http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog Birds, Birding, Bird Watching, Ornithology Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:09:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Smithsonian has discovered a new bird in Gabon, Africa, bringing Gabon's known species to an amazing 753. It's called the olive-backed forest robin (Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus) and has been observed since 2001 where it was initially thought to be a immature member of another species. New Bird Species Discovered In ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/08/16/new-bird-discovered-in-gabon/ In May a hawk was electrocuted in a California winery, creating a destructive fire. Nick Papadopoulos, a Santa Rosa conflict resolution and business consultant drove the making a wine brand called "Burning Hawk Wine". 10 percent of sales of this wine will go towards preventing similar avian deaths ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/08/13/burnt-bird-leaves-legacy-in-wine/ Taking Falconry to a different level (and a more economical one), some farmers are using the birds of prey to chase after scavenging birds in their fields. This is part of a program, approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, that allows the use of predator birds to control ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/08/11/falcons-put-to-use-by-farmers/ Brown pelicans are on the comeback trail. So many young pelicans in southern California that they are starting to show up at rescue centers. Young pelicans are in that awkward stage when they have worked off their baby fat but haven't developed the fishing skills of the full ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/08/02/san-pedro-research-center-busy-with-pelicans/ The first Purple Martin festival was a huge success in Richmond VA on July 26.  Bottom is a stopover for Purples as they make their way to South America for the winter. The crowd got an unexpected show of raw nature when a red-tailed hawk ate 3 of the Martins! ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/07/27/virignia-purple-martin-festival-a-success/ Just when you thought you've heard everything.  A peacock on the side of Route 307 in northeast Pennsylvania thumbed a ride with two people. Well not exactly: Jerry Dimick and a friend were driving along Route 307 near Clarks Summit on Wednesday when they spotted a peacock standing by the edge ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/07/24/a-peacock-hitchhiker/ If you live in or near Manhattan and want to start enjoying Central Park birds, the website for New York City's Central Park provides a handy downloadable PDF document for you. It's only four pages, but packed tight with information on the birds that inhabit and pass through Central Park.  ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/07/23/the-birds-of-central-park/ There is some ongoing disagreement among birders about whether to deter or accept squirrels in the yard. Squirrels will be attracted to bird feeders pretty much no matter what you put in them. Some say give them their own feeder! That works for some people but you need to need ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/07/20/feed-the-squirrels-or-not/ We all know the feeling of having that freshly washed car getting dropped on by the local aviary friends.  For some reason, green cars are less likely to be the subject of bird droppings according to a study from Zurich Insurance.  Now we're talking about green the color here, not ... http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/07/17/green-cars-get-less-bird-droppings/ File this under 'Can not win them all'.  A young squirrel was apparently small and agile enough to squeeze between the bars of the supposedly squirrel proof bird feeder. I suppose this is why they call them 'squirrel resistant' rather than squirrel proof. Squirrel breaks into squirrel-proof bird feeder http://www.birdfeedersbirdhouses.com/blog/2008/07/16/squirrel-in-uk-breaks-into-squirrel-proof-bird-feeder/