1. It wasn’t long ago that birdwatchers considered the odds of a bald eagle sighting just this side of a unicorn sighting. Through conservation efforts and the banning of chemicals like DDT, the population recovered to numbers that warranted the bird’s removal from the endangered species list in 2007. A recent report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department found that numbers have quadrupled to more than 316,000 in 2019, from 72,000 in 2009. The spike in numbers has prompted joy among animal-lovers—and anxiety among others. Owners of small pets have outfitted little dogs and cats in spiked collars and armor-like vests to keep them from becoming bird food. (via The Wall Street Journal)
2. Nice to see you again!: An easy way to find and identify a bird species is to listen for their unique calls. But Otus brookii brookii, a Bornean subspecies of the Rajah scops owl, hasn’t been observed by scientists since 1892, and its song is unknown, making it that much harder to find. Now, for the first time in more than 125 years, researchers have documented the Rajah scops owl in a study published last month in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology. Andy Boyce, an ecologist with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, who spotted the owl, suspects the Bornean Rajah scops owl hasn’t been seen in so long because population density is low. Researchers are not sure where the bird’s core habitat is, leaving them with little knowledge of where the owl could be found. (via Smithsonian Magazine)
3. Every day, thousands of hooks and nets meant for fish end up catching seabirds — a global problem that is pushing many seabird species to the brink of extinction. But no fishing gear may do more damage than the gillnet, which entangles and kills at least 400,000 seabirds each year. What if all it took to save them was a pair of googly eyes? It’s not quite that simple, but a team of scientists, conservationists and engineers are developing a device that has the potential to save many seabirds from gillnets. This device, known as the looming-eyes buoy, is essentially a floating scarecrow. (via The New York Times) BNI highly recommends Adam Nicolson’s book, The Seabird’s Cry
4. Maybe not the last bird you’d expect to see in the Reflecting Pool, but close: On any given Sunday afternoon along the National Mall, tourists are strolling, people are biking, and ducks are gliding across the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial. But this past weekend there was an anomaly among them: a Wilson’s Phalarope. “They’re rare here on the east coast,” says Kari Cohen, treasurer of the DC Audubon Society, who says this species of bird hasn’t been seen in the area since 2017. Wilson’s Phalaropes typically spend their winters in South America and then migrate north along the west coast of the United States during the warmer months. This guy, was likely blown off course by a strong wind. He easily could’ve been missed, if he didn’t choose one of the busiest spots on the weekend to hang out: the reflecting pool. (via The DCist, All About Birds)
5. A tall order!: Flocks of birds migrating through New York City are faced with the threat of colliding with glass skyscrapers and now a popular tourist spot has become a new trouble spot, Brookfield Place in Battery Park City. “I believe it’s a female common yellow throat that probably collided with the skybridge right behind me,” A simple skybridge — or glass building — can be a death trap for a migrating bird. Javits Center was once a trouble spot, but it has since been retrofitted with less reflective glass. The glass includes a ceramic dot pattern in it, which birds perceive as solid barrier, and so collisions were reduced at the Javits Center by about 90%.” The Audubon Society said this happens most during the spring and fall migration period.(via NBC Local) Read More: Dallas “Lights Out” program update. (via Dallas Morning News)
6. Traffic noise leads to inaccuracies and delays in the development of song learning in young birds. They also suffer from a suppressed immune system, which is an indicator of chronic stress. A new study by researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and colleagues shows that young zebra finches, just like children, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of noise because of its potential to interfere with learning at a critical developmental stage. (via Physical Org)
7. University of Massachusetts Amherst neuroscientists examining genetically identified neurons in a songbird's forebrain discovered a remarkable landscape of physiology, auditory coding and network roles that mirrored those in the brains of mammals. The research, published May 13 in Current Biology, advances insight into the fundamental operation of complex brain circuits. It suggests that ancient cell types in the pallium — the outer regions of the brain that include cortex — most likely retained features over millions of years that are the building blocks for advanced cognition in birds and mammals. (via Science Daily)
See Jennifer Ackerman’s recent book “The Bird Way” for a fascinating look at the sophisticated things birds can do
8. A little yellow bird's rescue from the brink of extinction in British Columbia hinges on an oft-overlooked wild flower in the province's Okanagan region. The importance of local wild roses emerged over a nearly 20-year experiment concentrating on the yellow-breasted chat, a tiny bird whose characteristics and precarious status have preoccupied scientists for decades. At the beginning of the 21st century, the population at one breeding site on the grounds of the Okanagan Valley's En'owkin Centre stood at just one pair. Today it's grown to roughly 22 pairs, a phenomenon Environment and Climate Change Canada researcher Christine Bishop largely attributes to the rejuvenation of wild roses in the area. (via CBC)
9. Great success story: There are no resorts, no beaches, no amenities, and its contribution to the national GDP is practically zero. Yet the mile-long rocky isle of Redonda in the Caribbean Sea is deemed one of the most valuable spots in the region. Virtually untouched by humans for centuries, Antigua and Barbuda's lesser-known third island has long been a key nesting site for migrating birds from across the world and home to wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. (via The BBC)
10. For you rocky mountain BNI friends: Around twelve million birds are expected to fly north and make their way across Colorado over the next few nights during the peak of spring migration. And despite any fears of flocks that Alfred Hitchcock may have instilled in you, they mean no harm. In Colorado, we’re talking about Swainson's Thrushes, Bullock's Orioles, Western Tanagers, Yellow Warblers and many others that want to take advantage of the warmer, clearer weather. Most of them migrate at night, when conditions are calm, fewer predators are out and stars can help with navigation. (via Colorado Public Radio)
11. Greater Sage Grouse update: The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will consider a ban on new mining on large expanses of public lands in Western states to protect a struggling bird species, the greater sage grouse. The Interior Department review comes in response to a federal court order and is expected to cover millions of acres of sage brush habitat considered crucial to the bird’s long-term survival. The affected lands totaled 10 million acres (4 million hectares) in Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. Millions of sage grouse once roamed the West. The quirky birds with long, pointed tail feathers are known for the male’s elaborate courtship display in which air sacs in the neck are inflated to make a popping sound. (via The AP News, Getty Images TV)
12. Another reason Brexit is complicated (well, ok, not a major reason): Pigeon fanciers fear new Brexit rules forcing birds to be quarantined for long-distance European races could "kill" their sport. Under EU rules due to become law next week, UK birds must be detained for three weeks before they can be released in France for trans-Channel races. North East pigeon owners claim their birds would be unfit to race after being cooped up for so long. The Royal Pigeon Racing Association is seeking an exemption from the EU. Before Brexit enthusiasts could release their birds in France without the need to quarantine, said Alan Todd, a member of Winlaton Homing Society in Gateshead. The 59-year-old, currently has 120 birds and has owned two cross-Channel winners. (via The BBC)
Bird Photo of the Week
Photo by Hap Ellis, Song Sparrow.
Bird Videos of the Week
By Bangor Daily News, “Preparing for the World Series of Birding at Petit Manan”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Barred Owls.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - White-tailed Tropicbird Cam.