1. We are on the cusp of Spring migration. Billions of birds will move through North America in April and May to their nesting grounds. Former First Lady Laura Bush has been instrumental in calling attention to a dire threat these intrepid migrants face when encountering our cities: “Due to urban sprawl, tall buildings, highly reflective glass windows and bright lights, an estimated 1 billion U.S. birds die every year solely from collisions with buildings and structures”, she wrote in The Dallas Morning News. “Light pollution is a growing and under-recognized threat to birds. But the good news is, there’s an easy fix. Every Texan can participate in protecting our feathered friends by simply turning off their lights at night. During Texas’ peak spring bird migration period April 19 to May 7, Texans should turn off all nonessential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m”. (via Dallas News)
2. A rare songbird has become so threatened that it has started to lose its song, say scientists. The regent honeyeater, once abundant in south-eastern Australia, is now listed as critically endangered; just 300 individuals remain in the world. "They don't get the chance to hang around with other honeyeaters and learn what they're supposed to sound like," explained Dr Ross Crates. Dr Crates, a member of the Difficult Bird Research Group at the Australian National University in Canberra, is now trying to preserve the birds' song by teaching captive honeyeaters the songs of their wild relatives. (via BBC)
3. The abundance of raptors at the North Lookout at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Eastern Pennsylvania owes a great deal to topography and wind currents, both of which funnel birds toward the ridgeline. But it owes even more to an extraordinary activist named Rosalie Edge, a wealthy Manhattan suffragist who founded Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in 1934. Hawk Mountain, believed to be the world’s first refuge for birds of prey, is a testament to Edge’s passion for birds—and to her enthusiasm for challenging the conservation establishment. Bold and impossible to ignore, she was described by a close colleague as “the only honest, unselfish, indomitable hellcat in the history of conservation.” (via Smithsonian Magazine)
4. The Crow Whisperer: The crows descended, cawing loudly, as soon as Buigues entered the backyard the next day. She began, she told me later, by offering soothing words, and sending the birds unspoken messages: that she came in peace, that she was there to help. They quieted almost immediately. Buigues poked around the area where the crows had congregated. She spotted a fledgling hidden in the brush. Its wing was mangled and bloody, hanging from its body by mere strands. It peeped with fear and hunger. The murder looked on as Buigues chatted calmly with the fledgling, which then staggered toward her, lugging its throbbing wing. She put out her hand and the trembling crow walked right into it, opening its beak in search of food. In all likelihood, said Buigues, it wasn’t going to make it. (via Harper’s Magazine)
5. Birds breathe with greater efficiency than humans due to the structure of their lungs —looped airways that facilitate air flows that go in one direction — a team of researchers has found through a series of lab experiments and simulations. The study, conducted by researchers at New York University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, also points to smarter ways to pump fluids and control flows in applications such as respiratory ventilators. "The key is that bird lungs are made of looped airways — not just the branches and tree-like structure of our lungs — and we found that this leads to one-way or directed flows around the loops," adds Ristroph. (via EurekaAlert)
6. It seemed fitting that just before I called Rodney Stotts, the most unlikely of falconers, I’d looked out a window of my house and seen a group of crows harrying a bigger bird in the trees across the street. “It was more than likely a red-tail,” Stotts said. “Crows are notorious for chasing off raptors, period.” And Stotts is famous for luring them in. Raised in Southeast D.C. — a participant in, a victim of and an escapee from Washington’s crack epidemic — the 50-year-old raptor specialist captures, trains, rehabilitates and releases birds of prey. And he uses the majestic animals to educate people, especially people who might not have had much exposure to them. Stotts is the subject of “The Falconer,” a new documentary screening online as part of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. (via The Washington Post)
7. Starlings have got serious style. Not only can they lay blue eggs, recognise each other from their chirps alone, but the short-tailed birds can also put on an aerial display to rival the Red Arrows. Known as starling murmurations (due to the sound produced by the multiple wingbeats involved), this sky dance sees flocks gather together, swooping and twisting across the sky in one spectacular swarm. Consisting of at least 500 starlings, these formations have been known to feature up to a million birds in the UK. But why exactly do starling murmurations happen? Why don’t the birds collide with one another? You can find all your answers flocked in this week’s BBC Science Focus. (via BBC Science Focus)
8. Grim: An analysis has found deforestation is severely affecting forest bird species in Colombia, home to the greatest number of bird species in the world. University of Queensland-led research, steered by Dr Pablo Negret, analyzed the impact of deforestation on 550 bird species, including 69 only found in the South American nation. "Our study has shown an astonishing reduction in bird species habitat," Dr Negret said. "One third of the forest bird species in Colombia have lost at least a third of their historical habitat, and that's just using the most recent data we have available -- from 2015”. (via Science Daily)
9. In the late 18th century, a ship wrecked off the coast of Hawadax Island, a small, unforested, bracingly cinematic landscape in the Aleutian Island chain, which stretches from the coast of Alaska towards Russia. Researchers believe that rats aboard the wrecked ship made their way onto the island and proliferated. The isle later became known as “Rat Island”, named for the abundant rat population that soon took over. Over a decade ago, conservationists eradicated the rodents. The island is now considered rat-free. Researchers analyzed data collected before, five years after, and eleven years after the eradication. Specifically, they looked at changes in the populations of Black Oystercatchers and Glaucous-winged Gulls, as well as shifts in the populations of organisms living in the intertidal waters on the coast of the island. (via Popular Science)
10. What do Barn Owls, Common Nighthawks, and Killdeer have in common with the finale of Haydn’s Symphony No. 14? A pattern—specifically, moth-like flight motion punctuated by quick directional changes and bursts of activity. The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts will celebrate both in a unique concert and children’s program premiering on March 23. In a COVID-adapted setting, with fewer musicians to limit crowding. The program will include the world premiere of “The Nightingale Concerto,” a work for solo recorder, percussion, and strings inspired by the John Keats poem “Ode to a Nightingale.” Where Keats writes of “wings of Poesy,” for example, composer Jamie Allen evoked a bird slowly moving, gathering speed, and lifting off. (via Audubon Magazine)
Bird Photo of the Week
Photo by Hap Ellis, Marbled Godwit.
Bird Video of the Week
By June Hunter, Ravens Play like Puppies in the Snow.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Barred Owls.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Albatross Chick.