1. That is “billions” with a “B”: For birders across the United States, it’s a rite of spring: heading out to woodlands and waterways to track down a favorite warbler, vireo, tanager or other bird, many of them migratory. Ornithologists estimate that each spring, 2.5 billion to 3.5 billion songbirds are on the move across the United States. The New York Times asked five birding enthusiasts to give us a rundown on where to go and what bird species to look for in five regions of the United States. All you need are binoculars and a good field guide. (via The New York Times)
2. Dozens of American cities are being transformed this spring, enveloped in darkness as the lights that usually brighten up their skylines are turned off at night to prevent birds from fatal impacts during their annual migrations. Each year, an estimated 365 million to one billion birds die by smacking into reflective or transparent windows in deadly cases of mistaken identity, believing the glass to be unimpeded sky. For two decades the National Audubon Society has asked cities to dim their lights from about mid-March through May, and again in the fall, under its Lights Out initiative. The efforts are gaining ground in cities including Chicago, Houston and New York City, which are among the top 10 in the United States for light pollution. (via The New York Times)
3. Thanks to the leadership of former First Lady Laura Bush, the eBird team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and many, many others, “Lights Out Texas” is ahead of the curve. Check this out: Mayor Eric Johnson is again urging residents and businesses to turn out non-essential lights at night during a critical migratory period for birds in the United States. Light pollution, prominent in major metropolitan areas, threatens birds migrating throughout the country. The birds are disoriented by lights at night and are more likely to collide with buildings. To raise awareness as part of the Lights Out Texas initiative led by former Firs Lady Laura Bush, Mayor Johnson issued a proclamation declaring all nights between April 19 and May 7 as “Lights Out Nights” in Dallas.
4. The Bexar Audubon Society needs volunteers to identify lighted downtown buildings that may be related to fatal bird strikes at night. The activity is part of its "Lights Out Texas" project. Volunteers will fan out across the downtown area from Monday, April 19, through Friday, May 7, to collect data on the varieties and locations of dead and injured birds. Patsy Inglet, the society's president, said the data will be entered into an application called iNaturalist. "That will give us the database," she explained, "and we'll know by the end of our survey period how many casualties we found, were they fatalities or were they injured, and where in the city are the areas which are most likely to produce these bird fatalities." (via Texas Public Radio)
5. Last year’s reintroduction of 46 Brown-headed Nuthatches was made possible by a decade-long effort to restore the shortleaf pine woodlands of southern Missouri, work that paved the way for ornithologists and conservationists to reintroduce the long-gone native bird to the Ozarks. An additional 50 or so nuthatches will be relocated this summer, in hopes of establishing a breeding population. So far the results are encouraging—no birds died during capture and release, and for several weeks at least, none had been picked off by predators. (via Living Bird Magazine)
6. BNI is not sure feeders will ever be replaced, but for those so inclined, there’s this: Bird feeders are killing songbirds, thanks to a vicious salmonellosis outbreak this winter. Wildlife officials in multiple Western states issued warnings earlier this year that so many birds are dying, the safest plan is to take down all our feeders, at least for now, so they’ll stop congregating and spreading the disease. So it’s time for a new strategy to attract and support our feathered friends: creating habitat in our garden space — whether it’s a balcony or backyard — by growing native plants and cultivating the food, nesting materials and shelter wild birds need to survive. Think of it as treating the whole bird, says John Rowden, the National Audubon Society’s senior director of bird-friendly communities. (via Los Angeles Times)
7. Irish birds are more endangered than ever before, with more than a quarter, or 54 species, now on the red list. Two well-known seabirds added to the red list are the puffin and kittiwake and there are fears they may become extinct in the next 100 years, with climate change and overfishing among the factors. There has been a 46 percent increase in the number of Irish birds on the endangered list in less than a decade, meaning there is a high conservation concern associated with these birds. BirdWatch Ireland and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Northern Ireland, which conducted a review in its annual scientific journal today, are calling for more conservation projects and climate change targets to be met, in order to save the bird population. (via The Irish Times)
8. You may have heard of birds swimming underwater — but how about walking? Well, naturalist Brian Keating says that's precisely what the American dipper — otherwise known as the water ouzel — does on a regular basis. Dippers have nasal flaps to prevent water from entering their noses when they're under the water. When they're under the water and walking on the bottom of the creek, they turn over stones and other river debris to look for food. "They often grip the rocks firmly and then they walk down into the fast-flowing water, and they disappear completely," Keating said. "They sometimes use their wings to swim, but they can walk underwater with strong claws. They can go down as deep as six metres, which is crazy." (via CBC)
9. In 1954, the British ornithologist Con Benson decided he wanted a Spotted Ground Thrush for his bird specimen collection, which he hoped might end up in a museum one day. To get one, he would have to travel from his home in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) to neighboring Malawi, where the small brown birds with white speckled chests lived. But Benson couldn’t leave his day job—so he sent his assistant, a tall, slender 30-year-old from Mozambique named Jali Makawa. Many African ornithological assistants have been lost to history, but there are records of a few in addition to Jali Makawa. Makawa, however, is perhaps the best-known. (via Audubon)
10. The age of Empire in Europe sparked huge curiosity in ornithology. With lavishly illustrated anthologies, paintings and decorative artworks, this show at the Toledo Museum of Art (24 April–25 July) explores the role played by artists in creating and disseminating images of exotic birds from across the globe. Highlights include the six volumes of Ornithologie (1760), written by Mathurin-Jacques Brisson and handsomely illustrated by François-Nicolas Martinet – a recent acquisition for the museum. Find out more from the Toledo Museum of Art’s website. (via Apollo Magazine)
Bonus: Walking beneath the hazy evening sun and mesquite trees’ arching branches, Jonathan Meiburg stops along a dusty path and points up toward his left. There, a northern crested caracara ascends into the air with a powerful whoosh, propelling its black and white body forward with a series of mighty flaps before gliding gracefully to another perch farther down the trail. Meiburg turns back toward the rest of us—his partner, Jenna Moore; our guide, Patty Raney; and me—with what almost looks like a smile. His mouth slightly agape, Meiburg’s joy mixes with a serious sense of awe and fascination. We have come almost to the edge of Texas—Mexico sits four miles to the south—to the Martin Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley to observe these birds in their natural habitat. (via Texas Monthly)
Bird Photo of the Week
Photo by Hap Ellis, Loggerhead Shrike.
Bird Videos of the Week
Video by Badgerland Birding, “Early Spring Migration Birding in Wisconsin”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - American Kestrel.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Barred Owl Food Delivery.