1. Last week, an estimated 50,000 adults and 12,000 baby flamingos flocked to salty marshes in southern France, making this year’s migration possibly the biggest ever recorded. This “historic” headcount—which includes 25,000 nesting couples—might be the highest ever since the region started keeping track 45 years ago. The birds make the yearly trek to the salty marshes in the Camargue region, near the Aigues-Mortes commune. Although more research is needed to confirm the theory, some experts suspect that the pandemic lockdown might be related to this year’s record numbers of flamingo nests. (via Smithsonian Magazine)
2. A nest of arm-sized sticks built on a precipitous crag by an octogenarian conservationist dangling from a rope has enticed a pair of golden eagles back to the Highlands of Scotland. The eyrie handmade by Roy Dennis, a renowned conservationist who has masterminded the revival of endangered species across Britain, helped the eagles successfully fledge the first chick on Trees for Life’s Dundreggan estate in 40 years. The eagles’ first chick successfully fledged last week. As golden eagles may use their nesting sites for generations, the team is hoping they are back for the long term. (via The Guardian)
By Charles Hill, bald-headed Northern Cardinal.
3. Excerpt: Have you ever seen a Northern Cardinal with a bald head? If so, you may wonder what cruel trick Nature is playing on this once lovely bird. Every year in late summer my resident pair of Northern Cardinals drop all of their head feathers at once. They look like small vultures or possibly, lizard heads grafted on to a bird’s body. Is this normal? Apparently, though not extremely common, it is normal for some Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays to lose all or nearly all of their head feathers at once, according to Cornell University’s Project Feeder Watch. The good news – their feathers grow back within a few weeks. All birds must replace their feathers at least once a year as the old ones wear down. (via Tennessee Valley Audubon)
4. One of the very few silver linings of lockdown has been the way the nation has connected with nature. Many people noticed the wildlife around them for the very first time, while in others the passion for all things wild and wonderful was reignited. Now that the breeding season is over, though, the volume and intensity of birdsong has sharply declined. So, if you’re beginning to miss your daily nature fix, why not take a leaf out of the birds’ book, and head abroad? The best way is by joining an organized bird tour, with expert leaders and a company with a track record in finding a good range of birds with the minimum of fuss. Trip operators are already taking bookings for their 2021 trips and, despite travel restrictions, plenty of countries are still welcoming visitors. (via The Telegraph)
5. A federal judge in New York struck down a Trump administration decision to scale back U.S. government protections for migratory birds. The change by the administration would have allowed companies that accidentally kill migratory birds during the course of their work no longer to face the possibility of criminal prosecution. In a 31-page document, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni cited the novel To Kill a Mockingbird to support her decision. "It is not only a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a crime," Caproni wrote. "That has been the letter of the law for the past century. But if the Department of the Interior has its way, many mockingbirds and other migratory birds that delight people and support ecosystems throughout the country will be killed without legal consequence." (via NPR)
6. America’s Solar Farms have a bird problem. Utility companies have been finding bird carcasses littering the ground at their facilities for years, a strange and unexpected consequence of the national solar boom. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy awarded a team of researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois a $1.3 million contract to develop an artificial intelligence platform dedicated to studying avian behavior at large-scale solar facilities around the US. The researchers hope the data gathered by their system will help ornithologists unravel the mystery of why our feathered friends are dying in droves at solar farms. (via Wired)
By Hap Ellis, Great Shearwaters.
7. Popular pesticides are causing bird species to decline at an alarming rate in the US, adding fuel to a 50-year downward trend in bird biodiversity, a new report has found. In addition to spray-on pesticides, farmers are widely using chemicals that coat seeds. These pesticides, called neonicotinoids or neonics, deter insects as the seeds sprout and as they grow into plants. According to a study published in Nature Sustainability, the increased use of neonicotinoids is putting bird species at risk across the US as the chemicals manifest in the stalk, nectar and pollen of plants. A 100kg increase in the use of this seed-coating pesticide in one US county was linked with a 2.2% decrease in grassland birds. (via The Guardian)
8. Book Review: Laura Erickson, science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, takes an entertaining and lighthearted look at various bird species’ mating habits in her newest book The Love Lives of the Birds: Courting and Mating Rituals. She begins with Adélie Penguins, whose females prize stone collecting, and concludes with Wilson’s Phalaropes, dainty shorebirds that “turn our expectations of sex roles entirely on their head.” Her title chapters (and the accompanying text) are wry as well as illuminating. “This Old House,” for example, references the PBS program and deals with bald eagles, which tend to “construct their nests to last generations.” Terrific color illustrations by Veronica Lilja add to the fun. Bird enthusiasts and nature lovers in general shouldn’t miss this. (via Publisher’s Weekly)
Update: The past few days had been nothing but narrow-shouldered highways and bumpy gravel roads. Put another way, they’d been enough to make most bicyclists shake their fists at the heavens, said Scott V. Edwards. The 57-year-old ornithologist has been cycling across the nation since June 6 in a trek that largely began as a way to fulfill a lifelong goal but became something bigger as the nation began a reckoning with racial injustice. Covering about 50 to 60 miles a day, he’s getting closer every day. Music has gotten Edwards through a lot of the trip. He also spends a lot of time listening for birds. He’s seen and heard horned larks in northern Ohio, a dickcissel in Indiana, killdeers, and the invasive Eurasian collared doves in Iowa. Follow along with Edwards’ journey via Twitter @ScottVEdwards1. (via Harvard Gazette)
Photo of the Week
By Rick Falck, Common loons.
Video of the Week
By Reuters, “Chirp, chirp! Building bird nests across Belarus”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam, “Barred Owls”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam, “Northern Royal Albatross”.