A Pastor Finds Joy Through the Lenten Practice of Birdwatching

I struggle to sit still and pray.

That's a tough thing for a pastor to admit, but here we are. I've worked in ordained ministry for more than 11 years and, still, being still is often the last thing I want to do. Then in early 2020, stuck within the four walls of my home with three active children, a perseverating husband and a perseverating self, stilled by circumstance and not by choice, I started looking out the window. A little black bird with a white belly looked back at me. A western Phoebe, as it turns out. Our youngest, then 18 months old and still learning how to form words, called it "the seaweed."

The Evolution of Bird Migration

To an earthbound species like humans, bird migration is nothing short of extreme. A four-ounce Arctic tern can fly to Antarctica and back each year during a lifetime that spans 30 years. Bar-tailed godwits can fly from Alaska to New Zealand in a single nonstop flight that lasts eight days. And hundreds of other species ranging from hawks to hummingbirds routinely perform their own epic migrations. Extreme as it may seem to a terrestrial primate like us, migration is for many birds a common-sense reaction to the availability of resources. After all, seasonal change is one of the most dependable features of our planet, providing predictable resources such as spring leaf-out, monsoon rains, insect hatches, and fruiting seasons.

America’s Youth Have a New Favorite Activity. It’s More Wholesome Than You Think.

Birding, of all things, has enjoyed an ascendant rise in popularity since the start of the pandemic. Sam is a 28-year-old math teacher in Boston. Later this evening, after he’s done grading quizzes and packing up for the day, he’s going with his friend Mikey to a pond near their house. Some American woodcocks come out at dusk, and they’re hoping to catch a glimpse. They’ll bring a couple beers and a joint, so if they strike out, no worries. It’s still a nice walk.

Seven Women Who Made the World Better for Birds and People

We’re giving a major hat tip to these die-hard conservationists, because every month should be Women's History Month. When we hear the word “naturalist,” we often think of Charles Darwin and his theories, John Muir, the “Father of National Parks,” and of course, John James Audubon. But let’s not forget the women who rallied to preserve the natural realm. From creating the first avian field guide, to ending the feather trade, to dying in pursuit of birds, these seven femmes prove that the history of incredible women transcends any single month.

Column: Little Bird Feeds, Perches and Nests Among Ominous Cactus Spines

Brooding clouds were dancing across the tops of the San Ysidro Mountains as an early spring storm swept eastward from the coast.

As they have done for eons, the bouldery peaks were blocking the rainfall from reaching the desert where a cloudless sky allowed the cholla cactus to glow in the soft morning light.

As the storm raged 4,000 feet above, there was stillness on the desert floor, except for something bouncing around among the menacing spines of the cactus.

Listen to the Songs of Extinct Birds

When people think of extinct animals, they may picture taxidermy, skeletons, 19th-century illustrations or perhaps grainy black-and-white photographs. Until very recently, these were our only ways to encounter lost beings. However, technological advances are making it possible to encounter extinct species in new ways. With a few clicks, we can listen to their voices.

In September 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended removing 23 apparently extinct species from the endangered species list. This group included 11 species of birds, as well as various aquatic creatures, a fruit bat and a Hawaiian plant.

Do Birds Have Language?

In the cheeps, trills and tweets of birdsong, scientists find some parallels with human speech

In our quest to find what makes humans unique, we often compare ourselves with our closest relatives: the great apes. But when it comes to understanding the quintessentially human capacity for language, scientists are finding that the most tantalizing clues lay farther afield.

Human language is made possible by an impressive aptitude for vocal learning. Infants hear sounds and words, form memories of them, and later try to produce those sounds, improving as they grow up.

First-of-its-kind Global Catalog of Bird Shapes Yields Ecological ‘gold mine’

Measurements offer a new window into avian evolution and ecosystem health

In 2012, evolutionary biologist Catherine Sheard started an ambitious Ph.D. project: measuring the shape of every kind of passerine, or perching bird, in the world. “I thought, ‘This is about 6000 species, that almost seems doable,’” Sheard says. It was, and her project catalyzed an international effort to measure all the world’s birds.

Deer Have Antlers, Walruses Have Tusks – Here’s Why So Few Birds Have Weapons of their Own

There’s plenty of aggression in the bird world, but little armed violence.

Mating season in the animal kingdom can be dramatic, and sometimes violent. As an example, take deer clashing their antlers during the rut – nostrils flaring, hooves hammering the ground, grass flying everywhere, and that eerie silence before the thunderous collision. The winning buck gets access to the harem, while the loser must find other females to fight for.

Birder to Birder

J. Drew Lanham imagines an exchange of letters between two pillars of conservation: one who extended his love of nature to care for a fellow human, and one who did not. Through this fictional discourse, Drew asks: In the ongoing response to racism, how might reckoning with history help us to widen our field of view and weave better futures?

We live in an age where identity, by whatever key, places us in pigeonholes. By race, ethnicity, gender/nongender, geography, political affiliation, occupation, and even vaccination status, we nest in certain identities where we are accepted by some and rejected by others.

Eggs Laid by Peregrine Falcons in Pennsylvania’s Livestreaming Nests: Here’s How to Watch

Peregrine falcons at two Pennsylvania nests monitored by livestreaming cameras are tending to eggs laid in those nests recently.

The peregrines at the nest on the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg are incubating five eggs that the female laid from March 7-16.

The female had laid two eggs as of today in the nest at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh.

Red Phalarope

The Red Phalarope, like the American Woodcock and Long-billed Curlew, is a most unusual shorebird. Its genus name Phalaropus derives from the Ancient Greek words phalaris, "coot," and pous, "foot." The species name fulicarius also means "coot," but derives from Latin.

Phalaropes, like coots, have lobed toes, which help these birds swim efficiently. The Red Phalarope is not only a good swimmer but a tough bird overall, having to navigate two worlds: the tundra and the high seas. It is larger and more pelagic (ocean-going) than the world's two other phalaropes, the Wilson's and the Red-necked.

Dodo DNA Discovery Could Lead to Revival of Extinct Bird

The thought of reviving the foregone dodo is no longer one for the birds.

The recent discovery of a “fantastic specimen” of dodo DNA was the last clue needed to complete the extinct bird’s genome, announced a team of biological researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The findings mean scientists are one step closer to the possibility of bringing back the dodo, which disappeared more than three centuries ago.

Going the Distance. Epic Migrations.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” -- Nelson Mandela.

I moved a lot in my childhood all over the United States. Coast to coast, north and south, east and west. Some of the moves were over vast distances but nothing like bird migrations that span the globe. Over oceans and mountain ranges, rivers and deserts, birds follow their ancient instincts to find food and nesting, traveling from areas of low or decreasing resources to areas of high or increasing resources.

Let’s meet some of the champions.

Audubon Helps People Get In Touch With Bird World Through Art

Connecticut Audubon Society hosted the third of its five “Young, Gifted, And Wild About Birds” online presentations on March 3.

Jenny Kroik led “How Drawing and Painting Can Help You Get In Touch With The Bird World” to share about her work as an artist/illustrator and the impact drawing birds can have on people.

She also gave a special look into how she accomplishes her creations by doing two bird paintings while attendees watched.