1. “More than any other group of lifeforms, birds bind the planet together” – The FT looks at three books on migration: Birds are among the most enchanting and accessible of all other life forms. Unlike wild mammals, which in much of the world are difficult to observe, you can see and hear birds almost anywhere — in cities, fields, forests, lakes, rivers, mudflats, not to mention in the middle of the ocean and the edges of Antarctica. Compared to insects or spiders, frogs or fish, birds are generally easier to relate to. Like humans, they fight, strut, dance, preen, bathe, flock together, groom each other, copulate and become harried by demanding, insatiable young. But watching birds is not merely entertaining. The study of birds has influenced the course of science, helping to illuminate fundamental processes of evolution, from how natural selection works to ways that new species can form. (via Financial Times)
2. A rice farm in Italy, Black-tailed godwits, and the recurring theme of habitat loss: Every night, Alice Cerutti falls asleep to the sound of birds singing on her rice farm in the middle of the Italian countryside. In the morning, the voice of the black-tailed godwit, a bird whose numbers are declining globally, wakes her from sleep—a little harshly. Cerutti has turned her 115-hectare rice farm, exactly halfway between Milan and Turin, into a conservation project. During the past decade or so, she and her family have planted thousands of trees, reestablished wetlands, and brought in experts to help study and manage the precious birds that nest in areas Cerutti has set aside for wildlife. It seems to be working. (via Wired)
3. 9,000 entries and the winners are…: Birds spend their waking hours seeking to survive, thrive, and care for their families. From behind their lenses, the creators of the photos and videos on these pages capture those meaningful moments. In reading the stories behind each shot, it’s clear that a photographer’s journey to document these scenes, and the memories they form in doing so, are often what makes the resulting images so special to them. That’s not an experience any artificial intelligence can replicate. So while we can only feature a few standout submissions, we celebrate the stories behind all 9,000 entries to this year’s contest. (via Audubon)
4. More from the NY Times on its very own citizen science effort: We would not count ourselves as birders. Elaine, who visited the Everglades occasionally when she lived in Miami, knows a purple gallinule when she sees one. Alan can tell a red-tailed hawk from a sharp-shinned one, having been dragged as a child every spring to the southern shore of Lake Ontario to watch raptors migrate north. But such traits alone do not a birder make. We do consider ourselves bird and science enthusiasts. So in May, we began inviting Times readers from across the globe to share observations about the birds in their areas. The Times has a long history of engaging its readers, but to our knowledge this was (probably) its first participatory citizen science project. (via The New York Times)
5. Not to be outdone, there’s this from The Washington Post: I’m pretty sure the first wren that fledged from our backyard birdhouse on Sunday did it by accident. One minute he was pushing his siblings aside, sticking his head out of the hole and noisily chirping to get his mother’s attention. The next he had tumbled clumsily out of the hole and to the ground after stretching out too far to reach the insect in his mother’s mouth. Congratulations, son! You’re a grown-up now! We’ve been lucky enough to host a family of house wrens for the past few springs. This year, move-out day was nicely timed for our holiday weekend viewing pleasure. (via The Washington Post)
6. An interesting article on migratory patterns in LA and Santa Barbara: For as long as I’ve been birding, it has been common wisdom that there are diurnal (daytime) and nocturnal migrants. Examples of diurnal migrants include hummingbirds and swallows — it’s hard to imagine birds in these families journeying during the night. The nocturnal migrants include the songbirds, such as warblers, thrushes, tanagers, and vireos. I’d assumed there were hard and fast rules about which birds moved when, but recent observations by birders are turning these notions on their heads. Songbirds are making the expected nocturnal movements across the desert at night. But at dawn, and for the few hours afterward, these birds drop down and begin to feed, particularly in the chaparral. (via Santa Barbara Independent)
7. A look at how smoke – not the fire itself- affects birds in these wildfire areas: When smoke from Canadian wildfires started turning U.S. skies orange this month, ecologist Olivia Sanderfoot watched the news from her office in California with growing unease. She felt concerned for people experiencing the megafires and smoke, but she also started worrying about what all that smoke exposure could mean for North American birds in their prime breeding season. Smoke exposures now, the University of California, Los Angeles postdoctoral fellow feared, could lead to possible population dips later. Studying the effects of wildfire smoke on birds—versus the effects from actual fires—is a relatively new area of inquiry, and Sanderfoot is one of the few scientists focused on this question. (via National Geographic)
8. Next level bird feeding! Chanachur (“the Bombay mix”) and 2,500 Mynas: Shomour Kumar Ghosh, a sweetmeat maker living in western Bangladesh, began feeding a flock of mynas gathered outside his shop in 2012. Since then, he hasn’t stopped, and today feeds an estimated 2,000-2,500 of the birds each morning, at a cost of around $28 daily. Ghosh’s “bird restaurant,” as it’s become known, is one of several efforts initiated by individual bird lovers across Bangladesh trying to do their part for avian conservation. Ghosh’s love for birds and his feeding efforts have been widely lauded across Bangladesh, and in 2020 he was awarded the best “Bird Lover” in the country by the Forest Department.(via Mongabay)
9. Climate, natural barriers and birds – a European look: Two-thirds of Europe's birds have moved to cooler areas over the last 30 years, mainly to the north and east by 100 kilometers on average. They are trying to find the conditions they are best suited to under global warming. But these journeys come up against obstacles such as mountain ranges and oceans. This has been observed by scientists in a study recently published in the journal PNAS. In this study of almost all European bird species, the scientists looked at the effects of large-scale natural barriers, such as mountain ranges and coastlines, on the movements of birds over the last 30 years. They have established that these barriers affect both the distance and direction traveled by the birds. (via Phys Org)
10. A sad report on migratory birds from Pakistan: A deep-rooted culture of hunting, combined with decades of encroachment, have taken a heavy toll on the populations of migratory birds in the wetlands of northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Meanwhile, they report, the threat of conflict and militancy in the province, which borders Afghanistan, has made protecting the wildlife that remains increasingly challenging. Covering more than 4,000 hectares along the Kurram River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Thanedar Wala was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1976, given the significant populations of breeding and visiting birds it supported. ut according to Malook Khan, a divisional forest officer at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wildlife department with responsibilities spanning multiple districts, there has been a sharp decline in the number of migratory birds visiting Thanedar Wala in recent years. (via The Third Pole)
11. Hoping small white dots will do the trick: When it comes to bird conservation, Stockton University, located in the Pinelands National Reserve, is crossing its t's and dotting its i's. This month, thousands of white spots were added to the exterior glass on the bridge that connects the Unified Science Center 1 and 2 to prevent bird strikes. This new window treatment helps birds in flight spot the glass obstruction that would otherwise reflect sky and open space fooling birds into striking the windows, especially migrants passing through during the spring and fall. Stockton's campus is located within the Atlantic Flyway, a north-south corridor that migratory birds travel on their way to and from breeding and wintering grounds. (via Stockton University)
12. Protecting Piping Plovers, this report from Martha’s Vineyard: The name Little Beach fits; it is 20 acres and is frequently mentioned in this column. This is nesting season and most notable its the colony of black skimmers, their northernmost nesting colony on the Atlantic coast. There are also lots of least terns and common terns, and of course there are piping plovers, American oystercatchers and willets. Because of all the birds nesting on the property, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation has closed Little Beach to all public access. It can best be viewed from the Eel Pond boat ramp at the end of Braley’s Way, the easternmost end of Peases Point Way. Closer views are by kayak but please remember to stay at least 50 feet from the beach, as getting closer than that will disturb the nesting birds. (via Vineyard Gazette)
13. Fun fact (but you be the judge!): The title of the bird with the longest beak, relative to body size, goes to the very aptly named swordbilled hummingbird. This bird’s amazing beak, which can reach lengths of about 12cm, is longer than its body, allowing it to access nectar from the longest, thinnest blooms that other hummingbird beaks can’t reach. It is the only bird whose beak is longer than the rest of the body (excluding the tail). Swordbilled hummingbirds live in the the Andean region of South America at altitudes of around 1,700–3,500m and is one of the largest species of hummingbird (there are at least 250 different species of hummingbird) (via Discover Wildlife)
14. A strong initiative in Arkansas: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Private Lands Habitat Division is looking for landowners who want to put more waterfowl and shorebird habitat on the ground this winter, and thanks to a new initiative through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, there’s an additional $4 million in incentives to landowners to make it happen. According to a release from the NRCS, the additional money is coming from the Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative, an investment of nearly $15 million across nine states with Arkansas farmers playing a key role. The program will focus practices that can take place on working lands so landowners will still be able to profit from their agricultural crops while implementing steps to benefit migratory birds. (via Deltaplex News)
15. And finally, the remarkable baya weaver – the nest alone is worth a look: The baya weaver, known as sugri in Gujarati, is believed to have originated from sugruhi, which means a lady with a tidy home. Baya weavers are extremely talented birds. They win the hearts of any observer with their nest-weaving craft. So much so that many enthusiasts cannot resist plucking abandoned nests from trees and carrying them home—something not advisable, though. However, for male baya weaver birds, that craft is also a necessity to attract a mate. The male starts weaving the nest using long strips of grass and palm trees. When he is halfway through constructing the nest, the female pays a visit. She stays if she likes the nest; otherwise, the male needs to start weaving a different one. (via The Indian Express)
Bird Videos of the Week
By The Birders Show, “Ornithological Collections: Big Debate in Birdwatching”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Red-tail Hawk nesting.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Ezra and the Chipmunk.