1. Wonderful multi-media story on a magnificent bird: Once pushed to the brink of extinction, condors are soaring in Northern California skies again with the help of an Indigenous tribe and a team of scientists. Among the world’s tallest trees, next to the world’s biggest ocean and along the state’s longest highway, the largest birds in North America are returning to Northern California after a 130-year absence. In the 1800s, California condors were the heartbeat of the region, soaring higher than any bird — but humans pushed the condors to the brink of extinction. Now, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program, the native Yurok Tribe and government agencies have introduced a program to blend the species back into the natural landscape of the Pacific Northwest over the next two decades. (via The Washington Post)
2. A new and amusing arms race: Forget the space race. In Sydney, Australia, the innovation arms race is real. It’s between humans and sulfur-crested cockatoos, and the battle is over the trash. The cockatoos, which are native to Australia and frequent the suburbs, were already known to be trash-bin bandits. They open the lids using an innovative combination of prying up the front, lifting the lid, walking around to the side of the can and flipping the lid back. The clever birds learn about the behavior from one another, a type of cultural transmission. That cultural transmission, it turns out, goes both ways. In humans’ efforts to protect their garbage, they’re showing cultural transmission and innovation, too. (via The New York Times)
3. Handy online tool: Humans have long been captivated by migratory birds, awed by the animals’ biannual treks between their breeding and wintering grounds. A new digital platform, the Bird Migration Explorer, brings this natural phenomenon to your screen, enabling you to pore over the movements of individual species, discover the birds at a specific location, and learn about challenges these far-flying creatures face. Created by Audubon and nine founding partners, using science contributed by hundreds of researchers and institutions, the platform paints the most complete picture ever of the journeys of 458 avian species that breed in the United States and Canada. (via Audubon)
BNI recommends Cornell’s Birds of the World for in-depth descriptions of each migrant for those so inclined
4. Perils of migration: Billions of birds are on the move, migrating south for the winter. They'll pass through our cities by the millions in the coming weeks, en route on the Atlantic Flyway. It's a perilous time for the small but important creatures — the majority of which migrate at night using starlight. But, hundreds of millions of birds die by flying into buildings, often confused by their lights at night, during migration season each year, which in the fall runs from Sept. 10 to Nov. 30. For example, In 2019, thousands of chimney swifts crashed into the NASCAR Hall of Fame building in Charlotte, setting off a mad dash from local groups to save the birds. In response to those deaths, local Audubon chapters are urging people and building managers to turn off their lights after dark. (via Axios Raleigh)
5. Perils of migration – another look: Migrating through fall, migratory raptors using the land corridor enter South America through northwestern Colombia, crossing over the Darien region that connects the Isthmus of Panama with Colombia. Buteos continue mainly through the Andes and its valleys, where some individuals begin to stay, choosing wintering sites from Colombia. In contrast, the red-headed guans (Cathartes aura) continue their migration towards the plains of Venezuela and Colombia, followed by some individuals of other raptor species. The rest continue southward in a broad-fronted migration through the inter-Andean valleys, canyons, and mountain ridges. (via Audubon)
6. Interesting question: In some hummingbird species, the males are bright and aggressive, and females are drab and calm. However, about 20% of female white-necked jacobins (Florisuga mellivora) share the bold, iridescent blue-and-white colouration of the males. Why do some female hummingbirds mimic males? Jay Falk at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and his colleagues wanted to know why this trait persists among females and why in only one-fifth of them. Some female white-necked jacobins nab good feeding spots by adopting the flashy plumage of their bigger, brasher male counterparts. (via Nature)
7. A cell biology question solved: An international team of researchers has found the genes responsible for converting yellow carotenoids in birds to red ketocarotenoids. In their paper published in the journal Cell Biology, the group describes the steps they took to reveal the genes and the proteins they expressed. Birds, such as cardinals, have bright red feathers. But how they come out that way has been somewhat of a biological mystery. Prior research has shown that the red pigments in cardinal feathers and other birds comes about due to a conversion of yellow pigments (carotenoids, which they get from their diet) to red pigments (ketocarotenoids)—but how that happens was a mystery. (via Science Daily)
8. Personality and divorce (really): For the so-called "most romantic birds on Earth," bold behavior is key to a lasting relationship. In a paper published on Friday in Royal Society Biology Letters, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) demonstrate a clear connection between personality in wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and the likelihood of divorce. Making use of long-term studies of wandering albatross on Possession Island, part of the Crozet archipelago in the Southern Indian Ocean, the authors found that bolder male birds were more likely to keep their mates when another male attempted to take their place. Though wandering albatross are known to mate for life, this type of "forced divorce" does happen because females are in short supply on Possession Island. (via Science Daily)
9. For those readers in the Mid-Atlantic states this Fall: Fall migration activity in the Mid-Atlantic region peaks in September and October, though flocks of winged travelers continue passing through into the winter. Because many of the birds are not native to the area, this autumnal commute marks a rare chance to see such a wide variety at once. To get the most out of your birding expedition, you need two pieces of equipment. First, a good pair of binoculars — preferably those with 8x or 10x magnification — from a reputable brand, such as Swarovski Optik, Zeiss or Leica. Next, a guide to help identify the species you’re seeing. If you prefer books, “The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America” and the “Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America” are both highly esteemed among birders. (via The Washington Post)
10. The real air show indeed!: Jets will soon fly over Huntington Beach as the Pacific Airshow gets underway in two weeks. The airshow before that airshow, though, will take place in the Urban Forest next weekend. Organizers from the Huntington Beach Tree Society are preparing for the inaugural Urban Forest Bird-A-Thon, which starts Thursday, Sept. 22 at dawn and runs through Sunday, Sept. 25 at dusk. That is the fall migration of migrating birds that are leaving their breeding grounds in Alaska and northern Canada. They are hard-wired to overwinter in South America, Central America, Mexico. But some of them will overwinter right here in the Bolsa Chica [Ecological Reserve] or right here [at the Urban Forest].” (via Los Angeles Times)
11. Update on the Great Salt Lake water issues: Utah’s Great Salt Lake is smaller and saltier than at any time in recorded history. In July, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the world’s third-largest saline lake had dropped to the lowest level ever documented. And last week researchers measured the highest salt concentrations ever seen in the lake’s southern arm, a key bird habitat. Salinity has climbed to 18%, exceeding a threshold at which essential microorganisms begin to die. The trends, driven by drought and water diversion, have scientists warning that a critical feeding ground for millions of migrating birds is at risk of collapse. (via Science)
12. More of this needed: Landscapes like those in California’s western Riverside County provide important habitat connections for migratory birds as they make their perilous journey across the hemisphere. The county is also one of the country's fastest-growing regions, making the need to maintain and restore access to healthy, natural environments even more critical. In late July, California Senators Diane Feinstein and Alex Padilla introduced legislation to establish one of the nation's largest urban National Wildlife Refuges in the area. If passed into law, the new wildlife refuge would protect the habitat of hundreds of bird species, including one of the largest remaining breeding populations of Tricolored Blackbirds, a state-threatened species, in southern California. (via Audubon)
13. And finally, a photo worthy of the prize: During the summer months, ptarmigans sport plumage of gray, brown, and black with white bellies and wings. Breeding in the high mountains where winter brings snow, the birds naturally camouflage by turning completely white. Norwegian photographer Erlend Haarberg’s capture of one of the upland game birds taking flight in the dramatic mountains of Tysfjorden won the grand prize in the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year competition. The world’s largest bird photography competition welcomed more than 22,000 submissions this year. The top photos, which are now compiled in a book available in the competition’s shop, highlight a range of behavior and environments, from the first moments of flight to the keen wit and strength of urban dwellers. The 2023 competition is now open and accepting entries from global bird photographers of all ages, and you can find more information on its website. (via The Colossal)
Bird Photo of the Week
Photo by Hap Ellis, Northern Wheatear, Kennebunkport, ME.
Bird Videos of the Week
By TEDEd, “Bird Migration, a Perilous Journey”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Cooling Owls.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Great Horned Owl Highlights.