A bald eagle nest by any account is a sight to behold, especially once the adults are joined by their young. On rare occasion, one of the little heads peeping over the top of the nest isn’t an eagle at all, but rather another raptor species! This is exactly what happened recently in Redding, California,… Read more »
In southern Peru, a vast 200-square-mile stretch of desert plains is adorned with massive etchings known as the Nazca Lines. The drawings include geometric shapes, human figures, plants, and various animals, including 16 birds. Scientists have been studying the geoglyphs for nearly a century in an attempt to determine why unknown pre-Incan people created them… Read more »
When we think of helping birds, tube feeders, sunflower seeds, hummingbird nectar, and bird baths might come to mind. But the most substantial help humans can provide for wild birds is natural habitat that safely feeds and shelters birds. Some trees and shrubs can provide sustenance for early emerging insect larvae, also known as baby… Read more »
Fewer than 20 Antioquia brushfinches are known, and habitat is under immediate threat By the American Bird Conservancy (Washington, D.C., April 12, 2019) The Antioquia brushfinch, a rusty-crowned Colombian songbird described as a new species 12 years ago, based solely on old museum specimens, eluded scientists until it was documented for the first time in… Read more »
Marbled Murrelets, by British bird artist Darren Rees, graced the cover of the July/August 2017 issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest, and was accompanied by a fascinating story and profile of this species on the pages inside the issue. (Read the story here!) Now, to help with the cancer-related expenses of BWD’s editor and co-publisher, Bill… Read more »
Alvaro warns against getting creative when packing for a birding trip. Also, blue jays, green jays, brown jays, and gray jays are all part of the intriguing family of corvids. What makes these birds so inquisitive and social? Listen here and find out! https://www.birdwatchersdigest.net/podcasts/otwtb/episode51.mp3
Three bald eagles—two males and a female—are nesting amicably at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge near Fulton, Illinois—again. The three parents share incubation responsibilities for the eggs—three this year—as they have in previous years. Like their relationship, their history is complicated. Male Valor 1 was young when he was spotted at the nest… Read more »
Favorite holiday gifts given and received is a major topic of this episode and among those gifts mentioned are a hockey stick, a mink coat, ten-speed bikes, and a vintage saucepan. Ben’s nightmare Christmas Bird Count experience and Bill’s Disney World surprise stories take center stage. Also mentioned are a conspiracy theory about wild birds,… Read more »
Reprinted from the Birding Community E-Bulletin The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species maintains a record of how close species may be to extinction. BirdLife International is responsible for annually measuring the health of the world of birds for this tally. Every year, BirdLife updates which birds are stable, which are in recovery, and which… Read more »
Trail-based outdoor recreation, including dog-walking, jogging, and bicycling, is on an upward trend, especially near cities. Noting that the mere presence of humans can disturb wildlife, researchers in Sweden wondered whether the change of vegetation and fragmentation of habitat caused by creation of trails, or the presence of humans on the trails was more disruptive… Read more »
