Plan Would Address Threatened Eastern Black Rails’ Habitat Loss

There was a time when the distinctive “kiki-do” call of eastern black rails were a common sound rising up from North Carolina marshes. Masters of secrecy, these little birds are rarely, if ever, seen.

They prefer to skirt through the marsh using tunnels dug by rabbits and other small mammals rather than take to the sky. Their nests are typically well concealed close to the ground in the highest part of brackish, saltwater and inland freshwater marshes.

As Temperatures Surge, Sunbathers and Shorebirds Look to Share Wrightsville Beach

Both like sand and being at the coast. But sometimes humans and birds find it hard to share the beach. A recent report highlights the decline of bird species nationally, with shorebirds particularly at risk due to habitat loss, climate change, and human interaction. Volunteers and signage help manage human interaction with the birds in protected areas, educating beachgoers about sharing the space with nesting birds.

What We’ll Lose If Bird Banding Ends

Scientists have tagged birds for more than 100 years. That preservation program might be defunded.

I did not know much about bird banding until I signed up to take part in an owl study in my neighborhood outside Portland, Oregon. A federally licensed bird bander named Alexander Lauber installed a wooden owl box in a cherry tree in my backyard. Owl boxes re-create the tree cavities where owls nest in nature.

Minnesota Corn Fields Pose Migration Risk For Songbirds, Study Shows

Twice a year, billions of songbirds race through Minnesota’s skies, making their journey between the U.S. and South America in search of richer resources and gentler weather.

But for many songbirds, flapping through Minnesota isn’t easy.

In new research from Cornell University, scientists have found that the Corn Belt’s large stretch of farmland forces songbirds to alter their natural flight patterns.

Birds in Tiny 'backpacks' Might Provide More Insights to New England Marsh Restoration Projects

Some salt marsh sparrows out on New Hampshire’s seacoast are now flying around with brand new backpacks. The accessory is actually a solar-powered tag the size of a fingernail, which will help University of New Hampshire researchers provide important data for marsh restoration projects across New England.

In late June, the research team set out at five in the morning to tag the tiny birds on Lubberland Creek.

Trump’s Budget Would Clip Bird Banding. Hunters Are Not Happy.

The Bird Banding Laboratory has turned duck hunters into citizen scientists. What happens if it is defunded?

For more than a century, the Bird Banding Laboratory has placed small metallic bands on the legs of birds across North America. Each year, the lab receives thousands of reports from bird watchers and biologists who spot the markers on the birds and report them to the lab. In this way, the lab tracks and monitors the movements and numbers of birds, from sparrows to sparrow hawks.

NASA-Assisted Scientists Get Bird’s-Eye View of Population Status

NASA satellite data and citizen science observations combine for new findings on bird populations.

Through the eBird citizen scientist program, millions of birders have recorded their observations of different species and submitted checklists to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Through a partnership with NASA, the lab has now used this data to model and map bird population trends for nearly 500 North American species.

Birdist Rule #71: Figure Out What Kind Of Chickadees You’ve Got

I’ve probably said this about every bird at one time or another, but this time I mean it: Chickadees are the best birds. They’re just the best. They’re cute. They’re cool-looking. They make a lot of noise to let you know they’re coming. No one has ever been disappointed to see a chickadee. But how much do you really know about the chickadee you see in your woods or at your feeder? Do you know, say, which of the seven chickadee species found in the United States it happens to be?

The Secret to Song Sparrows’ Extraordinary Success Lies in Their Genome

This ordinary-seeming songbird species is teeming with subtle genetic diversity, which allows local populations to respond in various ways to a changing world.

f you’re a birder in North America, you’re almost certainly familiar with Song Sparrows. Because they’re found everywhere—from the deserts and volcanoes of Mexico to the outlying islands of Alaska.

10 Birds to See at National Wildlife Refuges

Try Spotting These Distinctive-Looking Birds

Which birds are the best to look for on national wildlife refuges? Those you most like to see. That might mean large-winged birds with flashy mating displays. Or bright-beaked wading birds that are fun to watch feed. Or maybe a small bird that flies record-setting distances each spring. With more than 700 bird species on refuges, you have a wide choice. Here are a few kinds of birds to consider.

The Search for One of North America’s Rarest Birds

Scientists must journey to remote islands in the middle of the Bering Sea, braving uncertain conditions, to reach the breeding grounds of McKay's Buntings. In the middle of Alaska’s Bering Sea, St. Matthew Island and its much smaller neighbor Hall Island are among the few specks of land amid hundreds of square miles of water. These uninhabited volcanic isles host an impressive array of Arctic birds, including one of North America’s most enigmatic species: the McKay’s Bunting, which breeds only here.

The Questions Started With the Wren

Of all the nest boxes in our yard, the Carolina chickadees always choose the hanging box in the rose arbor. Every year the female builds her beautiful nest of moss and lays her clutch of speckled eggs. How many eggs? I never know. With chickadees it can be as many as a dozen, as few as three.

But if I hear the glorious, burbling river of song that means a northern house wren has arrived, I know the chickadees don’t stand a chance. A house wren is a tiny, feathered terrorist.

How a Parasitic Bird With No Parents Learns What Species It Is

Cowbird mothers abandon their eggs in the nests of other bird species, but the chicks somehow manage to find their flock and learn what they really are.

In P.D. Eastman’s classic picture book “Are You My Mother?” a baby bird hatches alone and goes on a quest. It asks a cow, a dog, and even an excavator whether they might be its mother. Finally, the chick and its true mom reunite.

The Folklore of Birds

Birds have been creatures of the mythic imagination since the very earliest times. Various birds, from eagles to starlings, serve as messengers to the gods in stories the world over, carrying blessings to humankind and prayers up to the heavens. They lead shamans into the Spirit World and dead souls to the Realm Beyond; they follow heroes on quests, uncover secrets, give warning and shrewd council.

The movements, cries and migratory patterns of birds have been studied as oracles.

Sackville Artist Communicates Thoughts Through Bird Portraits, Sculptures

Mixed-media artist Indu Varma of Sackville, N.B., looks at birds from a different perspective.

Varma, who grew up in India, has created a 16-piece exhibit called Birds & their Symbolism. It is inspired by stories from Hindu mythology, symbolic meanings of birds across different cultures, and her childhood experiences.

The exhibit of paintings and sculptures will be displayed at the Saint John Arts Centre until Aug. 29.

Festivals by Location

A great way to enjoy birdwatching is by going to festivals—they’re organized to get you to well-known birding spots at the right time of year, and they’re a perfect way to meet people. Experts and locals help you see more birds, and you’ll meet other visitors who share your hobby.

While you’re there, keep an eye out for Cornell Lab representatives, as we do attend several festivals each year.

Whooping Crane

Before humans began altering their habitat, it is estimated there were 15,000 to 20,000 Whooping Cranes. By the 1800’s and early 1900s, hunting and habitat loss began to reduce their numbers drastically. By 1860 there were only about 1,400 and in 1941 their population had fallen to the shockingly low number of 15! It seemed they were on the verge of extinction.

These last few survivors were all part of a single flock that migrated between Canada and Texas.

Momentary Meditations are published every Monday to awaken what Rachel Carson called “the sense of wonder” and what Albert Schweitzer called “a reverence for life.” Looking deeply into our interdependence with all life on earth helps us know what we must do. In our harried world, these meditations are meant to serve as a renewable resource for compassion and love.

The Grace of an Eagle - Watching this eagle slowly and deliberately prepare for flight caused me to confess that too often I get lost in mindless waiting or unnecessary rushing and overlook the power of resting “in the grace of the world”, as Wendell Berry puts it in his poem The Peace of Wild Things