BirdWatching

common courtesy

No doubt about it, chasing rarities is a big part of the birding culture. When the birding gods drop a way-out-of-range bird in a place that has a fair number of local birders, the news flashes quickly across state listservs, national and local Facebook birding groups, and other media.If the bird sticks around, and especially if it’s colorful or otherwise striking, local TV stations and newspapers may pick up on the story, sending a reporter who invariably tells viewers or readers that we birders are “flocking” to the scene. Despite the bad puns, the coverage is typically a good thing: It can open more eyes to the wonders of birds and the fun and unexpected joys of birding.A situation in Ottawa, Ontario, this past winter, however, led to news coverage…

bird watching

Editor Matt MendenhallFounding Editor Eldon D. GreijContributing Editors Julie Craves, Pete Dunne, Laura Erickson, Kenn Kaufman, David Allen SibleyEditorial Consultant Lee MergnerART & PRODUCTIONArt Director Carolyn V. MarsdenGraphic Designer Haley NunesOPERATIONSVice President, Strategy Jason PomerantzOperations Coordinators Toni Eunice, Kianna PerryHuman Resources Generalist Alicia RoachSupervisor, Client Services Cheyenne CorlissSenior Client Services Associate Tou Zong HerClient Services Aubrie Britto, Darren Cormier, Andrea PalliAccounting Director Amanda JoyceAccounts Payable Associate Tina McDermottAccounts Receivable Associate Wayne TuggleDIGITAL OPERATIONSDirector, Digital Projects Jessica KrogmanWordpress Developer David GlassmanSenior Digital Designer Mike DeckerSALES & MARKETINGMedia Solutions Director Scott Luksh sluksh@madavor.comSenior Media Solutions Manager Bob Meth bmeth@madavor.comSenior Media Solutions Manager Alexandra Piccirilli apiccirilli@madavor.comClient Services clientservices@madavor.comMarketing Director Andrew YeumMarketing Associate Tommy GoodaleSocial Media Manager Tim DoolanContent Marketing Associate Anthony BuzzeoEXECUTIVEChairman & Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey C. WolkChief Operating Officer Peter MaddenSVP,…

a big win for conservation

Bird and wildlife conservation in the United States received a significant boost recently when Congress passed and the president signed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, a sweeping bill covering a variety of subjects related to environmental protection. Highlights include:Reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. The law provides direct conservation support for 386 bird species and their habitats in Central and South America. Since 2002, the NMBCA has supported 570 conservation projects — including habitat protection, monitoring, research, and education — on more than 4.5 million acres of critical bird habitat across 36 countries. The new law approves $6.5 million for the NMBCA each fiscal year through 2023. At least 75 percent of the funds must be spent outside the U.S.Permanent reauthorization of the…

nest boxes aid comeback of rare parrots

In northeastern Brazil’s Baturité Mountains, strategically placed nest boxes are helping to restore populations of one of the world’s most endangered wild parrots. The Gray-breasted Parakeet, once considered a subspecies of the White-eared Parakeet, is making a comeback thanks to a program managed by Brazilian group Aquasis, an American Bird Conservancy partner. In the last five years, the effort has added hundreds of birds to the Gray-breasted Parakeet population. In 2018 alone, 234 chicks fledged from 62 nest boxes.Gray-breasted Parakeets occur in humid mountain forests in the otherwise semi-arid landscape of northeast Brazil. These wet “sky islands,” known locally as “brejos,” are restricted to upland granite or sandstone areas, which receive up to four times the annual rainfall of lower altitudes. Although the species was known historically from 15 locations,…

since you asked

Juvenile Greater Roadrunner (David Brimm/Shutterstock)QDon’t Ospreys eat only fish? I swear I saw one carrying something with a long skinny tail. — Nora McAllister, Wilmington, North CarolinaAAbout 99 percent of an Osprey’s diet is fish. However, the species has been noted taking a variety of other prey, including snakes and rodents, either of which might fit the description of your observation. Semi-aquatic creatures in this category that might give the appearance of being tailed would include various water-loving snakes, muskrats, or salamanders.Birds, voles, and squirrels have also been reported in the diet of Ospreys. On rare occasions, Ospreys have been seen feeding on dead fish or carrion. By and large, though, it’s fish only, and while they are not extremely choosy, in any given area, Osprey tend to eat only…

earlier spring, unpredictable future

Two recent studies shed new light on the past and future effects of climate change on migratory birds.The first was based on long-term monitoring data from 21 European and Canadian bird observatories and included almost 200 study species. The team of 18 co-authors analyzed data dating as far back as 1959 to 2015 and found that, on average, bird species have “advanced their spring migration by a little over a week since the late 1950s,” says Aleksi Lehikoinen from the Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki.Migratory periods for short-distance migrants (birds that winter in Europe or North America) have moved ahead about 1.5-2 days per decade. For long-distance migrants that winter in the tropics, migration has advance approximately 0.6-1.2 days per decade.Some species show much greater advances. For instance,…