Blog for the Birds

German Researchers find Clue to Bird Migration

How exactly do birds know when and where to migrate?  We’ve always chalked it up to evolutionary adaptation, but scientists may have found a clue in their vision system.  The study says that birds ’see’ the Earth’s magnetic field as a visual pattern, which presumably aids them in migration.

Migrating birds may see Earth’s magnetic field

West Coast Snowy Plovers Get Plan

The Snowy Plover has a breeding ground that has clashed terribly with humans.  They breed and lay eggs in the open sand on beaches.  This has led to critically low populations and has placed them on the endangered list.  This has also led to seasonal beach closures in certain areas.

Federal Officials have released a 10 year recovery plan for getting this bird back to a sustainable breeding population.   This plan calls for 3,000 adults to be maintained for 10 years. Not everyone is happy with this plan, however.  The Center for Biological Diversity criticized the plan for setting the population goal too low.

Agency Announces Recovery Plan for Bird

Bird Sanctuary in Queens

A planning council in Queens NY, is expected to give the approval to a landmarked bird sanctuary in the estate of Voelker Orth Museum in Flushing.  It’s a Victorian era small museum and garden and would be the first landmarked bird sanctuary in the city.

Panel expected to give bird sanctuary landmark status

California Boy has Bright Future in Birding Photography

Ben Knoot, a San Mateo middle school student is a serious photographer of birds. He has won awards for his photography and recently a photo he took of the an American Bittern was featured in Ranger Rick magazine. His work can be viewed at his website (link here). It’s amazing work for an 11 year old boy and he should know by know he has a bright future in birding Photography.

Local boy’s bird photos win big

Raising the Alarm on Rare Chinese Bird

BirdLife International has raised the red flag on the Chinese Crested Tern - Sterna bernsteini.

Without urgent action conservationists have given the bird less than five years before disappearing completely from its two remaining breeding areas.

Unfortunately, the bird is sought after for its eggs and its population has dwindled to fewer than 50 birds. The eggs are thought to be more nutritious than chicken eggs.

This sea bird has been on the brink of extinction before. It was thought to be extinct before 4 pairs were located in at a nesting colony in 2000. The location of the colony is a politically sensitive islet - administered by Taiwan but claimed by mainland China. Having been declared a wildlife sanctuary recently, may help this bird survive and rise again.

Conservationists Warn About The Possible Extinction Of China’s Rarest Sea Bird

Southern Wisconsin Birders descend on Rare Find

Bird watchers in or around the town of Beloit WI are going to flock to this place because someone sighted a Green-breasted Mango. Wow, now that’s far north for that bird. It’s a tropical hummingbird rarely seen north of Mexico. I hope it finds its way home soon! It’s going to get chilly up there soon.

Rare Mexican Green-Breasted Hummingbird Spotted In Wisconsin

Songbird Ortolan is a Delicacy in France

In France they eat different things, OK…I can deal with that. But a song bird?  Tastes like chicken? So you might wonder does a bird enthusiast eat chicken? This one does and turkey too!  But that’s about where I draw the line.

Tis such a small tiny bird with a lovely song, who could possibly eat such a thing? But fortunately France has outlawed the killing of these birds and if you want to ‘enjoy’ the taste of one you’ll have to break the law. Why not just enjoy them the way they were meant to be enjoyed: with the ears and the eyes?

France Cracks Down on Songbird Delicacy

Maryland Marshlands ready for Birding Trail

Birding trails are popping up everywhere! This is great news for those of us who like to travel.  It looks like a new one is getting starting in the Chesapeake Bay marsh region of Maryland.  Jim Rapp of Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism Experiences is working on what he calls a ‘Cape to Cape Trail’ which will go from Cape May NJ to Cape Charles VA. The marshes along the Altantic coast have long been home to migratory birds and this will be a great way to view them. 

By the way, the link in the article to Audubon’s Backseat Bird trail guide is old. Here is the real link: The Audubon Guide to Birding Trails

Birdwatching hobby takes flight

Grackle Cleanup in Texas

In Temple, Texas, there was a problem with grackles. Apparently the grackles messed up City Hall and the city officials did not take too kindly to them.  So bad was the problem that the city had to pay workers overtime to clean up the mess.

Former grackle-removing methodology failed to impress these smart birds.  Those included noise makers, faux oils and other methods.  Newer methods include trimming trees and a blowing horn before dusk.  This seems to be keeping them at bay.

City making progress on bird problem

Dial a Bird Song!

File this under “things to do while waiting in line at the post office or bank”.  The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune has a dial in number where you can press a 4 digit code to listen to bird songs.  The number is 612-673-9050. Here are few of the codes:

5058 American robin
5059 common nighthawk
5060 dark-eyed junco
5061 Northern cardinal
5062 Swainson’s thrush

It isn’t clear how many calls are there, so you have to do a little exploring for other ones. The category numbers just above and below those numbers are also bird calls!

Listen to bird calls