The two ornithologists had just visited a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) eyrie and were motoring their way to another one. As their inflatable boat rose and fell in heavy swells along the northern Queen Charlotte Islands off Canada’s western coast they saw a flock of whirling Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). By Rex Graham David H. [...]
A multi-agency report on the state of birds in the San Francisco Bay area paints a mixed picture, with most bird species doing well after decades of investments in habitat restoration, but many are vulnerable to rising sea levels, extreme-weather events, non-native predators and other threats. The analysis was based on years of [...]
By Rex Graham Two whooping cranes — the most endangered of all of the world’s crane species — have been shot and killed near the Jennings, Louisiana, according to the he Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Agents have identified two juveniles for their alleged role in the illegal shooting of the cranes, which [...]
By Tony Ball Commercial development is Thailand’s cancer. It is spreading mindlessly toward national parks and wilderness areas, eating away the beauty and tranquility of this lovely country. I have enjoyed hundreds of species of birds in Thailand for 22 years and grown to love this country. My two decades of fond memories makes the [...]
A male Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) in May 2010 wove a nest in the branch of an arroyo willow along the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside, California. But he didn’t build it for a female of his own species. By Rex Graham His mate was a female White-eyed Vireo (V. griseus). The [...]
By Rex Graham BirdsNews.com Nocturnal predators and full moons are deadly combinations for many mammals. No wonder rabbits, deer mice and even bats exhibit “lunar phobia,” becoming less active and more vigilant as moonlight intensity increases. They tend to spend moonlit nights in thickets and other safer areas even if there is less food to [...]
By Rex Graham BirdsNews.com The San Francisco Planning Commission by a 5-1 vote on July 14 approved new Bird Safe Building Standards. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is expected to consider at its August or September meeting the new standards, which were supported by the American Bird Conservancy and Golden Gate Audubon. “Bird deaths [...]
By Rex Graham BirdsNews.com On July 12, ornithologist Dr. Colin Miskelly received a phone call with mind-boggling implications. A Department of Conservation colleague reported that Broad-billed Prions, which spend their lives at sea, had been blown over the Tararua Range of New Zealand’s North Island. And then reports of massive prion fatalities on New Zealand’s [...]
The not-for-profit research organization Global Forest Watch Canada (GFWC) says whooping cranes regularly fly over and land within Alberta’s oil sands region and are increasingly threatened by development of the fossil fuel. The area in northeastern Alberta includes a surface-mineable area containing facilities, mine pits and toxic tailings ponds. Scientists estimate the avian mortality at [...]
Humans and birds are united thousands of times a day worldwide in an ornithological ritual. Researchers catch birds in mist nets, place metal or plastic bands around their legs or wings, make a few measurements and let them go. Since mist-netting became the preferred method to capture wild birds for banding studies in the 1950s, [...]
Alex Rinkert gets up around dawn three days a week and heads to his chosen survey spots among Santa Cruz Sandhills in northern California, taking a scientific tally of birds there. He says the sandhills comprise about 4,000 acres scattered throughout the valley. After a short hike, the 18-year-old waits, standing very still, for five [...]