Image: The Ultimate Bird Drawing Throwdown Showdown Graphic featuring images of David Sibley and H. Jon Benjamin

Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th!

Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!

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Shows With Contributions by Tom Grey

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird at feeder

Hummingbirds See Red

Red flowers, and of course red feeders, are often rich sources of food for hummingbirds, including this Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Nectar is high-octane fuel for their intensely active way of life. The hummingbirds' sense of color is due to the dense concentration of cones in its retina…
American Robin and bright "red breast"

Why Robin Has a Red Breast

According to the Suquamish story, many years ago, South Wind blew hot and long. The animals banded together and found the source of the wind - a fortress atop a rocky mountain. At night, the animals crept into the fortress and vanquished the men who protected the South Wind. Afterward, the…
Greater Scaup, aka "Broadbills"

Greater Scaup Decline on Long Island Sound

Fifty years ago, the winter bays of Long Island Sound were black with Greater Scaup. "Broadbills," as hunters called them, gathered in huge flocks between Old Saybrook and Greenwich. But the average number of Greater Scaup wintering on Long Island Sound has declined, and lately, the winter…
Bonaparte's Gulls, non-breeding plumage

The Spectacle at Point No Point

Twice each day, the tide surges past Point No Point on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, causing the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water. These nutrients support clouds of tiny plankton that feed vast schools of herring and sand lance. They in turn attract fish-eating birds, which…
Cedar Waxwing eating berries, a favorite food

October Planting for Wildlife

October is the perfect time to plant for the benefit of next year's birds, including this Cedar Waxwing. Your new plants will put their resources into their roots rather than leaves or flowers. And the season's reliable rain will reduce the need to water. To attract the greatest variety of…
Mourning Dove

Bird Sounds Transport Us Back

Bird calls can transport us to times deep in our memory. Is the sound of the Whip-poor-will at dusk part of your memory? Maybe you heard Common Loons calling on a northern lake. Perhaps you awoke on a summer morning to the cooing of a Mourning Dove. Use the link below to discover how your…
 Red-necked Grebe

Muggers - How Red-necked Grebes Got the Name

Few sights are as endearing as a mother Red-necked Grebe with three stripe-headed downy chicks nestled on her back. This species breeds along the shores of northern lakes, with many other grebes and ducks, including Mallards. Red-necked Grebes are excellent divers and can swim under water…
Brant

Teshekpuk Lake in Peril

The wetlands surrounding Teshekpuk Lake provide a food-rich haven for Arctic-breeding geese during the late weeks of summer when they cannot fly. The birds are molting, replacing their worn-out flight feathers. To survive this dangerous time, they must find a place rich in food and safe…
Yellow-billed Magpie

Yellow-billed Magpies and West Nile Virus

Like their cousins, jays and crows, the Yellow-billed Magpies of California were hit hard by West Nile virus. The disease reduced magpie numbers by half. Habitat loss and poisoning also threaten the birds. They're now on Audubon's watchlist of species of concern. Whether the magpies will…
Bald Eagle

Bald Eagles and Common Murres - Interview with Julia Parrish

For 20 years, Julia Parrish of the University of Washington has been studying seabirds on the Pacific Northwest coast. During this time, the population of Bald Eagles has rebounded. What does the growing eagle population mean for Common Murres? When an eagle flies over a nesting area of…