1. What a Long-billed Curlew can tell us: There’s a stretch of Kim Shade’s ranch in the North Dakota Badlands where he used to look for a peculiar long-billed bird from the seat of his saddle. Now, all he sees there is a road leading to an oil rig. “I used to see quite a few of them,” the cowboy said, of the speckled, chicken-size bird called a long-billed curlew. The curlew’s absence is unsettling, he said. “Our birds on the prairie are the same thing as a canary in a coal mine,” Shade said. “If we lose them, something’s wrong.” Curlew territory has been slowly shunted westward in North Dakota following the retreat of the state’s dwindling grasslands. That’s bad news for conservationists, who are trying to salvage one of the country’s most threatened habitats, which has been hit hard by industry and traditional crop development. It’s also a problem for ranchers, whose cattle rely on the health and sprawl of prairie as much as the curlews. (via The Washington Post)
2. If dumping millions of mosquitoes out of helicopters is the answer, what’s the question: Millions of mosquitoes dropped from helicopters could be the greatest hope for Hawaii’s iconic honeycreepers. At least four species of the brightly colored birds could go extinct within the year if no action is taken to save them. “We’re seriously in a race against time at the moment,” says Hanna Mounce, program manager of the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project. These small birds evolved on the islands over the course of millions of years and are uniquely adapted to their niche habitat, where they are crucial pollinators for many of Hawaii’s flora. For the people of Hawaii, the honeycreepers are also woven into the cultural fabric, featuring prominently in many legends and providing feathers for traditional garments. (via Scientific American)
3. A must - avian flu vaccines for condors: In less than a month, nearly 20 percent of the Southwest California condor population in Arizona and Utah had vanished. Conservationists worried that the virus would next strike condors in California. Then, as quickly as the virus flared up, it fizzled. With spring bird migration season winding down, and a return to hot, sunny days, Arizona’s condors stopped dying, and the condors in California were spared. Recognizing that the outbreak could have been much worse — wiping out dozens more condors in multiple states, and possibly even killing animals in the captive-breeding flock kept in zoos — the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a plea to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to authorize emergency use of an avian flu vaccine to inoculate condors in case of another outbreak. (via Undark)
4. And speaking of avian flu, protect that foie gras!: To protect its flocks and its foie gras from the ravages of bird flu, France has begun a mass vaccination of 64 million ducks. The campaign, which started this week, aims to prevent the spread of a deadly variant of avian influenza that has forced French farmers to cull more than 30 million birds in the past three years, contributing to a downturn in the production of foie gras. But the bird vaccination program, which Mr. Fesneau described as the first in the European Union, has led to a quick reaction from the United States, which said it would restrict imports of ducks and other poultry from Europe. “France’s decision to vaccinate presents a risk” of introducing the disease into the United States, the U.S. Agriculture Department said. (via The New York Times)
5. Artificial Intelligence and prioritizing landscapes of high conservation value: For the first time, big data and artificial intelligence are being used to model hidden patterns in nature – not just for one bird species, but for entire ecological communities across continents. The models follow the full annual life cycle of each species, from breeding to fall migration to nonbreeding grounds, and back north again during spring migration. The development and application of this computational tool is the result of a collaboration between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Cornell Institute for Computational Sustainability. This work was published Oct. 2in the journal Ecology. (via Cornell Chronicle)
6. The joy of prairie birding: Occasionally, I like to bird on the prairies of North America. Sometimes I bird in the U.S. and sometimes I bird in Canada. My latest visit was a birding trip on the Alberta prairies. The prairie grasslands of central North America consist of numerous habitats including sloughs, and marshes, wooded coulees, river valleys, and large sage scented stretches of grassy rolling plains (Lynch, 2021). Over 250 species can be seen in the prairies of Canada and the northern U.S. due to such a wide variety of habitats. About one quarter of the species found on the prairies are migrants and mainly includes shorebirds, waterfowl, and wood warblers. Winter residents comprise about ten percent of prairie birds. Winter finches, raptors and owls may be seen. (via Chinook Observer)
7. A “mourning flight” animates Fall migration for this observer: On Monday morning, as my son and I walked to the bus stop a little before 7, I was already hearing warblers. Specifically, I was hearing the flight calls these little songbirds give during migration. These are tiny, insect-like sounds that no normal person would notice or think came from a bird. As I walked back to the house, it was clear there had been an overnight arrival of migrant songbirds after a week or so of no action. I was witnessing a phenomenon known as a “morning flight” in my own neighborhood. This got me thinking about what morning flights are, and about some of the high-tech new radar tools researchers are using to study them. (via CAI News)
8. Real concern for Afro-Serbian red knots’ breeding grounds in Siberia: Afro-Siberian red knots migrate from the Arctic to winter in Africa, where they recover from the arduous journey. But warming in Siberia is causing physical changes in the birds that hinder their ability to feed, and scientists fear the subspecies is headed for extinction. Only 100,000 wintering red knots were counted in the Mauritanian mudflats in 2022, compared to the half million counted in the 1980s. (via Yale Environment 360)
9. Who has “an almost unlimited vocal repertoire”? Can only be parrots: Parrots are exceptional talkers. They can learn new sounds during their entire lives, amassing an almost unlimited vocal repertoire. At the same time, parrots produce calls so they can be individually recognized by members of their flock—raising the question of how their calls can be very variable while also uniquely identifiable. A study on monk parakeets conducted by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona might have the answer: individuals have a unique tone of voice, known as a voice print, similar to that in humans. This finding in a wild parrot raises the possibility that a voice print might also be present in other vocally flexible species, such as dolphins and bats. (via Phys Org)
10. Capturing puffins (on film): By now, thousands of Atlantic puffins that spent the summer nesting on rocky islands off the coast of Maine have skipped town and are heading toward their winter retreat in the Atlantic. The remarkable resurgence of these colorful and distinctive birds in recent years is due to the dedicated efforts of the National Audubon Society’s Seabird Restoration Program. So when I generated a wish list of the five bird species I hoped to encounter during my summer-long visit to Maine this year, puffins easily soared to the top. They beat out the much-loved black-capped chickadee, the gorgeous pileated woodpecker, and even the symbolic bald eagle. In early August, I finally traveled to Maine’s “puffin central” — Eastern Egg Rock, some 6 miles from New Harbor in Muscongus Bay — armed with an old camera fitted with a meager 200-mm lens and anticipated a photographic challenge. (via Bangor Daily News)
11. Limpkins in Illinois?: While on a recent visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden, Ann Harness spotted a creature she'd never seen before. The tall brown bird with a long bill looked like a cross between a rail and a heron. It was a limpkin—far from its home. The bird lives in tropical areas, from southern Florida to the Caribbean islands, Mexico and Central and South America, where it gives a piercing cry from its wetland habitat. Harness's sighting was one of at least 24 in Illinois this year. (via Phys Org)
12. Sad story underscores why “Lights Out” in big cities is so important: At least 960 migrating birds, the highest number on record, died Thursday in “massive carnage” at McCormick Place Lakeside Center, according to David Willard, a retired bird division collections manager at the Field Museum. Birds were crashing into windows even as monitors collected the casualties, Willard said. “It was just discouraging as can be,” said Willard. “You’re looking at a rose-breasted grosbeak that, if it hadn’t hit a Chicago window, would have made it to the Andes of Peru.” Willard blamed the worst day in 40 years of bird monitoring on an array of factors, including weather patterns, badly timed rain and lit windows at Lakeside Center. (via Chicago Tribune)
13. And then there’s this study on light pollution’s effects on “backyard” birds: Light pollution is a known hazard to migratory birds, leading to impacts with buildings and general disorientation among the winged travelers. But little is known about the impacts artificial light could have on backyard birds that don't travel long distances. A new study by researchers from N.C. State University found artificial light could be playing a role in the survival success of several non-migratory songbird species. The study, funded by the Alongside Wildlife Foundation and N.C. Wildlife Federation, used 20 years of band-resight data collected as a part of the Neighborhood Nestwatch Program. Volunteers then noted when they saw the birds, banded with different color bracelets, throughout the year. (via Star News Online)
14. Not just the Phillies and Eagles in Philadelphia this time of year: Every fall, billions of birds migrate across North America, crossing the United States. Tony Croasdale, Environmental Education Program Specialist with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation provided this helpful information about fall bird migration. Here are five most frequently asked questions about birdwatching during fall migration. (via City of Philadelphia)
15. A visit to a spectacular Migratory Bird Refuge: I sat in the backseat of a beaten down, white truck that was crawling down a thin, long road that runs between the habitats of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. A cold fog blurred the horizon ahead of me. Utah has seen in years, the life this glimmering lake supports echoed against the thick snow in the form of a song. I stuck my head out the window and felt my skin redden as the frosty air kissed my cheeks. I was desperate to hear the singers’ whistles. “We count the birds by tens,” said Brian Ferguson, the birder and former forest ranger who was driving the truck. I frantically scanned a crowd of singers—small black songbirds speckled with gold and green. Ferguson told me they were European starlings. I tried to count in tens as a group flew by us in a synchronous pattern. There were more than 100. (via Salt Lake Magazine)
16. And speaking of spectacular, hard to top the Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska each spring: Between late February and April, more than 500,000 sandhill cranes—that's 80 percent of the birds' total population—pause their northward migration at Nebraska's Platte River valley. Here, among the Great Plains' thawing prairies, the cranes rest, fatten up, and partake in a long-standing ritual, which, according to fossilized crane wing bones, is some 9 million years old: a massive gathering that is part family reunion, part singles dance, part inter-flock house party. Each year, the ancient species traverses North America's four distinct flyways, enchanting birders from Mexico to the Yukon and from Mississippi to Montana. The cranes have clearly left an impression. (via Sierra Club)
17. Finally, there is this study on easing – not singing – the blues: The Great Lakes region’s more than 300 bird species may provide valuable mental health benefits. A recent study from Carleton University in Ontario shows there are fewer mental health-related hospitalizations in Michigan areas with high bird diversity. Previous studies have linked the presence of foliage to mental health, but the author of this study, Rachel Buxton, said this is not the only element of nature that could impact mental health. “Birds need trees…so we thought maybe it was just green space that is driving this relationship,” said Buxton, who is an assistant professor of biology at Carleton. “And that wasn’t the case, which is interesting.” (via Great Lakes Echo)
Bird Videos of the Week
By Al Jazeera, “How Light Pollution Affects the World Around Us”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Rufous Motmot.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Tufted Titmice.