migration has a web cam that live streams flight training for young whooping cranes.  Check it out (in daylight hours).

NPR wants to tell us about a bird we’ve never heard of…though many birders have–the bar-tailed godwit.  It’s a good story about migration and be sure to check out the matching cartoon.

3 words: Bald Baby Penguin.  Below is the before and after:

Full story here.

Want to run away from life this winter?  Check out this opportunity! For more bird jobs, go here.

JAMAICAN FIELD ASSISTANTS (6) Not looking forward to cold weather, 6 hours of light, and watching the bird feeder? We have the answer. Be a field assistant on research studying American Redstarts in Jamaica. Project begins approximately January 10th and continues until mid-April (~1-2 positions) to mid-May (~4-5 positions). Assistants can expect long hours in the field, six days per week, walking in mangrove forests inhabited by crocodiles and maneuvering through dense second growth scrub. Being flexible with working conditions, schedule, and living situation is absolutely key to success at this position. Competitive applicants will be very self-motivated, have the ability to re-sight and follow small (6g) color-banded birds, and extract songbirds quickly and safely from mist nets. Experience collecting foraging behavioral data on small songbirds and banding and bleeding experience are all preferred, but not required. This is an all-expenses paid volunteer position (i.e. no salary, but travel to and from Jamaica as well as home-cooked Jamaican food and comfortable sea-side lodging are provided). Send an email with the subject “Jamaican Field Assistant”, a cover letter, CV, and contact info for 3 references to NATHAN COOPER (EM: nathanwands AT hotmail.com).

Bald eagle rehabbed by The Raptor Center was banded and the band was recovered, giving a clue as to how birds fare post wildlife rehab.

Bald eagle that was injured and is now used for public programs flies into a window at a football stadium causing public outcry from animal [...]]]> Interesting…do satellite transmitters harm birds?

Bald eagle rehabbed by The Raptor Center was banded and the band was recovered, giving a clue as to how birds fare post wildlife rehab.

Bald eagle that was injured and is now used for public programs flies into a window at a football stadium causing public outcry from animal rights groups and highlights how dangerous windows are.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Meanwhile San Fransisco approves guidelines for new construction to include bird friendly.

Terre Haute, Indiana has a Crow Committee.

Ducks Unlimited is asking hunters to purchase 2 Duck Stamps this year.  Will birders purchase 1?

Feathers in amber.

Minnesota man named Craig Staloch accused of destroying 75% of pelicans nests that were on land he was leasing for farming.

News that [...]]]> Kind of a bummer for migration.  Whimbrels–are really awesome type of shorebird have been fitted with satellite transmitters.  One even went through Hurricane Irene.  Alas, 2 of them have been legally shot, story here and here.  It’s legal on this island to shoot shorebirds, they are not part of the Migratory Bird Treaty.

News that record numbers of birds of prey poisoned in Scotland.

Birds that were pets and released in their native Australia are teaching their wild counterparts human words.

Download the podcast theme song, “The Cinnamon Funk.”

Go check out the Sunbathing Birds gallery at Bird Watching Magazine–the titmouse looks disturbing!

In really nice news, fewer migrating birds were trapped in the 911 Tribute of Lights.  [...]]]> The “Happy Feet” penguin that swam up onto the New Zealand shore starving, underwent some wildlife rehab and was released with a satellite transmitter has disappeared.

Go check out the Sunbathing Birds gallery at Bird Watching Magazine–the titmouse looks disturbing!

In really nice news, fewer migrating birds were trapped in the 911 Tribute of Lights.  Unlike last year when at least 10,000 migrating birds became trapped in the lights.

Wind tunnels reveals how birds stay hydrated during migration.  I’m so relieved I don’t have to migrate.

Several common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest are sporting satellite transmitters in order for researchers to study the migration through the Great Lakes toward their southern winter homes. By using satellite tracking devices implanted in the loons from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Michigan Upper Peninsula, USGS scientists expect to learn information about avian botulism essential for managers to develop loon conservation strategies.

From the American Birding Association Blog: Crazy female burrowing owl does 2 broods–1100 miles apart!

Oklahoma should really look at the lesser prairie-chicken as an economic opportunity, not an economic bust.  There’s a lesser prairie-chicken festival–Leks, Treks and More!

It’s hawk migration time–find a Hawk Count near you!

Big Year news, we have a Trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And Audubon Magazine has an article with all 3 stars.  Steve Martin assures us they are respectful to birders…

Crows tested with snakes and teddy bears.

If you are remotely interested in whether or not birds have fingers or [...]]]>  

Big Year news, we have a Trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And Audubon Magazine has an article with all 3 stars.  Steve Martin assures us they are respectful to birders…

Crows tested with snakes and teddy bears.

If you are remotely interested in whether or not birds have fingers or thumbs, you’ll love this article.

Manx Shearwater crisis in Pembrokeshire.

Frigatebirds make headlines on CNN.

Here’s an article about Sandy Komito, this is the [...]]]> Another great reason to buy a Duck Stamp:  Bird Watcher Supply, Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company and Dawsonville Wild Birds Unlimited have agreed to offer a 10% discount to their customers who display the current duck stamp. Promotion continues through the end of December, 2011.

Here’s an article about Sandy Komito, this is the guy who is portrayed by Owen Wilson in The Big Year Movie. Also, Mark Obmascik is now on Twitter and posted this photo for a new book cover (above), could this be a movie poster preview?For those interested, here’s a blog post from when I spoke with a man who sat through an early preview several months ago.

Minnesota man charged with excessive bird feeding gets probation.

Record flock of sociable lapwings reported!

Birdspot has a shop up temporarily–includes harlot shirts!

Hurricane Irene Bird News:

Bird migrates through Hurricane Irene (must read).

New York Time article on birders birding post hurricane.

Zen Birdfeeder writes about the birds in her yard during Tropical Storm Irene.

eBird’s breakdown of Hurricane Irene’s birds.

Interesting RADAR image from Saturday night of bird migration and [...]]]> Reader feedback from Kevin Collison: “You frequently mention birding groups efforts to attract more birders (members). I have one, tell them to stop being so hard on hunters. Most hunters, like myself, have a love for nature too. I love hunting, birding, and nature photography.”

Interesting RADAR image from Saturday night of bird migration and Hurricane Irene:

Birders are excited about hurricane birds and all kinds of terns and even a tropic bird have been reported.

A wayward red-tailed hawk got caught in a New York City apartment building and the rescue team tried to lure it out with bread.  Really, guys, bread?  Thanks for the news, Space Doggity.

A specimen collected in the 1960s proves to be an undocumented (and world’s smallest) shearwater. It hasn’t been seen since, is it extinct or hidden among other shearwaters?  Here’s a photo of the Bryan’s shearwater specimen.

In less depressing news, there’s a common murre nest on the Channel Islands that hatched chicks for the first time in 100 years!  Yay!  See sometimes conservation efforts CAN work.

A contest for musician/bird look alikes.

Careful what swift saliva you’re eating in birds [...]]]> Brits at a pub were apparently eat crow (of sorts).  A Rook Salad is now off the menu.  Here’s a followup story on what exactly you are allowed to eat wild bird wise in the UK.  Man, I thought the Migratory Bird Treaty was hard to explain.

Careful what swift saliva you’re eating in birds nest soup.

Kellogg you’re really making me not want to eat Froot Loops (and that’s hard to do).  Kellogg goes after a non profit the Maya Archaeology Initiative an educational group in Guatemala for infringing on Toucan Sam.  Here are the 2 logos side by side.  Kellogg is being a jerk:

Maya Archaeology Institute appears to be using a Toco Toucan (which isn’t native to Guatemala) and I suspect Kellogg’s Toucan Sam is unidentifiable but shows characteristics of Keel-billed Toucan and Blue Plate Mountain Toucan.

Help Cornell Lab’s version of HAL called Merlin learn how people see color on birds when trying to id them.

This guy needs to try and take a rose-breasted grosbeak out of a mist net–how hard do birds bite?

Man arrested for feeding birds near Bob Hope Airport.

Job opportunity for anyone who desires getting in to the suet industry.

More buzz is coming out about Big Year, this [...]]]> A penguin that was found WAY off course in New Zealand is getting a lift back towards its flock.  Here’s a counter point to the story. Someone posted it on the Birdchick Facebook wall and I think didn’t get the reaction from me he was expecting.

More buzz is coming out about Big Year, this movie writer is not sure birdwatching can be funny.  Meanwhile, it looks like Fox has finally made their official movie page live.

An article about ptarmigan and how being faster makes you better at mating…glad I’m not married to a ptarmigan.

Popular Internet photos this week: Bald Blue Jay and albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Book I’m loving this week is Avian Architecture

A study about bird brains and Communism…what won’t researchers study?

Harlot-gate, making female birders uncomfortable?

25 Things That Changed Birding Recently.

Bread Amnesty–Park in the UK trying a campaign to get people to feed “healthier” food to waterfowl.

Minnesota man in trouble over bird feeding set up.

Podcast prize is AWESOME dvd by Michael Male and Judy Fieth called Watching Sparrows.  A must for anyone ready to dip their toes in the dizzying world of brown birds.  The sound quality is rich and fun to have on in the background of your work day.

This story makes me SO angry.  Doofus [...]]]>  

Podcast prize is AWESOME dvd by Michael Male and Judy Fieth called Watching Sparrows.  A must for anyone ready to dip their toes in the dizzying world of brown birds.  The sound quality is rich and fun to have on in the background of your work day.

This story makes me SO angry.  Doofus US Fish and Wildlife Employee (just this one, not all of them as a whole) fined a family for saving a woodpecker from a cat.  Bonehead move. US Fish and Wildlife issued statements over the incident.

Lessons learned from THIS podcast.  Thanks, Walton County Almanac!

Craig from Worcester and Malvern Local RSPB wants to know: Which in your opinion would be the best to join out of ABA, ABC or Audubon (or any other like Cornell Lab) I am interested in American birds and occasionally get the chance to see some in Michigan when I visit my relatives or holidays in Florida. In the UK he’s a member of BTO, RSPB and Birdlife.

Why does this birding only have two campers? Because of old ideas in attracting teenagers.

Flirty birds have a shorter lifespan?

Some birds like big bills and they cannot lie.

Pitcher Plant captures a great tit.

“After catching up on some pod casts, I thought I would let you know that USPS.com now has the 2011-2012 Duck Stamp showing as a choice.  After some frustrating search attempts I find the search term White – Fronted narrows the results from over 90 to 6.  I expect my stamp [...]]]> Laura Sexson writes us:

“After catching up on some pod casts, I thought I would let you know that USPS.com now has the 2011-2012 Duck Stamp showing as a choice.  After some frustrating search attempts I find the search term White – Fronted narrows the results from over 90 to 6.  I expect my stamp in the mail soon.”

Atlantic puffins are hatched a bit more independently than other species.

Non Birding Bill has a show in the MN Fringe Festival!  Come see it, opens this Friday: Macbeth the Video Game Remix!

I don’t know what the World Birding and Nature Center at South Padre Island has going on here, but this article doesn’t paint them in a favorable light.  Something is up and dispute between the county, the city and the nature center and the boardwalk may be chained or unchained when you visit.

The picture in this article about Jamaica Bay reminds me of Selleck Waterfall Sandwich.

Move over Archaeopteryx…

…this crazy looking hippie blue jay called Xiaotingia zhengi says that you may not be a bird after all!

Scientists claim they have figured out a way to force squirrels to hibernate.

The American Birding Association now has clothing you can purchase.

Um…LowerPro gives [...]]]> Robotic gull is cool and a bunch of people at TED think it’s cool because it brings in birds…alas, the birds are mobbing it as if it were a predator.

Scientists claim they have figured out a way to force squirrels to hibernate.

The American Birding Association now has clothing you can purchase.

Um…LowerPro gives this to birders:

If your field guides stays open for more than four hours, you may want to call a doctor…

What the heck is this bird?

Study concludes that green-rumped parrotlets name their chicks (insert dramatic chipmunk).

Remember those wildfires in Arizona?  Early estimates indicate that 80% of [...]]]> David Sibley shares some ideas for dealing with birds flying into your windows over at Birdwatching Magazine.  I particularly like the idea of using monofilament fishing line on the outside of the windows.

Study concludes that green-rumped parrotlets name their chicks (insert dramatic chipmunk).

Remember those wildfires in Arizona?  Early estimates indicate that 80% of nesting sites for hummingbirds were lost and important fueling areas for migrating hummers is gone and KAYTEE is putting together emergency kits for hummingbirds!

Whooping cranes with satellite transmitters show that the birds are stopping in dangerous oil lands areas.

Interesting development and information regarding the sustainability of a sandhill crane hunt in Kentucky over at Vicki Henderson’s blog.

Bird coloration guide?  Would you purchase a guide to bird color descriptions to help you describe and id birds?

What Non Birding Bill made me for breakfast.

Mouth to beak resuscitation.

Woman falls to her death while hanging a bird feeder.

Residents asked stop feeding birds so trees can be cut down…Oh Caltrans…please hire a wildlife biologist.

Cool event: Changing Face of American Birding 

Note: we [...]]]> Why you should be careful when rescuing wildlife, man looses an eye while rescuing a gannet.

Mouth to beak resuscitation.

Woman falls to her death while hanging a bird feeder.

Residents asked stop feeding birds so trees can be cut down…Oh Caltrans…please hire a wildlife biologist.

Cool event: Changing Face of American Birding 

Note: we mistakenly refer to this as podcast #47 while recording. It’s not. It’s #48.

If an animal takes a photo with your camera…who owns the image?

My post on 10,000 Birds about an overt racist birder.  It called into question for me what kind of vibe do I [...]]]> Odd interaction over at Mike McDowell’s blog about a birder claiming ownership of an image…but who does the image belong to?

If an animal takes a photo with your camera…who owns the image?

My post on 10,000 Birds about an overt racist birder.  It called into question for me what kind of vibe do I put off when I encounter people of color.

Colombian parrot “Arrested” for aiding drug dealers.  Sigh.

Funny or Die presents: Black Hiker with Blair Underwood (video).

Some water birds like pelicans and terns are breeding well despite their [...]]]> Holy Mackerel!  Birding is Fun sent me a link to a news story about a person caring for conjoined American Robins.  Whaaaaaaaaaaa?  There’s even an update…a vet separated the birds and discovered that their skin fusion was not the result of natural causes.

Some water birds like pelicans and terns are breeding well despite their surrounding areas getting dumped on by BP last summer (still not buying your gas BP).

The challenges of the Exxon Oil Spill in the Yellowstone River.

Fantastic article over at Mother Jones on the whole–are feral cats really a problem for native wild birds?  A quote from the article: “The American Bird Conservancy‘s campaign to convince pet owners to keep cats indoors has had some success—bird deaths have declined by a third in areas that passed ordinances against free-ranging cats.”

Also, note the statistic chart of what kills how many birds.  Fascinating.

Let’s end with fun: baby screech owlies!

Click here to view the embedded video.

What happens when a reporter who knows nothing about birds attempts to write a story about birding…sigh.

Naturalist and BBC legend David Attenborough inadvertently helps solved a murder from 1879!

A peregrine falcon named Lady Gaga…who [...]]]>  When eiders dump eggs, they try to do it in a nest of a female they are related too.

What happens when a reporter who knows nothing about birds attempts to write a story about birding…sigh.

Naturalist and BBC legend David Attenborough inadvertently helps solved a murder from 1879!

A peregrine falcon named Lady Gaga…who names these birds??

Fabulous blog post from Sparky Stensaas on an observation of a young brown thrasher trying to eat a snake, meanwhile one of the adults tries to give it more bugs.

Fabulous article about a study conducted on pigeons and their use of a “flap run” rather than flying.  This energy saving practice could be the key to the evolution of flight.

Tourist injured in PNG.

Remember how the Germans were gonna use turkey vultures to seek out missing dead bodies…it’s not working out so well.  Insert Sad Trombone.

Broken pipeline on the Yellowstone River pumping thousands of gallons of [...]]]> Sorry about all the cockatiel noises in this one.  Kabuki was very put out about our absence over the weekend.

Remember how the Germans were gonna use turkey vultures to seek out missing dead bodies…it’s not working out so well.  Insert Sad Trombone.

Broken pipeline on the Yellowstone River pumping thousands of gallons of oil in Montana.

Male Swainson’s hawk protecting nest is nailing bicyclists in Oregon.

Move over crows, pigeons can recognize faces too…

Swarovski has their Digiscoper of the Year contest open!

Birding sites for people with limited mobility.  Are there other states doing this?

Lost Emperor Penguin that ended up in New Zealand taken in for veterinary care.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gull steals camera in France and [...]]]> Mist net study finds that trapping birds is not as fatal as some people thought.

Birding sites for people with limited mobility.  Are there other states doing this?

Lost Emperor Penguin that ended up in New Zealand taken in for veterinary care.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gull steals camera in France and flies with it while it is recording.

Non Birding Bill’s reference to an octopus that steals underwater camera:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Threatened roseate terns establish a nesting colony on the roof of a government building in Marathon used by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Study shows penguins are “afraid of the dark” or more realistically all the things that will eat them after [...]]]> Wildbird Magazine redid their website and they have contests going on.

Threatened roseate terns establish a nesting colony on the roof of a government building in Marathon used by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Study shows penguins are “afraid of the dark” or more realistically all the things that will eat them after dark.

Starlings giving the bird.  No wonder birders don’t like them.

Sibley talks about the end of the warblers as we know it.  If you’re a hardcore birder, you’re freaked.  If you like your backyard birds this will be confusing and eye roll inducing.

What’s everybody talking about this week?  Birds with Arms!

Gyrfalcons are secret seabirds?

Emperor penguin shows up in New Zealand.  And here’s a link to what Non Birding Bill mentioned: penguins nesting on landmines!

Bald eagles defend nest outside of an Alaskan post office.

Lead poisoning is still killing reintroduced California Condors in the Grand Canyon.

This Friday is the first day to buy the new Duck Stamp for the year.  Purchasing stamps [...]]]> Crazy rare birds showing up and making news:  a Cassin’s sparrow is in Ohio and a willow ptarmigan is outside a nuclear power plant in Ontario.

Lead poisoning is still killing reintroduced California Condors in the Grand Canyon.

This Friday is the first day to buy the new Duck Stamp for the year.  Purchasing stamps doesn’t mean that you support hunting.  It means you are giving money and over 98% of the money from the stamp purchase goes to habitat acquisition for National Wildlife Refuges and they essentially get you access to any NWR without paying a fee.  It’s not just ducks who benefit from this, several species of birds, plants and mammals benefit from this.  Just because hunters are forced to purchase one doesn’t mean birders are making a good statement by not purchasing one.

It’s a Dalek Squirrel Feeder.  Why can’t we have one these in North America???

Some pelicans cleaned up from last year’s BP Oil Spill are breeding this year.

eBird has updated their list entry system.  Are you submitting your bird observations to eBird?

A rare white-throated robin shows up across the pond.  I link to this story strictly for the term “flaparazzi.”

Police in Everett, Washington dealing with fledging crows.

Holy cow, eBird had over 3 [...]]]> Ohio City Councilman Jerry James tried to legislate feeders used for birds should be kept clean. If fell flat…but should it have?

A rare white-throated robin shows up across the pond.  I link to this story strictly for the term “flaparazzi.”

Police in Everett, Washington dealing with fledging crows.

Holy cow, eBird had over 3 million observations in May!

OMG.  There are Hipster Birders.

So, the first person to correctly id the bird call in the middle of the podcast wins this matted [...]]]> This week’s prize is a print by Birds on Things called Spit or Swallow (har har).  I love this print and hate to part with it but I need to continue on my declutterization process:

So, the first person to correctly id the bird call in the middle of the podcast wins this matted 8×10 print of a barn swallow with a naughty saying.

News:

Scientists reported that the combination of oil and Corexit, the chemical BP used to dissolve the oil from the spill might be more toxic to tiny plants and animals than the oil and that the chemicals may not have broken down the oil as well as expected.

Harlingen, TX working to become a wild bird sanctuary and it should be–AWESOME birding spot.

Holy crap, rare falcon a Eurasian Hobby spotted in Massachusetts in May!  ABA Code 4!

The wind turbines in Altamont Pass are deadly…but do keep in mind that many wind farms are vastly different and are not as deadly as this farm is.

Satellite tracking Eurasian Cuckoos–awesome!

eBird surpasses 3 Million observations in the month of May–holy cow!

Join the ABA!

We’re starting a contest in the podcast.  The first person to correctly identify the bird call in the middle of the podcast and wing a copy of Crimson Wing in Blue Ray and DVD.

German police employe vultures to search for dead bodies.

A “birder” is arrested on suspicion of carrying marajuana…but is really [...]]]>

We’re starting a contest in the podcast.  The first person to correctly identify the bird call in the middle of the podcast and wing a copy of Crimson Wing in Blue Ray and DVD.

German police employe vultures to search for dead bodies.

A “birder” is arrested on suspicion of carrying marajuana…but is really burning sage.  How many birders burns sage on their field trips?

A test from the 1930s for husbands and wives.  Non Birding Bill and I took this quiz (there are different questions for husbands and different questions for wives).  NBB scored a “Superior” and I scored “failure.”  How about you?

Illustration of a spoon-billed sandpiper and here’s a link to a photo.  There are hardly any left, learn more here.

Lang Elliot video lamenting (or LangMenting as Non Birding Bill calls it) about inappropriate bird names. Here’s his canyon recording.

Birds find that skyscrapers are a major threat during migration.

Israel promotes birdwatching to the Taiwanese.

Non Birding Bill took a photo of an oriole today.

Link to Swarovski Optik sale on spotting scopes.

MUST SEE warbler fall out photos from Gulf of Maine.

Cool volunteer program thru Mississippi Audubon to help protect beach nesting birds.

Birding by voyageur canoe with Wilderness Inquiry.

A birder supposedly [...]]]> MSNBC is calling this a gynandromorph cardinal but if you ask me, it’s got a whole host of issues.  Sure it looks half male and half female–but what’s with the lack of pigment in some of the breast feathers?  Check out more photos of this pigment missing, half male, half female cardinal here.

A birder supposedly got lost while trekking down a half mile trail looking for wood ducks at the Jean Lafitte Barataria Preserve. There’s a more detailed account of the story here but it still leaves me with more questions than answers.

AWESOME goshawk video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And here’s a very strange shade-grown coffee commercial via Bird Watcher’s Digest promoting Birds and Beans.

ABA Young Birders Camp to Texas cancelled, other camps still available.  As is their Half Moon Bay conference.

All the heron rookery stuff.

Someone thinks birding is a good hobby for exercise and getting fit.  Not.

National Zoo researcher Nico Dauphine arrested on suspicious of poisoning non native feral cats to protect native wild birds.

I found this publicity still from the upcoming Big Year movie.  It looks like Steve [...]]]> Birding News:

All the heron rookery stuff.

Someone thinks birding is a good hobby for exercise and getting fit.  Not.

National Zoo researcher Nico Dauphine arrested on suspicious of poisoning non native feral cats to protect native wild birds.

I found this publicity still from the upcoming Big Year movie.  It looks like Steve Martin has Swarovksi binoculars, Owen Wilson has Zeiss…but what brand is Jack Black toting?  There’s been a debate on my Facebook page and it looks like he’s packing Kowa binoculars.

In other news, Ontario Nature and Ecojustice, two independent environmental organizations, launched a precedent-setting case against Menkes Developments, the owners of Consilium Place, which could lead to big fines for using reflective windows that they allege has caused the death or injury of some 800 migratory birds over a nine-month stretch between 2008 and 2009.

Birder’s got served by this sign in Ohio.  Many birders don’t purchase Duck Stamps because “they don’t want to be lumped in with hunters” despite the fact that 98% of the money from the purchase of a Duck Stamp goes to habitat acquisition for breeding, migration and wintering grounds.

Cuyahoga Falls City Councilman Jerry [...]]]>  

Birder’s got served by this sign in Ohio.  Many birders don’t purchase Duck Stamps because “they don’t want to be lumped in with hunters” despite the fact that 98% of the money from the purchase of a Duck Stamp goes to habitat acquisition for breeding, migration and wintering grounds.

Cuyahoga Falls City Councilman Jerry James tries to legislate keeping bird feeders clean.

A unique and mysterious guinea-pig-sized rodent, not seen since 1898 despite several organized searches, bizarrely showed up at  the front door of an ecolodge at a nature reserve in Colombia, South America. The magnificent red-crested tree rat (Santamartamys rufodorsalis), stayed for almost two hours while two research volunteers took the first photos ever of a creature the world thought would never be seen again.

It’s the Crane with 2 Backs!

Bird News:

Drama in the Red-tailed Hawk Nest Cam.

Almost all wild California condors suffer some form of lead poisoning.

Bird Blogs:

Warbler Week at 10,ooo Birds

Tailless Blue Jay at Zen Birdfeeder.

Bird Events:

International Migratory Bird Day

Still space left [...]]]> Photo from Horicon Marsh Bird Fest:

It’s the Crane with 2 Backs!

Bird News:

Drama in the Red-tailed Hawk Nest Cam.

Almost all wild California condors suffer some form of lead poisoning.

Bird Blogs:

Warbler Week at 10,ooo Birds

Tailless Blue Jay at Zen Birdfeeder.

Bird Events:

International Migratory Bird Day

Still space left on field trips at Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds and my digiscoping workshop at the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.

Bird that gave us a headache during the Horicon Marsh Festival:

Bird News:

Pelican Blood Trailer (a little racy for work).  It has Rory from Dr. Who in it!

Annual State of the Birds Report

New York Times 10 Birds Worth Watching For in Migration…what birds do you watch for?  I watch for bobolink myself.

Bird [...]]]> Here’s podcast 29 and here’s what we talked about:

Bird News:

Pelican Blood Trailer (a little racy for work).  It has Rory from Dr. Who in it!

Annual State of the Birds Report

New York Times 10 Birds Worth Watching For in Migration…what birds do you watch for?  I watch for bobolink myself.

Bird Blogs:

The last I and the Bird (birding blog carnival)

Bird Events:

Canopy Tower & Lodge is having a summer special.  Here are my Panama blog entries–it’s worth every penny to get there.

Birding News:

There’s a guy on the listervs who either goes by Michael Collins or Fish Crow who uses super blurry images or images to say he’s seen [...]]]> Non Birding Bill seems to think this is our best podcast ever…I’m not so sure.  Either way, here are the links to the stories we talked about:

Birding News:

There’s a guy on the listervs who either goes by Michael Collins or Fish Crow who uses super blurry images or images to say he’s seen an ivory-billed woodpecker. He’s found a way to get media attention (most likely because birders are ignoring him).

The New York Times is having a Bird Week!

The movie Pelican Blood debuts on DVD this week…er, March 2011.

New Swarovski Companion Binoculars–Eagle Optics has the 8x30s under a thousand and the 10x30s right at.

Falconry program ousted at JFK airport in favor of guns.

Birding Blogs:

The American Birding Association would like to know what articles you’d like to read about–please tell them!

Titmouse trying to steal a woman’s hair for nesting material.

Response from Vermillion County, Indiana on why they gave such a low fine for killing an endangered species–essentially killing a bird like that is only a misdemeanor and though a Whooping Crane is valued at over $100,00–who would they pay that too?  AKA  the Hoosier State Law doesn’t care about wildlife and Indiana [...]]]> Bird News:

Response from Vermillion County, Indiana on why they gave such a low fine for killing an endangered species–essentially killing a bird like that is only a misdemeanor and though a Whooping Crane is valued at over $100,00–who would they pay that too?  AKA  the Hoosier State Law doesn’t care about wildlife and Indiana doing a great job of advertising how much they don’t want wildlife tourism money.

Let the Governor Mitch Daniels know that this makes you not want to spend any money in his state on tourism and copy Visit Indiana (tourism department) too.  Keep the message respectful, don’t call names but just say plainly and clearly something to the effect of:

Dear Governor Daniels,

I spend X amount of $ on birding/wildlife observation /hunting/fishing.  Your state’s treatment to kids and adults who shoot an endangered species  on purpose makes me not want to visit your state or spend any money there.  It’s a bummer too because I would spend lots of money to see a wild whooping crane as well as many other birds.

You can call or email.

It may not seem much, but it’s a start to let Indiana know that the way they treat wildlife–especially an endangered species shared by many states, needs to change.  Again, don’t use profanity…although, feel free to listen to a certain Cee Lo song while you write your letter.

In other news, here’s an interesting report on how birds with different colors survived after the Chernobyl disaster.

Danger of live cams, sometimes the birds die.  Female eagle on Virginia Eagle Cam killed by plane, eaglets removed from nest.

Live Loon Cam is back on KARE 11

Bird Blogs:

This was more among the birding social media but Picus Blog posted photos to his Facebook page of a white-faced ibis in Massachussettes. They shouldn’t be in that part of the US.  Alas, some college students went out to watch the stake out birds and…videoed a peregrine falcon taking out the off course bird.  MUST WATCH footage (if for no other reaction than the audio reaction of the birders):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bird Event:

Delaware Bird-a-thon.  98% of all proceeds will go directly toward purchasing and enhancing land in Delaware. This land can provide vital migratory habitat for species such as the Red Knot.  If you pledge you get a red know bracelet.

Cooper’s hawk crashes a Brewer’s game while trying to nail a pigeon.  Photos of the young hawk here.

Angry Birds and BirdLife International team up.

Watch wild birds instead of only playing Angry Birds!

Olivia Bouler (who is 11) has raised more than $200,000 for oil spill relief…oh and yeah, she has a [...]]]> Bird News:

Cooper’s hawk crashes a Brewer’s game while trying to nail a pigeon.  Photos of the young hawk here.

Angry Birds and BirdLife International team up.

Watch wild birds instead of only playing Angry Birds!

Olivia Bouler (who is 11) has raised more than $200,000 for oil spill relief…oh and yeah, she has a book too.

Bird Blogs (well Twitter)

Bacon Fat + Birds + Twitter = @HungryBirds

Events

Faux audition for American Gods Audiobook.  Here is the real contest to be a voice on the audiobook.

SO ANGRY! Indiana screwed up in a big way.  The Hoosier State sent a message that killing an endangered species like a Whooping Crane is only worth $1. Seriously, they fined Wade Bennett and an unnamed minor who killed an endangered species ONE DOLLAR.  Unacceptable.

Osprey chick that hatched after being removed from a [...]]]> News:

SO ANGRY! Indiana screwed up in a big way.  The Hoosier State sent a message that killing an endangered species like a Whooping Crane is only worth $1. Seriously, they fined Wade Bennett and an unnamed minor who killed an endangered species ONE DOLLAR.  Unacceptable.

Osprey chick that hatched after being removed from a salvage crane has died.

Migrating birds escape the worst of the BP Oil Spill, nesting birds could still be affected.

HBO Documentary Saving Pelican 895 covers the BP Oil Spill.

Blogs:

Swarovski Optik wins Great Texas Birding Classic 5 Day.

Baby Porcupine Eating a Banana with Hiccups.

Events:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology going for Big Day Record.  Have you ever birded in Texas?  If not, their promo video will make you want to:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Turkey crashes through a car windshield in Minnesota and New York.

Osprey nest shuts down Florida Ferris wheel.

Follow Lang Elliot on Facebook or at Music of Nature.

American Bird Conservancy asks BP to change lights on their oil drilling platforms.

News:

It’s the one year anniversary of the Gulf Oil Spill. HBO Documentary Films presents the story of the effort to save the 895th surviving oiled pelican in Louisiana, showing how conservationists, government agencies and wildlife activists joined forces to preserve this [...]]]> Here are links to some of the topics we covered in today’s podcast:

News:

It’s the one year anniversary of the Gulf Oil Spill. HBO Documentary Films presents the story of the effort to save the 895th surviving oiled pelican in Louisiana, showing how conservationists, government agencies and wildlife activists joined forces to preserve this one life.  An inspiring bird’s-eye view of the rigorous process of rescuing thousands of oiled birds, SAVING PELICAN 895 debuts Wednesday, April 20 (9:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.

Also, Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a series of videos documenting the spill and the Mississippi River Delta–fantastic HD bird footage.

Marine contractor Jani Salonen and a member of the Audubon Society gathered three eggs from an osprey nest built atop his crane, and relocated the unhatched birds to a rescue center–without permission of US Fish and Wildlife.  Fine is being negotiated.

More on American Birding Associations Young Birder of the Year, Rachel Butek.

Birds under attack in Malta.  Would you be willing to go on one of the Spring Watches held by BirdLife International to document illegal hunting?  Or should Malta be boycotted?

Blogs:

Life, Birds and Everything on the Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast–will birders lose this awesome hummingbird spot?

We Love Birds photo contest.

Events:

Junior Duck Stamp live today at 10 am eastern time!

Watch for live tweets at Birdchick this weekend from the Swarvoski team during the Great Texas Birding Classsic.

1960s Lake Superior boat (and birding) captain has crazy migration stories (must read story).

It’s the American Birding Association Young Birder of the Year, Rachel Butek.

Mallard hen lays her eggs outside of a Chik-Fil-A.  Crazy duck or insanely clever camo? In other waterfowl nesting news, a deer protects a female Canada goose incubating [...]]]> News

1960s Lake Superior boat (and birding) captain has crazy migration stories (must read story).

It’s the American Birding Association Young Birder of the Year, Rachel Butek.

Mallard hen lays her eggs outside of a Chik-Fil-A.  Crazy duck or insanely clever camo? In other waterfowl nesting news, a deer protects a female Canada goose incubating eggs in a cemetery…no, I seriously did not make that up.

Franklin Institute Red-tailed Hawk nest (if you get tired of the Decorah Eagle Nest all 3 of those chicks hatched)

American Bird Conservancy commercial on wind farms using a video of a griffon vulture from Crete.

United States college student Edwin Rist charged for stealing rare bird skins from a museum and selling them for fly fishing lures.

Bald eagle tried to fly off with a toy poodle.  (If your pet is under 10 pounds, understand that it has a very important place on the food chain and if you don’t want your pet to fill that place, take responsibility and watch it when it’s outside).  An eagle getting a small dog or cat is rare, coyotes are a far bigger danger.

I got shade-grown coffee from a Roller Girl (Joan of Dark) in Indiana who runs Strange Brew.

Blog

David Sibley talks about the use of digital audio devices in the field.

White wagtail spotted in Michigan, this is a rare bird, an ABA Code 3 rarity!

Event

Horicon Marsh Bird Festival in Wisconsin–I’m going, are you?

So, here’s what we covered in this podcast:

NEWS

Red-shouldered [...]]]> This will be the final podcast for this week, we’re opening a show, The HMS Pacific Princess Boat at the Bryant Lake Bowl on Thursday and I have a feeling that any podcasting we would do after the performance would be torture to listen to.

So, here’s what we covered in this podcast:

NEWS

Red-shouldered hawks that attack people during nesting here and here.  What can you do?  I’m not sure, this tends to be an aggressive species.  Do you duck and cover or do you “remove the hawk?”

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are on the move, how close are they to you?

Are more ring-billed gulls hanging out at Wrigley Field than spectators?

Highlights of the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count.

BLOG

B is for Buisness, Blogs and Birds (not 100% this isn’t spam).

BIRDING EVENT

The Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds–Drew Wheelan is the Keynote!

You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook and if you have any questions or suggestions for the podcast, email me at sharon at birdchick dot com.

Non Birding Bill is on Twitter under @bstiteler…but he’s really non birding, follow at your own risk.  He doesn’t recommend it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Petrels migrating long distance…leads to the question: if a radio tagged bird flies over your state and no one sees it but he telemetry says that it was there…does it [...]]]> Hey!  It’s Non Birding Bill’s zombie video.  Warning: there are zombies, some parts may make the queasy unhappy:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Petrels migrating long distance…leads to the question: if a radio tagged bird flies over your state and no one sees it but he telemetry says that it was there…does it count?

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Big Day for Conservation!

Michigan wildlife rehabbers may not be able to treat injured non native/invasive/habitat destroying mute swans.

Charlie Moores is now at Birding Blogs!

Looking for fun birding times?  Check out the Acadia Birding Festival!  You’ll get all the Pete Dunne and Kevin Karlson you can handle.  I haven’t been to Maine since 2006, but here are some past blog entries.

You can subscribe to the Birdchick podcast on iTunes.

Are ruby-throated hummingbirds in your area yet?

Violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty on Etsy–these earrings have red-shafted flicker feathers.

What the frak? A red starling?

What the heck is this squirrel doing??  Seriously, anyone know anything about squirrel behavior?

Popular Arizona Birding hot spot may have to close due to neighbor complaints of [...]]]>

Are ruby-throated hummingbirds in your area yet?

Violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty on Etsy–these earrings have red-shafted flicker feathers.

What the frak? A red starling?

What the heck is this squirrel doing??  Seriously, anyone know anything about squirrel behavior?

Popular Arizona Birding hot spot may have to close due to neighbor complaints of noisy birders, despite special use permit.

Male bird species reported more often than females during Project Feeder Watch.

You can subscribe to the Birdchick podcast on iTunes.

Very cool birding mural at The San Francisco Airport by Walter Kitundu.

The “SmartBird” aka A Bionic Gull.

Birdwatchers are a driving hazard in Nebraska.

Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival Plans.

Outdoor Talk Podcast–I’m on with a teenage urban chicken keeper (it’s a 2 hour podcast)

Buy a Duck Stamp!

Birds and Beans coffee [...]]]>

Very cool birding mural at The San Francisco Airport by Walter Kitundu.

The “SmartBird” aka A Bionic Gull.

Birdwatchers are a driving hazard in Nebraska.

Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival Plans.

Outdoor Talk Podcast–I’m on with a teenage urban chicken keeper (it’s a 2 hour podcast)

Buy a Duck Stamp!

Birds and Beans coffee (shade-grown coffee that actually tastes good, I like the Chestnut-sided Warbler blend).

You can subscribe to the Birdchick podcast on iTunes.

Sociable Lapwings in Kazakhstan, part of a breeding area sponsored by Swarovski Optik

Links for this week’s podcast:

Are Wildlife Gardeners Real Birders?

Leucistic Pileated Woodpecker (hey, it has an ivory bill). Hey, have you seen Bill Stewart’s Bird A Thon?

Cool peregrine falcon video.

Cool Lyrebird documentary Trailer (the bird that mimics cameras [...]]]>

Sociable Lapwings in Kazakhstan, part of a breeding area sponsored by Swarovski Optik

Links for this week’s podcast:

Are Wildlife Gardeners Real Birders?

Leucistic Pileated Woodpecker (hey, it has an ivory bill). Hey, have you seen Bill Stewart’s Bird A Thon?

Cool peregrine falcon video.

Cool Lyrebird documentary Trailer (the bird that mimics cameras and chainsaws in Attenborough’s Life of Birds).

Swarovski Optik Continues to support BirdLife International’s Sociable Lapwing efforts.  My birding trip to Kazahkstan with Swarovski and the sociable lapwing.

Track spring bird migration with Badbirdz.

International Bird Rescue Research Center’s Junior Wildlife Program with Dawn Dish Soap.

Illinois Sate of the Birds–house sparrow decline?

You can subscribe to the Birdchick podcast on iTunes.

Race to save oiled rockhopper penguins is on.  If you need another excuse to reevaluate our dependence on oil, here it is.  I wish there was some relief effort we could point you to, at the moment, I would keep your eye on RSBP or BirdLife International.

Other topics:

Vultures using tools to break [...]]]>

Race to save oiled rockhopper penguins is on.  If you need another excuse to reevaluate our dependence on oil, here it is.  I wish there was some relief effort we could point you to, at the moment, I would keep your eye on RSBP or BirdLife International.

Other topics:

Vultures using tools to break open eggs and the ravens who use vultures.

BirdsEye App

Peterson App

Head’s Up Warblers App

iBird Explorer App

Audubon App

National Geographic App

Sibley App

William Shatner’s Has Been

Bill’s mic developed static about half way through this podcast. Rather than annoy you all, we removed his mic from that section and repositioned Sharon’s mic for the last part.

You can subscribe to the Birdchick podcast on iTunes.

10 years anniversary of guarding snowy plover chicks at Coal Oil Point Beach.

Clumsy Flamingo

Killdeer Sound from All About Birds

World Sparrow Day

Join the American Birding Association

You can subscribe to the Birdchick podcast on iTunes.

BadBirdz Migration RADAR–for all your spring migration predictions.

Hummingbirds.net for all your spring ruby-throated hummingbird reports

A live cam of an Allen’s Hummingbird nest.

Project Nest Watch

March Madness Bird Bracket.

Punk Rock [...]]]> For Friday’s podcast, we covered migration, big years, Cornell Lab or Ornithology and…Nicholas Cage (don’t see Wicker Man but do see Moonstruck).

BadBirdz Migration RADAR–for all your spring migration predictions.

Hummingbirds.net for all your spring ruby-throated hummingbird reports

A live cam of an Allen’s Hummingbird nest.

Project Nest Watch

March Madness Bird Bracket.

Punk Rock Big Year!  Check this guy out.

Very cool bird watching shoes…shoes for bird watching females, not necessarily to go bird watching in.

If 10 people join the ABA (and email us he confirmation) Non Birding Bill will join his first bird club ever.

You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes.

March 20 is World House Sparrow Day!

House sparrow feeder giveaway in India.

Oldest albatross survived the tsunami.

Jim McCormack’s Ohio blog–owl in the mailbox. Another screech owl in a mailbox. And another!

Join the ABA.

Best bird shirts (and undies) EVER: Magnificent Frigatebird and Birdorable.

European Robin is a “bird of pray.” Here’s [...]]]>  

March 20 is World House Sparrow Day!

House sparrow feeder giveaway in India.

Oldest albatross survived the tsunami.

Jim McCormack’s Ohio blog–owl in the mailbox. Another screech owl in a mailbox. And another!

Join the ABA.

Best bird shirts (and undies) EVER: Magnificent Frigatebird and Birdorable.

European Robin is a “bird of pray.” Here’s more on the bird Non Birding Bill refuses believes exist.

To donate to the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan, text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation or visit the Red Cross website. There are other places you can donate, such as Doctors Without Borders.

You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes

Arthur Cleveland Bent

FLAP – Slide show at the Royal Ontario Museum and lawsuit.

Valmont Owl Cam check out the live shots.  [...]]]> This has to be a Friday podcast because it got a bit weird!  Non Birding Bill was not prepared for the talk of dead deer.  Here are links to some of the subjects:

Arthur Cleveland Bent

FLAP – Slide show at the Royal Ontario Museum and lawsuit.

Valmont Owl Cam check out the live shots.  Here’s a video of crows mobbing the owls.

Twin Cities Naturalist blog entry of a great horned owl visiting their deer carcass…and taking off with a leg.

Junior Duck Stamp contest.

You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes

We have our first winner for the join the ABA challenge!  Norm Jensen wins honey from our beehives!  Email proof you joined since we [...]]]> In today’s podcast we speak to Richard Crossley of the new Crossley ID Guide to Eastern Birds (he also was part of one of the best shorebird books ever–The Shorebird Guide).

We have our first winner for the join the ABA challenge!  Norm Jensen wins honey from our beehives!  Email proof you joined since we first put of the challenge (email confirmation from the ABA will do) and we’ll send you some sort of prize.  Here’s a link to the blog article of what kind of bird are you?

And if you missed it yesterday, here is the link to the oldest living bird according to North American Banding records–a Laysan albatross that is over 60!

You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes.

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Kabuki, the cockatiel you might hear in the background of the podcast.

New Species of storm petrel

Yorkshire home for bank nesting birds (like kingfishers)

Eagle with a “beak job”

Birds Eye Android App

Join the ABA!

National Eagle Center

Birds and Beers

You can subscribe to [...]]]> Here are links to topics we covered:

Kabuki, the cockatiel you might hear in the background of the podcast.

New Species of storm petrel

Yorkshire home for bank nesting birds (like kingfishers)

Eagle with a “beak job”

Birds Eye Android App

Join the ABA!

National Eagle Center

Birds and Beers

You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes.

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The latest Birdchick Podcast is out.  Below are links to some of the things we talked about:

6 Terrifying Ways Crows Are Smarter Than You

Cats Killing 79% of Catbird Fledglings

One Woman Blocks Rookery from chainsaws

Jeff Foiles Duck Hunting Scandal

Herpetologists vs Ornithologists

ABA President’s Message Will you answer our challenge issued [...]]]>  

The latest Birdchick Podcast is out.  Below are links to some of the things we talked about:

6 Terrifying Ways Crows Are Smarter Than You

Cats Killing 79% of Catbird Fledglings

One Woman Blocks Rookery from chainsaws

Jeff Foiles Duck Hunting Scandal

Herpetologists vs Ornithologists

ABA President’s Message Will you answer our challenge issued in the podcast?

You can join the American Birding Association here.

Have any questions for the podcast or suggestions? Email me at sharon at birdchick dot com

 
You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes
 

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Geek A Week

Think Geek Auction

BirdsEye App

iBird Explorer

Birder’s World Magazine now BirdWatching

Horicon Marsh Fest

Crow Roosts

Subscribe to the Birdchick Podcast on iTunes

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The latest Birdchick Podcast is up!  In this, Non Birding Bill and I discuss teenage songbird song, eBird, the BirdsEye App, the Big Year Movie and Cornell’s upcoming Young Birder Event (which I get whiney about).

[Note from NBB: I've fixed the reverb problem and reuploaded the audio file. Thanks for bearing with us while we figure out the technical end of things.]

The latest Birdchick Podcast is up.  Next one should be up on Monday.

Here are links to some of the stories discussed:

Starving eagles in Vancouver Island.

Download the podcast here.

Here are links to some of things mentioned:

Lang Elliot’s Snapping Turtle Song

David Sibley on how to tell apart Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers

Richard Crossley Guide to birds (there will be an expanded blog entry about this later this week)

When I was at Lake Vadnais last week looking for the long-tailed-duck, I took advantage of the close up trumpeter swans to get some swan shots.  Note the swan in the back.  I was watching that one and noticed it was a wee bit [...]]]> I have my first post up over at 10,000 Birds.

When I was at Lake Vadnais last week looking for the long-tailed-duck, I took advantage of the close up trumpeter swans to get some swan shots.  Note the swan in the back.  I was watching that one and noticed it was a wee bit smaller than the two in front.  After the preening, the swans started dipping for vegetation.

The swan in back came closer to the other two and side by side, it was noticeably smaller (the smaller swan is the one on the right).  Was this a female?  In swans, females are smaller than males.  Or…was this a tundra swan mixed in with the trumpeter swans?

They both popped up at the same time and look at that–the smaller bird has a touch of yellow on its beak–it was a tundra swan!  Tundra swans nest in the tundra, not in Minnesota.  They are in the midst of their migration and this time of year, hundreds can be seen flying over on their way to the coasts for the winter.  Trumpeter swans nest in Minnesota and many will end up staying here for the winter, wherever they can find open water, many in Monticello.

It was fun to have an opportunity to really get a close look at the difference between the two swan beaks.  Above is the trumpeter swan (with a little white feather stuck on the beak)–all black, no yellow.  It’s also a little bit of a bigger beak compared (up close) to a tundra swan.  It’s hard to tell them apart at a distance.  If you can hear the call it’s a no brainer.  Here is a trumpeter swan call (like a kid playing a toy trumpet).  But if your driving and it’s during migration and you see a flock of swans fly over–how can you tell.  I’ve heard some say that if you see a huge flock of 50 or more birds high up, chances are good it’s a flock of tundra swans.  If it’s a small family group of 3 – 5 flying low, it’s probably trumpeter swans.

Here’s an up close of the tundra swan beak–with the little bit of yellow right in front of the eye.  This is a tundra swan call.  This bird would do a periodic bark, but I’m used to hearing a whole huge flock with they migrate, so it sounded strange.

Since I saw my first tundra swan in the Twin Cities last week, I figured I’d get to see them on my surveys on Monday and sure enough, there are tundra swans gathering on the Mississippi River.  We found some on Pools 4 – 7.  I’m sure there are a few trumpeters mixed in, but not really an easy way to separate them from the mostly tundras.  If you have never seen the tundra swan migration in this area, you should really check it out.  You can get info from Alma, Wisconsin but a great spot to view them for the next two weeks will be at the viewing platform in Brownsville, MN.  You should get some other species too.  This week we had lots of canvasbacks, buffleheads and ring-necked ducks–just to name a few.

Trumpeter Swan

For the last week, a butt load of butter butts (aka yellow-rumped warblers) have descended on my neighborhood.  They are fueling up before they head south and they are an end of the warbler migration.  You may have heard them in your neighborhood, their migration call chip note sounds a bit like a kiss.

I’ve been muttering all spring that I’m jonesing for a trip to Harlingen, TX and have been kicking around the idea of meeting [...]]]> Non Birding Bill may not like to travel with me to go birding, but he knows how much I love it and when he sees a good deal, he lets me know.

I’ve been muttering all spring that I’m jonesing for a trip to Harlingen, TX and have been kicking around the idea of meeting up WildBird on the Fly down there in November.  NBB sent me a link for a sale at  Southwest Airlines and being a savvy traveler, I checked a few other airlines and found an even cheaper deal with Sun Country Airlines and now I’m committed–I’m going to the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival this November!  I love this festival for the birds, the organizers, the opportunity to see many birding friends (many vendors who work the bird show circuit show up there) and the fact that it has relatively inexpensive lodging and food.  If you only have the time and money for one or two bird festivals–this is the place to go.  You get off the wall cool birds like green jays, the opportunity for Central American species like rose-throated becard and fabulous Mexican food.  This festival is so awesome that in the most recent publication of Australia’s Wingspan (the Australian version of the American Birding Association) listed their top birding festivals worldwide and the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival was on the list.

Meanwhile, I was cleaning off the desktop on my computer and found a bunch of photos that I meant to put in the blog but I think I only put on Twitter.  Above is a Wilson’s snipe photo that I got at the Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds.  We could hear snipe displaying above us (here is a link so you can hear what the display sounds like–they make this sound in flight with their feathers, so if you ever hear it in the wild, look up).

We had heard this sound several times, then I noticed a bird coming out of the sky and about to land, only it made this sound.  I couldn’t believe it, a snipe landed on a snag.  Our field trip group was taking in the site and then three bloody cowbirds flew over and scared it off.  Really, snipe, you were intimidated by cowbirds?  I must admit, I expected more of you.

Anyway, it was cool to get a momentary look at a shorebird in a tree.

Carrol was at Bob Farmes Pool road at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, June 6, 2010. He noted that this great crested flycatcher had an exceptional amount of aberrant yellow plumage over [...]]]> My buddy Carrol Henderson has a knack for finding and capturing unusual wildlife circumstances.  Note the great crested flycatcher below:

Carrol was at Bob Farmes Pool road at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, June 6, 2010. He noted that this great crested flycatcher had an exceptional amount of aberrant yellow plumage over its back and and a very yellow breast. Carrol said, “The bird was pecking persistently at a large timber wolf dropping in the middle of the road in order to remove a beakful of snowshoe hare fur which I assume it was using to line its nest. Recycling at its very best.”

I love it.  As if finding a flycatcher with excessive amounts of yellow wasn’t cool enough, he ups the ante by mentioning that its gathering nesting material from wolf scat.  Here are some photos of a great crested flycatcher that Mark and Roger got while banding birds at Mr. Neil’s so you can see what it should look like:

Here’s the back of a flycatcher–there’s a bit of yellow edge along the wing feathers, but nothing like Carrol’s photo above.  Many people have heard great crested flycatchers, but may not see them.  Here’s what they sound like.

And here is the front of the flycatcher–note they do have some yellow on the belly, but nothing like what we see in Carrol’s photo.  I thought the photo was a perfect time to talk about an AWESOME book that came out this spring.

This is one of my favorite bird books to come out in the last year.  It’s by National Geographic and it’s called Bird Coloration Geoffrey E. Hill.  The book is a user friendly guide to the hows and whys of bird coloration.  It uses illustrations and photos along with an engaging text to explain why that tanager is such an intense red.

They really went the extra mile with this book to make it approachable and interesting.  This is a great book for birders of all levels–rom the  great pop out tips for beginners to the hard core information like “psittacofulvin pigments.”

I looked up yellow pigment to see if I could shed any light on the excessively yellow great crested flycatcher. On the flycatcher’s back, it should have phaeomelanin–this creates the earth tone colors you see in birds.  Birds can have intricate patterns of phaeomelanin in their feathers but since the flycatcher above has yellow on the back–it would appear that something went haywire in its genes and patches of its feathers are lacking phaeomelanin.

The book mentions that colors like orange, red and yellow in birds come from carotenoids.  It mentions that birds with carotenoids tend to have patches of it on the body–like on the crown or breast and not intricate patterns (think about birds with red, yellow or orange–like orioles, cardinals, tanagers and goldfinches).  “No bird shows an intricate within-feather pattern of red an yellow, a circumstance suggesting that fine control of carotenoid deposition in feathers is not possible.  Most patterns are created by carotenoid pigmentation when entire feathers are either pigmented or not pigmented.”

So, could the bird’s genes have gone so haywire that some phaeomelnin is missing and replaced by carotenoids? We can’t know for sure but it’s fun to speculate on this bird.

I’ve had some work taking me to southern Minnesota the last few weeks where I spend the day out in a field with red-winged blackbirds and a few other prairie species.

It’s not a bad way to spend the day.  My biggest challenge has been the black flies–a pest I previously only associated [...]]]>

I’ve had some work taking me to southern Minnesota the last few weeks where I spend the day out in a field with red-winged blackbirds and a few other prairie species.

It’s not a bad way to spend the day.  My biggest challenge has been the black flies–a pest I previously only associated with the north woods and not the open fields of southern Minnesota.  I’m not a big fan of insect repellent that is so strong that it should in no way come into contact with my skin and I shouldn’t wear my clothes for a few hours after it has been sprayed on it.  Yet, I’m even less of a fan of biting insects that fly into my ear canal or up my nose, so I tried using permethrin.

And it appears to be doing the trick.  If it’s windy, the black flies stay way–too small to fly in the wind I suppose.  However, when the wind stops, I appear to have an invisible barrier the flies are not willing to cross.  This is the view right above my head, the flies hover like a tiny buzzing entourage as I walk the fields.  Black flies are attracted to carbon dioxide, so with every exhalation the females know I am a blood source but the permethrin prevents them from venturing any closer and biting me.  It’s a relief, but an uneasy one.  I’m buying instant gratification from bug bites and bugs being in places on my body they do not belong, but what long term effects will a heavy duty repellent like permethrin bring?

Horned larks are another constant companion in the fields.  Horned larks are a bird that many people have seen, but not realized it.  You drive down a farm field and a small brownish gray bird flushes–chances are that it’s a horned lark.  They are easy to id from other farm field species by the black lines visible on either side of the tail as they fly away.  They are a cute little bird to see in the fields but not everyone has a chance to really enjoy them up close.  I’ve spent some agonizing moments leading field trips in the rain on the prairie trying to get someone their lifer look through a spotting scope of one of these birds and at those moments I wish I could teleport us to the middle of a farm field on a sunny day where if you wait patiently for about 10 minutes, one will scurry by.

I set a little goal for myself to try and get a photo of a horned lark in the middle of his territory display.  They fly high, practically hanging in the air while singing their little tinkling whistle.  Here’s a sample of the song at Xeno-Canto.  However, trying to capture them in a photo while they are singing in the sky is no easy task as you can see from the above image.

Quite of few of the photos ended up blurry or with only parts of lark in it as opposed to the whole bird in focus.  Part of the challenge is to find them in my spotting scope in the sky.  If the skies are clear, it’s an exercise in futility.  However, if there are clouds–I stand a chance because I can use the cloud shapes as a guide to find the hovering lark.

But after about 200 clicks on the camera, I did have one or two that were in focus–score!  What a delicately marked bird–I love the contrast of the dark marks on the face accented by the dark tail.  Periodically, other males would work into a male’s territory.  At one point, 3 males were duking it out.

Look!  He’s danling his feet like he’s a little raptor!  Note how erect the little horn feathers are–channeling a bit of great horned owl there.  When the 3 males discovered each other in the air the singing became more urgent.  Although, it’s hard to take the angry trickling whistles seriously as any sort of threat.  But two of the males swerved towards each other and frantically began to flutter and “claw” their little feet at each other.  They dropped like a stone and continued the fight on ground.  The two intruders took their fight elsewhere.

After the skirmish, the lone male resumed is aerial display.  Not a bad song to have as your office music for the day.

It’s called Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site and it’s in Comfrey, Minnesota.  The visitor center itself does not [...]]]> Some of my work this spring has taken me to southwestern Minnesota and I was so excited to see that one of the places I have always wanted to visit in this beautiful state was close by.

It’s called Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site and it’s in Comfrey, Minnesota.  The visitor center itself does not open until after Memorial Day but a person can visit just about any time and walk the well marked trails–and stay on the trails so as not to ruin all the native prairie landscape they have worked so hard to create.  I called to confirm they were open before I headed out and the person working the phone recommended evening viewing.  Many people come during the middle of the day and it’s harder to see the ancient petroglyphs with the sun overhead.  She said that the late afternoon sun makes the carvings look almost 3D.  That timing worked for me and I knew that would be good photo light.  I asked if she was aware of any birds I could find when I visited.  Her first suggested bird was:

Dickcissel!  SWEET–I hadn’t seen one of these snazzy looking sparrows for a year or two so I was up for some dickcissel action.  When I arrived in the parking lot, both a grasshopper sparrow and the above dickcissel greeted me.  I noticed that the visitor center was closed and my vehicle was the only one in the lot.  It was a gorgeous late spring night and I thought I couldn’t be the only person at the historic site for long, but I ended up spending over three glorious hours alone and some fantastic prairie birds.  Many Native Americans consider this spot a holy place and come to pray.  I found it peaceful and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that some people have worked so hard to preserve it for my generation and future generations to enjoy.

Bobolink (the above male bird) and western meadowlark rounded out the evening chorus.  Incidentally, if you are not familiar with the song of the bobolink, listen here.  For western meadowlark, listen here.  I’m serious, if you have never heard either of those birds, click on those links–can you believe birds like that can be found outdoors? I love the bobolink song so much that it is the default ring tone on my Blackberry (Manilow).  The bird song combined with the late spring warm air and sun made for a wonderful place for me to unwind after two (incredibly fun, but) exhausting weeks of travel.

The well marked trails lead out to the petroglyphs.  Signs supply some of the information for the long-grass prairie (and to please not pick the flowers) while birds serenade you.  I must admit that I wanted to run off the trail the and get better photos of the bobolinks but instead enjoyed the songs from afar.

The petroglyphs can be found in the Red Rock Ridge, an outcropping of Sioux quartzite that goes for 23 miles.  The petroglyphs were discovered by Europeans in the 1870s and the property was purchased by the Minnesota Historical Society from W. R. Jeffers, Jr. in 1960.  The age of the petroglyphs is not known for certain.  From what I can find on the internet, they could be anywhere from 3000 – 5000 years old–that’s older than the pyramids in Egypt.

Signs near the outcropping give you a hint of symbols to watch for in the rocks.  Above is the sign for Wakan Tanka.

Above is an arrow pointing to the petroglyph of Wankan Tanka.  You can see several other ancient carvings in there as well.  As I basked in the late afternoon sun and listened to the birds singing (without any man made sounds of cars or airplanes) I fell in love with this historic site:  birds and archeology–what a fantastic combo.

The late afternoon sun angle did make the carvings easier to see but I did not find them all, my attention was divided by all the birds.  I took in as much as I could and made a mental note to visit again when my travels bring me back this way in the coming weeks.

As I continued on along the rock trail, I noticed a killdeer walking slowly and giving a halfhearted attempt to lead me away by pretending to be somewhat injured.  The killdeer apparently ignored all the signs to stay off and not touch the petroglyphs and nest on one.

There were some noticeably newer carvings in the rocks.  I think it’s a safe bet that this is not a 3000 year old artist’s signature to the rock carvings. I doubt there were too many Dakota running around with the name Otto.

Here’s a proper signature.  I was struck by how similar in size this carved hand was to mine–such tiny hands!

As I walked to my car, I noticed some clay-colored sparrows furiously chipping back and forth.  I figured that they must have been setting up territory near the building.  Lots of birds were nesting on the closed visitor center: starlings, robins and barn swallows at the very least.

And then to cap off my perfect time at a perfect historic site, I got a shot of the clay-colored sparrows engaged in a cloacal kiss.  Ah for one brief moment I could tell male and female apart!  I know bird sex is fast, but I’m still amazed that any eggs are produced from balancing on the back of a small brown bird while she is balanced on a branch.

To learn more about Jeffers Petroglyphs State Historic Site visit here and here.  They will have some official programming this summer and a guide can give you the inside scoop on the site’s history and ancient symbols carved in the stone.  If you are a birder and in the mood for some great prairie birds, definitely check this little spot out.  The small patch of prairie is surrounded by agriculture so it concentrates some awesome species in one spot.

Seriously, if you have ever had it in the back of your mind to visit this place, make it a must do this summer.  I love all the archaeology we have in this state from fossil hunting in St Paul to petroglyphs in Comfrey.

Twice a year I have some bird banding friends come out to Mr. Neil’s place to band the birds around the yard–once in spring and once in fall.  On Saturday my buddies Roger (aka MNBirdNerd) and Amber (aka AvianImages) set up mists nets to collect data and got a GREAT cross section of spring [...]]]>

Twice a year I have some bird banding friends come out to Mr. Neil’s place to band the birds around the yard–once in spring and once in fall.  On Saturday my buddies Roger (aka MNBirdNerd) and Amber (aka AvianImages) set up mists nets to collect data and got a GREAT cross section of spring bird activity from migration to breeding.  I hoped we would get a ton of cool information since I’ve noticed birds like the above red-bellied woodpecker coming and flying away with large beakfuls of suet–do they have young in the nest?

They did get in quite a few woodpeckers.  Here’s a hairy woodpecker male (note the little bit of red on the head).  Roger gave him a blow and revealed a brood patch.  Both males and females incubate so both would need a bare patch of skin swollen with blood vessels to keep the eggs nice and warm during incubation.  I went to see what Cornell Lab of Ornithology had to say specifically about hairy woodpecker and in the breeding section that mentions, “onset of broodiness” and that “incubation begins in earnest with laying of last egg, but male roosts in nest cavity and de facto incubation may begin with pen-ultimate egg, thus accounting for hatching often occurring over a 2 day period and for some of the size differences noted in nestlings.”

I love that someone other than my husband uses the word “pen-ultimate”to say that because the male sleeps in the nest cavity at night, incubation could start when the second to last egg is laid by the female.

For the past few springs we’ve had a couple of pine warblers come in to the feeders when the weather is cold and insects are not out in full force.  Warblers generally are not feeder birds, this brightly colored group of birds primarily eats insects–except for the pine warbler.  During a cold, wet spell like we are having right now in the Twin Cities you can find orioles, catbirds, yellow-rumped warblers, scarlet tanagers coming to suet feeders as an alternate source of protein.  Above is a pine warbler eating some no-melt peanut suet.  What makes the pine warbler a little different from other warblers is that they are known to eat seeds and sometimes, I see pine warblers eating sunflower seeds out of the shell as well as suet.

I think the rather disgruntled look on the face of this male pine warbler about says it all.  While we banded this bird, a second pine warbler came to the feeder.  It looked more like the bird in the photo above this–either a female or second year male.  I suspect that pine warblers are nesting nearby  since they sing well into June but it’s hard to say since they quit coming to feeders so I don’t see them feeding young (and I’ve yet to find the nest).

There was a huge brush pile that was chock full of sparrows and they set the nets near that and got a few white-throated sparrows.  When Roger blew on their breasts, he was watching for fat rather than brood patches.  These sparrows are still heading north and birds that showed yellow globs of fat just under their skin were loading up to travel further north.

The number of rose-breasted grosbeaks at the feeders have been increasing exponentially this week.  About seven days earlier, I heard one, then three days later, three males were at the feeder and by our banding day, I would say that we had five males jockeying for position on the feeder–and then one lone female.  Males typically arrive first to set up territory, so it was fun to see that in action.  We determined this bird was hatched last year, he had a few brown patches of juvenile plumage that had not molted out yet–not unlike some of the young males I saw in Panama this past February.  I wondered if the grosbeaks who arrived early on territory in sleet and cold temps and think, “I left Central America for this?”

Keep your eyes open at the feeders and in the woods.  Migration is in full swing, we have quite a few birds just flying and a few more who have yet to arrive.  With this wet weather, some birds will look for fast food like  bird feeders and you might be surprised by what you find.