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 Michael Stein

Denver Holt with Long-eared Owl

Denver Holt - It's About People

When Denver Holt began his owl research 30 years ago, he was focused on disseminating his findings to the scientific community. Today, he believes that sharing information with both wildlife managers and citizens will make an important difference for owls – including this Long-eared Owl.…
Eastern Bluebirds

Rita Shultz - Friend to Bluebirds

Rita Shultz, a rural mail carrier outside of Richmond, Virginia, says, "Every person's yard is an important bird area!" When Rita discovered that Eastern Bluebirds were nesting in some of the newspaper delivery boxes on her route – and that many customers were throwing the nests out – she…
Changua Coast wind turbine with birds flying nearby

Protecting Birds from Wind Power

January 2013: Birds take advantage of windy ridges and other land-forms that create thermals and updrafts to carry them on their migrations. These same windy locations recommend themselves for wind-power turbines. It’s a tricky problem: On one hand, a Department of Energy report calls for…
Taima, an Osprey, aka "Seahawk"

Seahawks Migrate East to Meadowlands in Winter

A flock of fearless Seahawks is making an epic cross-continent journey to the meadowlands of New Jersey. To prepare for the great migration, they went up against mighty foes -- Panthers, Cardinals, Jaguars, Falcons, Colts, and Rams. They’ll face fierce competition from the Broncos for the…
Palila, endangered Hawaiian endemic

Saving Hawaii's Birds - With American Bird Conservancy

American Bird Conservancy and other organizations are working to make Hawaiian birds a top national priority for conservation. Of all the endangered bird species in the United States, more than one-third are found only in Hawaii. Biologists on Hawaii's Big Island are working to restore…
"Lame Duck" cartoon

Lame Duck

"Lame duck" is probably a very old term, from before there even was a Congress of the United States. In 1772, an Edinburgh newspaper reported that many people had gone broke in the London stock market (Exchange Alley), and that "Only one lame duck waddled out of the Alley." In 19th century…
Sanderlings foraging on beach

Birds Respond to a Storm - With Patrick Comins

How do birds fare before a storm? Patrick Comins of Audubon Connecticut says, "Seabirds try to avoid a hurricane if they can, but sometimes end up getting blown off course. Most landbirds are pretty tuned in to weather changes. Whenever there's a storm approaching, you'll notice a lot of…
Piping Plover eggs in nest known as a "scrape"

Superstorm Sandy's Effects on Birds and Habitat

How did birds and their habitat fare in the wake of Superstorm Sandy? Patrick Comins of Audubon Connecticut, says: "It was extremely powerful. There was significant erosion and over-washing of dunes and beaches. I've had the chance to visit a few of the important nesting areas for Piping…
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…