1. Infrasound: Five years ago, French navy officer Jérôme Chardon was listening to a radio program about the extraordinary journey of the bar-tailed godwit, a bird that migrates 14,000 kilometers between New Zealand and Alaska. In his job as the coordinator of rescue operations across Southeast Asia and French Polynesia, Chardon understood better than most how treacherous the journey would be, as ferocious storms frequently disrupt Pacific island communities. Yet, somehow, bar-tailed godwits routinely pass through the area unscathed. Chardon wondered whether learning how godwits navigate could help coastal communities avoid disaster. Could tracking birds help save lives? This past January, a team from France’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), funded primarily by the French Ministry for the Armed Forces, began experiments designed to test Chardon’s idea. (via Hakai Magazine)
2. In June 1912, Leo Miller, a collector with the American Museum of Natural History, arrived in the Caquetá region of Colombia, where the eastern foothills of the Andes melt into the forested lowlands of the Amazon basin. Miller was working for Frank Chapman, the celebrated curator of birds at the museum. Chapman suspected that Colombia’s wildly varied topography had given rise to an unusual density of species, and sent collectors like Miller to bring him birds from all corners of the country to study. On a morning in early August, a century and nine years after Miller loaded his specimens onto river rafts and commenced his return to New York, a group of researchers tramped through muddy fields to their base camp, a ranch in a rural outpost of the city of Florencia. (via The New York Times)
3. Depressing story: Despite a few high-profile conservation success stories – like the dramatic comeback of bald eagle populations in North America – birds of prey are in decline worldwide. A new analysis of data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International found that 30% of 557 raptor species worldwide are considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered or critically endangered. Eighteen species are critically endangered, including the Philippine eagle, the hooded vulture and the Annobon scops owl, the researchers found. Other species are in danger of becoming locally extinct in specific regions, meaning they may no longer play critical roles as top predators in those ecosystems. (via The Associated Press)
4. Remarkable: In April, Juan Pablo Calusso, a nature sound recordist and birder, released the first sonar map of the ecosystems of Uruguay. The map consists of a series of natural soundscapes recorded in some of the most iconic locations of the country. Calusso's goal was to show the world — through sound — a sample of the natural environments in South America that are disappearing at an alarming rate. Calusso, 35, who was born without sight, says he chose the locations based on his memories from childhood. He wanted to revisit the places he traveled as a kid with his family. Calusso prefers the songs of the less colorful wrens and thrushes. For example, one of his favorite birds in Colombia is the Southern chestnut-breasted wren (Cyphorhinus thoracicu) known in Colombia as el cucarachero flautista, the flutist wren — not to be confused with Microceculus ustulatus (or more commonly known as the flutist wren). (via Discover Magazine)
5. The rise and fall of Earth's land surface over the last three million years shaped the evolution of birds and mammals with new species evolving at higher rates where the land has risen most. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have combined reconstructions of the Earth's changing surface elevations over the past three million years with data on climate change over this timeframe, and with bird and mammal species' locations. Their results reveal how species evolved into new ones as land elevation changed—and disentangle the effects of elevation from the effects of climate. The study found that the effect of elevation increase is greater than that of historical climate change, and of present-day elevation and temperature, in driving the formation of new species – 'or speciation'. (via Phys Org)
6. Flight efficiency: Bird dispersal movements are thought to depend on complex demographic and genetic factors. Dr. Santiago Claramunt, Associate Curator of Birds at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Toronto, shows that there may be a simpler explanation: bird dispersal distances depend on the morphology and flight efficiency of the wings. When a bird moves to establish a new breeding territory, how far does it go? This is a simple but fundamental question in ecology and evolution. Despite great advances in tracking technologies, we know little about the movement of young birds. Natal dispersal, the movement of birds from the place where they were born to a new breeding site, has important consequences for bird demography, genetic connectivity, and conservation. (via Phys Org)
7. Hello Pittsburgh! More on the “Lights Out” campaign: As the calendar flips to fall, roughly a hundred thousand birds are passing over the Pittsburgh region as part of their seasonal migration. It’s not an easy trip and apparently the bright artificial light given off by the tall buildings that make up the city’s skyline isn’t helping. Migrating birds can cover thousands of miles. While their navigational skills aren’t completely understood, the birds GPS is generally provided by the sun, the stars, and by sensing the earth’s magnetic field. But for long-distance migrants all that can be thrown off by communication towers and tall buildings. Now Pittsburgh is joining a national movement - the Lights Out initiative - that is convincing building owners and tenants to turn off as much inside and outside building light as possible at night, especially on upper floors. (via Trip Live)
8. And hello Newark!: City of Newark officials are encouraging residents to do their part to aid migrating birds by turning off or turning down lights when possible. Last week, city council passed a resolution in support of the National Audubon Society’s Lights Out program. The program, which has been implemented in large and small cities across the United States, encourages residents and businesses to turn off unnecessary lights between midnight and 6 a.m. from April through May and August through November. Sheila Smith, a member of Newark’s Conservation Advisory Commission, noted that turning off lights not only helps birds but also saves energy. “It’s not a blackout,” Smith said. “Just dim, or turn out lights you don’t need.” Residents can also use curtains or blinds to shield interior lights from being seen outside. (via Newark Post)
9. Beginning in May and appearing to slow down by the end of July, juvenile songbirds from the mid-Atlantic to the Midwest fell ill with odd symptoms and died. Scientists were baffled by the mass mortality event. Months later they still do not know what killed the birds. Suspects include pathogens that the victims could have contracted by consuming Brood X cicadas and environmental toxins to which the young birds were particularly vulnerable. Brian Evans, an ornithologist at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., is part of a collaborative effort that draws on community science to find out more about the scope of the event and narrow down the possible causes.* (via Scientific American)
10. Back yard birders take note: For millions of Americans who feed wild birds, the enjoyment they get from nourishing and observing avian visitors is well worth the cost of providing a steady food supply. This year, though, that cost is on track to be especially high. One big reason: Areas that grow the grains and seeds in bird food mixes are among those hardest hit by the drought parching half the country. Experts anticipate significantly diminished harvests of bird-feeding staples sunflower, safflower, and millet this fall. Combined with other factors like high shipping costs and rising demand as birding grows in popularity, the severe, persistent drought could force households to reassess their bird-feeding budgets. (via Audubon)
11. Not everyone loves peacocks apparently: Residents who feed peacocks in Los Angeles County will find themselves running afoul with authorities. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to make feeding the flamboyantly feathered birds a misdemeanor in unincorporated areas of the county and the 44 cities that contract with the animal control department, according to the Los Angeles Times. Feeding peafowl could result in a six-month jail term and/or a fine up to $1,000. The ruling came after complaints from residents, who objected to some of their neighbors leaving seeds and scraps of bread for the peacocks to eat, the newspaper reported. (via Kiro 7 News)
12. Terrific photography in this contest: As photography subjects go, birds are notoriously (and literally) flighty. So it’s not hard to admire the work on show at the Bird Photographer of the Year contest. The contest spans eight different categories including Portraits, Bird Behavior, Birds in Flight and Black and White. The winners of the 2021 prize have been announced, narrowed down from a flock of 22,000 entries. The prize-winning work showcases some of the world’s most colorful species and also highlights their delicate, essential place in our world. Some great pictures to end on. (via News Atlas)
Bird Photo of the Week
Photo by Hap Ellis, Eastern Bluebird.
Bird Videos of the Week
By The Guardian, “Lyrebird in Australia perfectly mimics crying baby”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Northern Royal Albatross Weigh-in.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Barred Owl 2021 Season Highlights.