1. Let’s start with a “photo appreciation” of birds celebrating Earth Day: On this Earth Day, a day set aside to remember and appreciate the environment and our responsibilities and roles within it, I wanted to gather a selection of images of the incredibly diverse bird life that we share this planet with. Tens of billions of individual animals are divided among some 10,000 species, inhabiting nearly every environment on Earth. These fascinating creatures are at home on land, at sea, or in the sky, from our polar regions to the tropics. On a day meant for us to care for our environment, it seemed appropriate to feature some of those we share it with. (via The Atlantic)
2. Never a better time to be or become a birder: It’s springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, and one of nature’s greatest spectacles is unfolding: the migration of billions of birds to their breeding grounds. They’ve spent the winter in balmier locales to the south, getting fat on insects, seeds, fruits and aquatic plants and prey. Now they’re winging their way north to establish territories, find mates and raise their young. In my corner of New England, the migrants have been trickling in—Tree Swallows, Ospreys, Greater Yellowlegs, Chipping Sparrows and Hermit Thrushes, among others. Just the other day I heard my first Louisiana Waterthrush of the season, its song ringing throughout the forest. In a couple of weeks, we’ll hit peak migration, with loads of gorgeous warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers and sandpipers arriving on southerly winds. (via Scientific American)
By Hap Ellis, Prairie Warbler - Leffis Key Preserve, Bradenton Beach, FL.
3. Mealworms in the fridge - Amy Tan’s new book, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles”: Birders have described my yard as “very birdy.” But it was not always that way. I had to lure these birds to check out my woodland habitat and make it so irresistible they would never leave. I first bought a feeder stand and hung from its arms a seed feeder and a nectar feeder. That brought in a few new birds, and also the squirrels, crows and Scrub Jays. I then bought squirrel-proof seed feeders and discovered how smart squirrels truly are. I bought baffles and more highly touted squirrel-proof feeders, which brought out the athleticism of squirrels. Then I built my own squirrel-proof cage-feeders, which also kept out crows and Scrub Jays. I changed to hot pepper suet and seeds the squirrels hated. I stored thousands of live mealworms in the fridge, without complaint from my husband. (via The Washington Post)
NPR has a good interview with Tan here: If you know author Amy Tan for The Joy Luck Club — a novel about Chinese immigrant families in San Francisco — her new book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, might seem like a deviation. That's because Tan didn't set out to write a book when she started working on it in 2016. She was depressed with the state of the world then and was trying to lose herself in nature. She began looking out her window and journaling. Soon, she had pages and pages of observations and drawings of the birds in her very own backyard. Those musings turned into The Backyard Bird Chronicles, a nature journal out this week. Morning Edition host Leila Fadel spoke with Tan about the joys of birdwatching. (via National Public Radio)
4. This weird (but funny) Amazon ad caught our eye: Fall River, Massachusetts: Bird-Watching Capital of the Northeast? For reasons unknown, that's what Amazon would have you believe if you watch its new commercial. "We have a lot going for us," a chipper voice says over shots of the city in the 30-second national ad. "Historic charm, great bird-watching and an Amazon warehouse." We can buy the historic charm and the Amazon warehouse -- Fall River definitely has both -- but the city is not known for bird-watching, not even a little bit. Were the writers referring to Fall River, Kansas? A quick Google suggests that place seems more inviting for the activity. The ad plays heavily on birding, tying Fall River's supposed favorite hobby into "spotting opportunities" to work for Amazon. It's a cute commercial but not accurate. If you're going through the trouble of hiring actors, writing a script and filming an ad about the city in the city, why not get it right? (via Fun107 News)
5. Avian flu update - from the FDA: On Thursday, the FDA received some initial results from its nationally representative commercial milk sampling study. The agency continues to analyze this information; however, the initial results show about 1 in 5 of the retail samples tested are quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-positive for HPAI viral fragments, with a greater proportion of positive results coming from milk in areas with infected herds. As previously noted and outlined in our summary below, qPCR-positive results do not necessarily represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers. Additional testing is required to determine whether intact pathogen is still present and if it remains infectious, which would help inform a determination of whether there is any risk of illness associated with consuming the product. (via FDA)
6. Meanwhile poultry farmers are trying everything to fend off H5N1: Loren Brey, a poultry grower in Minnesota, walked onto the farm where his egg-laying turkeys nest in November to discover a handful of hens, dead from the highly pathogenic avian flu. Within a week, he lost nearly half of his entire flock. So when Mr. Brey’s turkeys began producing eggs again in the spring, he gave a seemingly unconventional prevention method a go: lasers installed atop his barns, firing beams of green light to fend off wild ducks, owls and other possible carriers of the deadly virus. (via The New York Times)
By Hap Ellis, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Joan Durante Community Park, Longboat Key, FL
7. Lights Out! …in Portlandia: As millions of birds are set to pass through Portland on their twice-yearly migration along the Pacific Flyway, local officials are asking residents to turn off their lights or point them down. Urban light pollution interferes with animal sleep cycles and migration patterns, especially those of birds that use the moon and stars to navigate and are attracted to city lights instead. North America's bird population has declined 30% since the 1970s. The Portland City Council passed a proclamation last week, sponsored by the Bird Alliance of Oregon, that calls for darker skies through May 19, when the migration ends. The city is asking Portlanders to turn off security lights and other exterior lights, Shuly Wasserstrom, the mayor's spokesperson, told Axios by email. (via Axios Portland)
8. Cornell Lab researcher Andrew Farnsworth on effects of the total eclipse: Early results from a study of the April 8 total solar eclipse show a more noticeable effect on bird behavior than during the last eclipse. Research led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology used weather surveillance radar to measure the activity of birds, insects, spiders, and bats in the atmosphere before, during, and after the moon blocked out the sun, showing an increase in activities normally seen at night. The 13 weather radar stations in the path of the April eclipse measured noticeable decreases in typical daytime biological activities such as the movements of hawks and other soaring and insect-eating birds like swallows—but, as in 2017, the daytime darkness was not enough to trigger nocturnal migration activity. (via Phys Org)
9. PhD required for this complex study of a genomic basis of vocal rhythm in birds: Vocal rhythm plays a fundamental role in sexual selection and species recognition in birds, but little is known of its genetic basis due to the confounding effect of vocal learning in model systems. Uncovering its genetic basis could facilitate identifying genes potentially important in speciation. Recently, researchers have investigated the genomic underpinnings of rhythm in vocal non-learning Pogoniulus tinkerbirds using 135 individual whole genomes distributed across a southern African hybrid zone. They found that rhythm speed is associated with two genes that are also known to affect human speech. Models leveraging ancestry reveal these candidate loci also impact rhythmic stability, a trait linked with motor performance which is an indicator of quality. (via Nature)
By Hap Ellis, Marbled Godwit - Longboat Key, FL
10. It all depends on how one interprets “responsibly sited”: In Colorado, my home, we are already living with the effects from climate change – from record flooding, early snowmelt and unheard-of winter wildfires. These impacts have serious implications for communities as well as birds in the region like Lark Buntings and Mountain Chickadees. In fact, roughly half of bird species in Colorado are threatened with extinction if we don’t slow global temperature rise. Recent reports have warned that the effects of climate change will continue to intensify, and to avoid the worst impacts we need to quickly reduce carbon pollution. In the U.S., this includes building more wind and solar energy infrastructure and increasing transmission capacity to get that energy safely and effectively from high resource areas to population centers. (via Audubon)
11. Noise pollution and its effects on baby birds: Noise pollution from traffic stunts growth in baby birds, even while inside the egg, research has found. Unhatched birds and hatchlings that are exposed to noise from city traffic experience long-term negative effects on their health, growth and reproduction, the study found. “Sound has a much stronger and more direct impact on bird development than we knew before,” said Dr Mylene Mariette, a bird communication expert at Deakin University in Australia and a co-author of the study, published in the journal Science. “It would be wise to work more to reduce noise pollution.” (via The Guardian)
12. “The answer lies in precise, and previously unknown, aerodynamic interactions” say a team of mathematicians. So what’s the question you ask?: In looking up at the sky during these early weeks of spring, you may very well see a flock of birds moving in unison as they migrate north. But how do these creatures fly in such a coordinated and seemingly effortless fashion? Part of the answer lies in precise, and previously unknown, aerodynamic interactions, reports a team of mathematicians in a newly published study. Its breakthrough broadens our understanding of wildlife, including fish, who move in schools, and could have applications in transportation and energy. (via Phys Org)
By Hap Ellis, Indigo Bunting - Leffis Key Preserve, Bradenton Beach, FL.
13. Piping Plover mania begins with the return in Chicago of Imani: Piping plover Imani returned home to Montrose Beach on Thursday, leading Chicago birders to wonder if the eligible bachelor will find a mate this year. Imani is the son of beloved couple Monty and Rose. Imani, Searocket, Prickly Pear and Wild Indigo headed south for the winter around the beginning of August. Birder Matthew Dolkart spotted Imani at 5:30 a.m., according to Tamima Itani, the lead volunteer coordinator of Chicago Piping Plovers. "He admitted to having a few tears when he saw Imani," Itani said. "We've all known Imani since 2021 when he hatched at Montrose, so we all feel a strong affection for him." Itani said she was "thrilled" about the news. She and other birders went to Montrose Beach as soon as they learned of his return. (via ABC Chicago)
Then this from Maine Audubon’s Coastal Birds Crew fencing piping plover habitat: Hello there from the 2024 Coastal Birds Crew! The season is off to a busy start and everyone on the crew has been excited to dive right into work—protecting our rare beach-nesting birds. On our first day on the beaches, we headed down to Ogunquit Beach and fenced along the entire dune edge. We were met with a lovely spring day, the sun was out and shining, and as soon as we stepped onto the beach you could feel the excitement in the air as the crew prepared to protect nesting habitat and learn all about the plovers. It was hard work fencing off more than a mile of beach, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience and all the new crew members are looking forward to an outstanding summer season! (via Maine Audubon)
14. Finally, a summer of birds - but you have to get to Aspen: Aspen Summer of Birds is a slate of programming taking place this summer in Aspen, Colorado and neighboring areas with a collection of local organizations and events at local festivals. Activations and events are presented by the National Audubon Society and The Birdsong Project in collaboration with a range of local arts and environmental organizations including Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies(ACES), Aspen Music Festival & School (AMFS), Audubon Rockies, local chapter Roaring Fork Audubon Society, and more. From bird walks to educational talks, to live musical performances inspired by The Birdsong Project arranged and performed by local AMFS students—Aspen Summer of Birds 2024 will demonstrate how art can help drive conservation action for birds. (via Audubon Society)
Bird Videos of the Week
Video by BBC Earth, “Cute Baby Puffin Sees World for the First Time!”
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Bay-breasted Warbler.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Ruby-throated Hummingbird.