 | | | Like Rachel Carson, many of us have been seeking solace and inspiration with extended sojourns outdoors in nature since the election earlier this month. You will not find reporting in this November issue of the RCC Bird Watch and Wonder on which environmentally-oriented federal agencies will be decimated, which habitats drilled and fracked for oil and gas, which woods and forests filled with songbirds, woodpeckers, owls and other species put to the chainsaw. Fall migrants continue on the move, arriving with wild honking and astounding descents as they skid to landings leaving a glistening trail of wake. Winter birds – White-throated sparrows, juncos, the occasional kinglet or Evening Grosbeak, suddenly appear in our yards and at our feeders. As we always have, we take heart from our avian friends and try to nourish and protect them.  We know and care about birds because we are able to carefully observe and track their comings and goings, as does Audubon New Hampshire raptor biologist, Chris Martin, who follows Saw Whet migrations and Snowy Owl eruptions in our “Bird Lore” section. In Florida, Jason Vogelsong watches songbirds migrating from his shrimp boat off of Melbourne, while other Floridians have taken to using radar to find migrant birds year round. Many migrating birds fly high and at night so that in the DeKalb section of Chicago, the members of the Wings Over the Windy City organization use sound recordings to find and follow the birds.
Such fascination and loving attention to these flying miracles leads ultimately to efforts to preserve and protect them. In our “Action and Advocacy” section, California voters disregarded the anti-environmental victory of Donald Trump and, instead, overwhelmingly passed Proposition 4, with the largest investments in state history for climate change solutions. This will translate into habitat protection, water conservation, coastal resilience, and restoration—all of which are vital to helping birds and California communities thrive well into the future.  Our November issue of Bird Watch and Wonder would not be complete without Ross Feldner’s story, “Why Do Birds Sing? that captures the amazing vocal and musical qualities of birds, including some choice recordings. And, in our “Books” section, Pete Dunn enriches our understanding, admiration and love for birds with his The Courage of Birds (Chelsea Green, 2024) and how, without coats and gloves or heaters, they manage to survive the winter and hop through our backyard snow while we watch from behind the glass.
All this birdophilia is more than enough to get us past the despair of the election, to elevate and enliven our spirits, and, once again, to take action. But, if like me, you cannot always remain upbeat and positive, you may fantasize about taking on the characteristics of perhaps our smartest bird, the American crow. At the very top of this issue, The New York Times reports that crows not only remember individual humans and their faces, but they also are masters at holding grudges. Crows will attack someone who has harmed them over many years – even passing on the grudge to succeeding crow generations. Thus, I suspect, if you were a crow, you might just have a candidate or two to remember for regular divebombing. | | | | | | | |  Bob Musil is the President & CEO of the Rachel Carson Council and author of Rachel Carson and Her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America’s Environment (Rutgers, 2016) and Washington in Spring: A Nature Journal for a Changing Capital (Bartleby, 2016). He is also the editor of the forthcoming annotated edition from Rutgers University Press of Rachel Carson’s Under the Sea-Wind with his Introduction, updated marine science, and historic and contemporary illustrations and photographs. | | | | | | Why Do Birds Sing? "In that dawn chorus one hears the throb of life itself" - Rachel Carson. Dawn begins to break and the birds start singing, heralding a new day. One of many theories is that the dawn chorus, which can start as early as 4 am, is a time to attract mates and mark their territory. The air is usually still so sound carries further. To celebrate this sonic wonder there’s the annual International Dawn Chorus Day, held on the first Sunday in May, when the entire world celebrates nature's greatest symphony. | | | | | | | | If You Think You Can Hold a Grudge, Consider the Crow The brainy birds carry big chips on their shoulders, scientists say. And some people who become subjects of their ire may be victims of mistaken identity. Over and over, the crows attacked Lisa Joyce as she ran screaming down a Vancouver street. They dive bombed, landing on her head and taking off again eight times by Ms. Joyce’s count. With hundreds of people gathered outdoors to watch fireworks that July evening, Ms. Joyce wondered why she had been singled out. | | | | | | | | Something Wild: Tracking the Odyssey of Bird Migration “Birds do some amazing things,” says NH Audubon raptor biologist Chris Martin, co-host of Something Wild, “and migration is at the top of that list.” Scott Weidensaul is a naturalist and ornithologist now living in New Hampshire who is involved in several research projects focusing on bird migration. He has written more than 30 books on natural history, including Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. | | | | | | | | What the Beatles Song ’Blackbird’ Was Really About According to Paul McCartney, he was relaying a beautiful message of hope. Paul McCartney and the rest of the Beatles most certainly grew up hearing Eurasian Blackbirds, in their home of Liverpool. Eurasian Blackbirds are common in the gardens and throughout the countryside in Great Britain. But McCartney wasn’t singing about the bird. He was singing about the racial strife in the American South in the 1960s. | | | | | | | | It Took Me 40 Years to Find This Bird, Then Experts Said it Wasn’t Real This one hurts. It took me a long time to add a hoary redpoll to my life list. Now, it’s no longer considered a separate species. In July, the American Ornithological Society decided it’s just a frostier version of the common redpoll. I feared this day would come. On average, the hoary redpoll is paler than the common redpoll, and it tends to breed farther north in the Arctic. All my life, the two have been deemed separate species. | | | | | | | | Odd Ducks and Lame Ducks A post-election expedition for seabirds along the Atlantic coast WHEN YOU first gaze upon a King Eider, a moment that can change a birdwatcher’s life, your impression may very well be that of confusion. Is this duck beautiful? Or bizarre? It is both, of course, as if a child had conjured up a fictional waterfowl. And yet, as it floats just offshore in icy waters, a King Eider, authentic and honest, is a reminder of genuine beauty in a world of inevitable pain and chaos. This is quite a burden for a sea duck to bear. | | | | | | | | | | Hear the Differing Drumbeats of Woodpeckers Each bird's distinctive hammering serves as a warning to others. Like a jazz player beating out a drum roll, a woodpecker uses its bill to rap out a brisk series of notes. Early spring resounds with the percussive hammering of woodpeckers. Their rhythmic drumming works like many birds’ songs: it broadcasts to other woodpeckers over a long distance a clear assertion of territorial and mating rights. | | | | | | | | Snowbirds (the kind with wings) Are Flocking to Florida and You Can Use Radar to Track Them The songbirds that swarmed Jason Vogelsong's boat fluttered down like night snow. They landed in exhausted, feather-flapping flurries on the outriggers and deck of his boat as he fished for rock shrimp recently about 30 miles off Melbourne. The Jacksonville fisherman captured vivid video of a fall ritual of migratory birds making their yearly treks to Florida. Birders and biologists — in different way — also have been seeing similar spikes of birds headed to the Space Coast, lately: via radar. | | | | | | | | Group Searches Norfolk for Dead Birds, Gathering Data on Building Collisions Large city buildings in downtown areas can be confusing for migratory birds, especially in downtown Norfolk, with its massive stretches of glass windows and lights on at night. Birds that hit the glass often die. Since starting daily search efforts in August, the Cape Henry Audubon Society has found at least 264 birds that died by building strikes in Norfolk. | | | | | | | | Mapping Bird Migration With Feathers For Conservation With half of the songbird species of the Western Hemisphere in decline, including migratory birds that travel vast distances between breeding and wintering areas, urgent conservation solutions are needed. The Bird Genoscape Project seeks to map the migratory routes of songbirds using genetic tools to identify areas to target conservation efforts. Learn how feathers and DNA are being used to build the next frontier of bird conservation. | | | | | | | | Concord Veteran Finds Connection Through Birds It started with a peregrine falcon. For Robert Vallieres, a veteran of the Gulf War, this was the bird that changed his life once he returned from combat. “They needed people to watch their natural habitats. It’s called nest-watching,” Vallieres said. “For birds of prey, they asked me to watch stuff in the White Mountains, so I took a tour with New Hampshire Audubon when I got back in the ’90s.” | | | | | | | | California Voters Said Yes to Prop 4, a Win for Birds, People, and Our Shared Future! Thanks to bird advocates and environmental champions across the state like you, California voters passed Proposition 4, the largest public investment dedicated to climate resilience in the state’s history! This momentous victory will ensure that California has the resources we all need to fight the growing threats of climate change. | | | | | | | | Birds as Indicator Species Ecological indicators are useful tools for measuring changes over time, and provide valuable insights into how and why the environment is changing. We can measure the changing status of the environment, such as biodiversity – fewer species, more species, and/or different species; the reasons for these changes (habitat destruction or degradation, pollution, climate change, introduced species, etc.), and the response to those threats – conservation, revegetation, new laws or policies, and public knowledge. | | | | | | | | Projected Effects of Climate Change on Birds in U.S. National Parks Birds in U.S. national parks find strong protection from many longstanding and pervasive threats, but remain highly exposed to effects of ongoing climate change. As climate in a particular place changes, suitability may worsen for some species and improve for others. These changes in climate may alter distributions of historically occurring species, creating the potential for local extirpation or new colonization. | | | | | | | | Male Birds Less Involved in Family Care, New Study Shows A recent study highlights intriguing differences in the behavior of male and female birds, revealing that male birds contribute less to family care due to their focus on exploring new living and breeding opportunities. This research, conducted by experts at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, investigated the social dynamics of white-browed sparrow weavers, a species native to the Kalahari Desert. In these social groups, a dominant pair breeds while their adult offspring, primarily females, assist in nurturing the young. | | | | | | | | Sound Technology Reveals DeKalb's Unique Migratory Bird Patterns Migratory birds have been flying over DeKalb. Now, there’s a way to monitor their movements throughout the season. Wings over the Windy City is a migratory bird monitoring project. They mainly use sound receivers to record the chirps that birds make at night — when it's safer — to communicate as they fly | | | | | | | | Despite Biden’s Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down On Earth Day in 2022, President Joe Biden stood among cherry blossoms and towering Douglas firs in a Seattle park to declare the importance of big, old trees. “There used to be a hell of a lot more forests like this,” he said, calling them “our planet’s lungs” and extolling their power to fight climate change. The amount of carbon trees suck out of the air increases dramatically with age, making older trees especially important. | | | | | | | | Ruddy Duck One of the standout features of this small duck other than the male’s bright blue bill is its long, stiff tail that they usually hold cocked upward. The Ruddy Duck’s genus name is derived from Ancient Greek oxus, meaning “sharp”, and oura meaning “tail”. Ruddy Ducks breeding habitat is usually marshy lakes and ponds where they nest in dense vegetation near water which helps conceal the nest from predators. | | | | | | | | 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. Feeling the Spirit of Life Sometimes when the pace slows you can feel the spirit of life rise through you it is then you know you are alive. | | | | | | | | Birding Festivals and Events 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. Click “Read More” for map and listings of upcoming festivals. | | | | | | | | The Courage of Birds
And the Often Surprising Ways They Survive Winter Illustrated by David Allen Sibley  From our own backyards to the rim of the Arctic ice, countless birds have adapted to meet the challenges of the winter season. This is their remarkable story, told by award-winning birder and acclaimed writer Pete Dunne, accompanied by illustrations from renowned artist and birder David Sibley.
Despite the seasonal life-sapping cold, birds have evolved strategies that meet winter’s vicissitudes head on, driven by the imperative to make it to spring and pass down their genes to the next generation. The drama of winter and the resilience and adaptability of birds witnessed in the harsher months of the calendar is both fascinating and astonishing.=In The Courage of Birds, Pete Dunne—winner of the American Birding Association’s Roger Tory Peterson Award for lifetime achievement in promoting the cause of birding—chronicles the behavior of the birds of North America. He expertly explores widespread adaptations, such as feathers that protect against the cold, and unpacks the unique migration patterns and survival strategies of individual species. Dunne also addresses the impact of changing climatic conditions on avian longevity and recounts personal anecdotes that soar with a naturalist’s gimlet eye. Praise for Pete Dunne “Dunne’s prose is lyrical, sensitive, and full of feeling.” —Ted Floyd, editor, Birding “Pete is arguably North America’s best and best-known birder—and he’s also a terrific writer.” —Scott Shalaway, author and former syndicated nature columnist Click here to purchase | | | | | | | | | | Return to the Sky
The Surprising Story of How One Woman and Seven Eaglets Helped Restore the Bald Eagle Foreword by Elizabeth Gray “T hree cheers for this splendid, surprising, inspiring book!”—Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus.
Alone in a vast wildlife refuge with little direction and no experience, a Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology student found herself responsible for a project of historical importance—to bring the Bald Eagle back from near extinction.
In Return to the Sky, Tina Morris, one of the first women to engage in a raptor reintroduction program, shares her remarkable story that is as much about the human spirit as it is about birds of prey.
In the spring of 1975, on the eve of the US Bicentennial, Tina was selected to reintroduce Bald Eagles into New York State in the hope that the species could eventually repopulate eastern North America. Young and female in a male-dominated field, Tina was handed an assignment to rehabilitate a population that had been devastated by the effects of DDT. The challenges were prodigious—there was no model to emulate for a bird of the eagle’s size, for one—but Tina soon found that her own path to self-discovery and confidence-building was deeply connected with the survival of the species she was chosen to protect. “This is more than an account of environmental triumph; it is a call to action. At a time of urgent climate and biodiversity crises, this book challenges each of us to examine our surroundings and consider how we can contribute to the sustainability of our planet.”—Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO, National Audubon Society, from the foreword “Emotional and inspiring proof that one person can make a difference.”—Kirkus Reviews “Inspiring . . . the writing is clear and eloquent . . . Morris expertly blends moving memoir and scientific research in this remarkable and affecting story.”—Booklist Click here to purchase | | | | | | | | Storm Boy When Michael Kingley, a successful retired businessman, starts to see images from his past that he can't explain, he's forced to remember his childhood and how, as a boy, he rescued and raised an extraordinary orphaned pelican, Mr. Percival. A beautiful and contemporary retelling of Colin Thiele's classic Australian tale. 'Storm Boy' has grown up to be Michael Kingley, a successful retired businessman and grandfather. When Kingley starts to see images from his past that he can't explain, he is forced to remember his long-forgotten childhood, growing up on an isolated coastline with his father. He recounts to his grand-daughter the story of how, as a boy, he rescued and raised an extraordinary orphaned pelican, Mr Percival. Their remarkable adventures and very special bond has a profound effect on all their lives. Based on the beloved book, Storm Boy is a timeless story of an unusual and unconditional friendship. Watch for free on Amazon Watch for free on Tubi | | | | The November 2024 issue of Bird Watch and Wonder was produced by Ross Feldner | | | | | |  The Rachel Carson Council Depends on Tax-deductible Gifts From Concerned Individuals Like You. Please Help If You can. | | | |  Sign Up Here to Receive the RCC E-News and Other RCC Newsletters, Information and Alerts. | | | | | | | | | | | |
