1. Hurricane Lee delivers a gift to twitchers: More than a dozen species of North American birds rarely seen in Britain and Ireland have been spotted along the countries’ western shores after being blown off their usual migration routes by remnants of Hurricane Lee and surviving the perilous journey across the Atlantic, experts said. The arrival of warblers, vireos and other colorful birds last week has excited Britain’s twitching community — enthusiastic bird-watchers who will travel long distances to view new or unusual species. A sighting of a Canada warbler was the first recorded in Britain and similarly, a Blackburnian warbler was spotted in Ireland for the first time. (via The New York Times)
2. And, as we’ve noted in the past two weeks, to the Midwest as well: Five flamingos that showed up in Wisconsin to wade along a Lake Michigan beach attracted a big crowd of onlookers eager to see the unusual visitors venturing far from their usual tropical setting. The American flamingos spotted Friday in Port Washington, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Milwaukee, marked the first sighting of the species in Wisconsin state history, said Mark Korducki, a member of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The birds stood quietly 25 feet (7.6 meters) off Lake Michigan’s western shoreline as waves lapped against their thin legs. Three were adults, identifiable by their pink plumage, and two were juveniles clad in gray. (via ABC News)
3. 3-D printing and augmented reality for…a birdhouse? Apparently: The classic wooden ones aren’t quite cutting it. Conservationists are now turning to 3-D printing and augmented reality. As climate change, agriculture, and urban development fuel the destruction of natural habitats, many conservationists have emphasized the need to protect endangered animals left without shelter. But re-creating natural habitats isn’t easy: For instance, tree hollows, where owls or bats nest, can take more than 100 years to develop. And although human-made options, including nest boxes and fake dens, have been a common conservation tool for decades, researchers have found that many older designs can actually be harmful—leaving animals vulnerable to predation, overheating, and parasites. (via The Atlantic)
4. A “Fat poll warbler” really? Read on: Surveying the flocks of migrating birds at Presque Isle, an Erie Bird Observatory hike leader snapped, “They should call the blackpoll warbler the “fat poll warbler.” “There’s nothing better than a fat bird in the fall or anytime,” another bird researcher added. “If you are a bird, being fat means you’re healthy and that the environment is a quality habitat,” said Mary Birdsong, lead shorebird monitor for the observatory. Blackpoll warblers are small black-and-white songbirds that turn yellow-green in the fall. They are 5½ inches long and typically weigh between 10 and 12 grams. They can double their weight for fall migration, said Annie Lindsay, bird banding program manager at the Powdermill Nature Reserve in Cook Township, Westmoreland County. They need the extra fat. Vanity be damned! (via The Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
5. Finding a new life in Texas: The red-crowned parrot, pushed out of its Northeast Mexico home by poaching and habitat loss, has found a surprising new, safer home in urban South Texas. The species has been given native species status in the state. Most would not picture an urban area – such as Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco and McAllen – as the perfect home for an endangered parrot, but researchers at Texas A&M University said the birds have built surprising niches for themselves in the area. Many species are harmed when humans pollute and deforest habitats in favor of expanding urban areas, but these green parrots with red feathers on their heads have made the best of the situation. (via Houston Chronicle)
6. Thank you Dallas – leading the way on Lights Out: Seventy percent of North American migratory birds are nocturnal, and bright buildings, such as Reunion Tower and the lightshows that illuminate the Dallas skyline, can distract and disorient flyersby, leading to collisions. Between 365 and 988 million birds die from building collisions every year in the U.S., but even the ones who survive the impact risk exhaustion and losing their flock, which can have perilous consequences for birds in migration. That’s why Reunion Tower and many others take part in the Lights Out, Texas campaign each year to protect migrating birds. Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 21, Reunion Tower lights will dim from sundown to 11 p.m., then go completely dark between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., before relighting and dimming from 6 a.m. to sunrise. (via The Dallas Morning News)
7. And speaking of Texas and birds, this from Axios: Hundreds of thousands of birds are traveling through Central Texas as they head south to their winter homes. Texas sits in the Central Flyway, a superhighway for migratory birds, and now's your chance to catch a glimpse of species that are coming from as far north as Canada and the Arctic. The birds migrate Aug. 15 through Nov. 30, with peak migration happening now until Oct. 29. They'll move through the sky while you're sleeping, using the moon and the stars to help them navigate. During the day, migratory birds conserve their energy and search for food and water. (via Axios Austin)
8. Avian flu #1 - Frightening news: Thousands of penguins could be wiped out across Antarctica as the continent braces for the arrival of bird flu, experts fear. In an exclusive interview with the Telegraph, the head of polar regions for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warned that the infection, which has killed millions of birds across the globe over the past year, will have deadly consequences once it reaches the region. “It could be absolutely devastating,” said Dr Jane Rumble, OBE. “We’re saying when, not if.” H5N1 is expected to emerge in the coming weeks as birds migrate from South America to breeding sites in the Antarctic. The death toll could be exceptionally high, scientists say, as the continent is the breeding ground of more than 100 million birds. (via The Telegraph)
9. Avian Flu #2 - some good news here: With migratory bird season coming to a close, state and federal officials are reporting that the number of bird flu cases, particularly the highly pathogenic kind, are continuing to trend downwards, though they’re still waiting to test some samples. It took about three months to get test results back from the migratory bird that was found dead in Western Alaska on Thursday, May 25. Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge scientists suspected the dead cackling goose to be the first casualty caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza. But State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach said that the goose didn’t test positive for bird flu. (via KYUK News)
10. For reasons we can’t quite explain, BNI loves the annual Bird of the Year contest in Australia: Some of Australia’s most recognized feathered denizens have been flying under the popularity radar for far too long. Is there anything more thrilling than seeing an underbird soar? Keep that in mind when casting your vote in this year’s Guardian/Birdlife Australia bird of the year poll. Previous polls have revealed a shocking bias. Support for some of Australia’s most recognised birds has been consistently weak. Let’s ruffle some feathers and give these underbirds a chance. (via The Guardian)
11. Maybe triple it!!: In a strong commitment to protect one of California’s most endangered species, Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS) has announced an increase in the reward money from $5,000 to $10,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for last year’s shooting of a California Condor in San Benito County. Recognizing the importance of preserving this iconic species, VWS, with the support of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), is determined to ensure that acts of poaching are not tolerated. The California Condor, North America’s largest land bird, faces numerous challenges to its survival, with habitat loss and lead poisoning being among the most significant threats. While VWS acknowledges the proud traditions of hunting and ranching in the region, they firmly assert that poaching has no place in these traditions. (via Benito Link)
12. 14+29 = the updated number of Griffon Vultures on Cyprus: Wildlife authorities and conservationists in Cyprus on Friday released seven imported griffon vultures to the wild after implanting tracking devices in hopes of ensuring the survival of the birds that are threatened with extinction on the island nation. A further seven vultures will be released in a week’s time. All 14 birds arrived last March and have spent several months acclimating. They were gifted to Cyprus by the autonomous community of Extremadura in Spain which hosts 90-95% of all vultures in Europe. Cyprus Game and Fauna Service spokesman Nicos Kasinis told The Associated Press the tracking devices are necessary to observe whether the young birds are integrating well in the first, crucial weeks with the island’s 29 other griffon vultures. Officials will monitor whether they’re frequenting the same feeding and watering areas. (via The Washington Post)
13. Oh dear: The Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) which is also responsible for controlling desert locusts, killed five million quelea birds in the northern region of Manyara last week where about 1,000 acres of commercial crops were under threat. "We killed swarms of five million destructive birds and now we are monitoring other zones," Joseph Ndunguru, acting director general of TPHPA, told AFP by phone. The tiny red-beaked birds, which move in large flocks, are notorious for ravaging crops, with invasions generally occurring during the onset of the dry season in September and October. Ndunguru said the agency targeted the swarms with aerial spraying over a four-day period, killing them before they damaged the paddy fields in northern Tanzania. (via RFI)
14. Good news from D.C.: President Joe Biden has vetoed Republican-sponsored bills to undo federal protections for two endangered species that have seen their populations plummet over the years: the lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat. Environmentalists have long sought stronger federal protections for the prairie bird, which they consider severely at risk due to oil and gas development, livestock grazing and farming, along with roads and power lines. The crow-size, terrestrial birds are known for spring courtship rituals that include flamboyant dances by the males as they make a cacophony of clucking, cackling and booming sounds. (via CPR News)
15. Finally, this could be all the detail you ever needed on human aesthetic preferences for birds: In the Anthropocene, the era when the imprint of humans on nature is pervasive across the planet, it is of utmost importance to understand human relationships with other species. The aesthetics of nature, and of species, is one of the values that plays a role in shaping human-nature relationships. Birds are ubiquitous across the world. The beauty of birds exerts a powerful tug on human emotions, and bird-rich areas attract scores of eco-tourists. People naturally find some birds more beautiful or interesting than others, but we currently lack a global understanding of the specifics of what makes a species aesthetically attractive. Here, we used a global citizen-science database on bird attractiveness covering nearly all extant bird species, to show that there are specific visual features that drive our aesthetic appeal for some bird species over others. (via Nature)
Bird Videos of the Week
By CBC Vancouver, “Young Birders Flock to Pitt Lake”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Ladder-backed Woodpeckers.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Blue-gray Tanager.