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Field notes » April 2014

April 2014

Helping Birds Avoid Colliding with Glass

Birds colliding with glass is a real problem, especially during migration. Many cities have initiated Lights Out! programs, which helps. And there are things that homeowners can do, too. BirdNote's Chris Peterson interviewed Christine Sheppard of the American Bird Conservancy about the problem... read more »

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Topics & Themes:  flight, human interaction

Wood Ducks on the Potomac

Wild, undammed rivers make dangerous neighbors. A sign-board near the riverbank at one of the entrances to Potomac National Park offers direct evidence of the river’s perils — 57 drownings in ten years between Great Falls and Little Falls — about an 11-mile stretch.The Potomac seems most fearsome... read more »

RELATED
Topics & Themes:  nesting
Related birds:  Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

President Theodore Roosevelt's Bird Checklist for the White House

“Bird-Lore: A Bi-Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds”Official Organ of the Audubon Societies(Vol. X11 No. 2 March – April, 1910)From the author, Lucy W. Maynard of Washington, DC: … I had the opportunity to speak with the President, and I asked him if I might make, from... read more »

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Topics & Themes:  reflection

Do Birds Play?

Black Swans, surfing off the Gold Coast of Australia? What's that about?Do birds play? We think so. And these videos seem to prove it! Here's what BirdNote science advisor, Dennis Paulson, has to say:For a long time, scientists resisted the idea that animals other than humans played. But more and... read more »

RELATED
Topics & Themes:  humor
Related birds:  American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Common Raven (Corvus corax), Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen), Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Bushtits Build Their Nest

Mike Hamilton photographed a pair of Bushtits building their sock-like, hanging nest. Both the male and the female work in building the pendulous nest, made from moss, lichen, and spider webs. The female (she's the one with yellow eyes) focuses more on the bowl, while the male builds out the... read more »

RELATED
Topics & Themes:  nesting, ornithology
Related birds:  Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)

Redhead Alert - A Walk along the Potomac Shore

Redheads stand out among us in the crowd. From historical figures like Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I, to screen stars like Lucille Ball and Damian Lewis, a red head — with or without a crown on it — can cause a stir.The same phenomenon obtains when it comes to birder sightings. Bright red head... read more »

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Related birds:  Redhead (Aythya americana)

Finding Mountain Plovers - How Technology Helped!

In the spring of 2013, I found two rare Mountain Plovers in the White Rock Bay area of Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake in Utah. And lately, I have been hoping to see them again.The last couple of trips to the island have made me think of how various technologies used for birding... read more »

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Topics & Themes:  photography
Related birds:  Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus)
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