1. A migratory bird has set a new non-stop distance record in its journey from Alaska to New Zealand. The male bar-tailed godwit flew over 12,000km (7,456 miles) non-stop in 11 days in its annual migration from its nesting ground in the Alaskan tundra to spend winter in the southern hemisphere. The bird is part of a group tagged by New Zealand charity the Miranda Shorebird Centre last autumn and tracked in its journey by the Dutch group the Global Flyway Network. The journey, which began on September 16, broke a previous record of 11,680km set by a godwit known as E7 in 2007. (via The Telegraph)
A beautiful video on the Bar-tailed Godwit, produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
A stunning short film highlighting long-distance shorebird migrants, with a focus on the importance of the Yellow Sea, produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
2. A peregrine falcon hurtles at over 100 mph toward rows of grapes. It banks at the last moment, passing within inches of professional falconer Kalen Pearson’s smiling face. The high-velocity interspecies dance causes a flock of European starlings to scatter — along with any other nearby birds that have any sense. Rows of plump organic grapes are safe for now, and so are the invasive starlings. In falconry-based bird abatement, the game isn’t the catch; it’s the chase. (via Discover)
3. Mya-Rose Craig has been a committed “twitcher” and “birder” since she was a young girl (“twitching” involves the pursuit of a specific ornithological species, “birding” is casual spotting). Most weekends she is out in the countryside enjoying the wildlife. She’s seen 5,000 species and she’s just landed a six-figure book deal. At 18, Ms. Craig has found a spotlight within the ornithology community. Her memoir, titled Birdgirl and the subject of a 14-way auction among British publishers, is rumored to have sold for more than £250,000. (via The Times)
4. Colombian conservationist Ana María Morales was on her way to a pro-golf career, but found her true passion: birds of prey –also known as raptors– which she now helps to conserve on Colombia's pacific coast. Morales, who now works with the Fundación Aguilas de los Andes (FADA or Eagles of the Andes Foundation) which runs the only rehabilitation center for birds of prey in Colombia, was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia and started playing golf as a little girl. Then, in her third semester of studying undergraduate veterinary science, she got a scholarship to a college in the US to play golf and study wildlife biology. (via Forbes)
5. The pristine look of a forest carpeted in ferns can be deceiving, says Ron Rohrbaugh, “People perceive a natural environment, but in a situation like that, birds can’t meet their breeding-cycle needs.” Rohrbaugh coauthored a study, published in January in Forest Ecology and Management, showing how changes in forest structure caused by swelling deer populations may be affecting birds. The research tracked populations of 40 common bird species in Pennsylvania over 35 years (from 1981 to 2015) and categorized them based on where they make their livings (such as mature forests or younger early successional forests). Then the researchers looked at deer abundance across a corresponding timespan to see how deer populations related to trends in bird species. (via Living Bird)
By Hap Ellis, Great Blue Heron at first light.
6. Looking at the lower 48 states and the southern edge of Canada, there is definitely a higher volume of migration passing through the eastern half, especially if we focus on land birds. That’s not to say that the birding is necessarily better in the East. The West has more bird species altogether, and the western states can produce spectacular concentrations of migrants in some places—especially of aquatic species at wetlands in arid country, like Great Salt Lake or Salton Sea. But for big numbers of a wide variety of migrant land birds, eastern sites are more productive. (via Audubon)
7. The astonishing mimicry of a group of finches in Africa has been uncovered by an international team of researchers. They collected images, sounds and videos over four years in the savannahs of Zambia to build up a picture of the tactics of the birds known as the indigobirds and whydahs, of the genus Vidua. Like common cuckoos, the 19 species in this group take an absentee approach to parenting by laying their eggs in the nests of other birds. But while cuckoos mimic their host’s eggs to enable this deception, this group of parasitic finches have evolved to mimic their host’s chicks with amazing accuracy - down to elaborately colored patterns in their mouths. (via Cambridge Independent)
8. The magician climbs into the cage to perform a show for one. For this special event, he eschews coins and cards for peanuts. He rolls his sleeves and faces his captive audience: a corvid bird by the name of Stuka. He shows Stuka a peanut and waves it through the air, sweeping it from one hand to another. Stuka tracks the treat, moving its head like a spectator at a tennis match. Then the magician opens his right hand and shows … nothing! The nut has disappeared! Stuka seems to look around for the missing legume, but the magician pulls it from inside his mouth. Was it there all along? The peanut keeps magically switching from one place to another, and a second bird approaches to watch, perhaps out of curiosity. The question is, what are those birdbrains thinking? (via Scientific American)
9. Birds are vital. They are landscape creators, habitat regulators and pollinators, as well as treasured wildlife. But they are under threat everywhere in the world and, without protection, their future could be very grim indeed. Migratory birds are a case in point. Their arrival and departure dates have fascinated people for millennia. What is evident is that a typical migratory bird relies on many different locations throughout its annual cycle for food, rest and breeding. This is crucial for survival. More than 90 percent of migratory birds need more protection on their journeys around the world. Fighting for them in court may be the best way to avert catastrophe. (via New Scientist)
10. A team of researchers have developed a new metric called the stopover-to-passage ratio that can help determine if a majority of birds are flying over a particular site or stopping at the site to refuel or rest. The answer to this question can have important implications for what action is ultimately taken on the ground to help migratory birds. (via Science Daily)
By Hap Ellis, Eastern Bluebirds.
For the backyard birder: “I’m always kind of over the top with bird feeding,” said Ms. Zickefoose, a nature writer, illustrator and wildlife rehabilitator. “I don’t observe nature, I participate.” She has raised about 25 bird species from infancy. She cooks for the birds, and her wild visitors may get named. Like Jemima, the blue jay she rescued in 2017, who inspired her recent book “Saving Jemima: Life and Love With a Hard-Luck Jay,” a welcome off-season companion for anyone craving nature. This past week, New York Times columnist Margaret Roach spoke with Ms. Zickefoose to compare feeding plans, distill best practices on what to feed where and when, to keep birds safe — and to maximize the precious connection. (via The New York Times)
Bonus for the backyard birder: In the Hudson Valley, where birding is not just a hobby but a way of life, almost everyone keeps birdhouses in their yards. But not all birdhouses are created equally — and in fact, the most beautiful ones on the market might not actually be conducive to attracting birds. New York Magazine spoke to six birders, all of whom emphasized that you shouldn’t buy a birdhouse just because it catches your eye. If you’re looking for a birdhouse — or “nest boxes” as many of our birders call them — there are plenty of nice looking, expert-recommended options, plus some tips to help you shop for one that will safely house birds native to your area and keep the ecosystem around you intact. (via New York Magazine)
Bird Photo of the Week
By Hap Ellis, Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Bird Video of the Week
By NYSDEC, “On The Front Lines - Peregrine Falcon Banding”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam, Puffed up Ruffed Grouse.
Cornell Live Bird Cam, Blue Jays and Red-bellied Woodpecker.