Merry Audubon Christmas Birdcount!

Image by Luke Redmond via Flickr

'Tis the season for the annual Audubon Christmas Birdcount. The 110th season runs through Jan 5th and there are birdcounts all over the U.S. and Central America. Each year's count adds to the information gained in previous years. Scientists rely on the data to help identify declining bird populations which are in most urgent need of conservation help. Check with your local Audubon chapter to see how you can participate.

Operation Migration

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Per Operation Migration's website:

Follow the story of a record-making 21 endangered Whooping Crane chicks making their first journey south as ultralight airplanes show them the way! Weekly "countdown" reports begin September 4. Then join the chicks' first migration south with daily reports (and Operation Migration's live CraneCam!) starting in October!

If the team finds connectivity at remote stopover locations, you may be able to watch each morning's departure as the cranes and planes make their way south on a journey of over 1,200 miles. The CraneCam will also deliver views of the Class of 2009 in their travel pen after each migration flight leg is completed.

Demographics of United States Birding

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A recently released report by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis” shows that 48 million of us, 16 years of age or older, are birders.

Among other things, the report shows that more males than females are birders, the four most bird-rich states in the U.S. have the lowest birder participation rates and that birding is primarily an activity of white people??? Go figure....get out there and get some sun everyone.

Read the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s report, "Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis” here.

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Now Open! South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center.

September 27th marked the opening of The South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, the ninth and final facility of the Rio Grande Valley’s World Birding Center.

Built on 50 acres of wetland, the 10,000 square foot 6.5 million dollar facility has a five-story observation tower and almost 5,000 feet of boardwalk. The boardwalk courses over the Laguna Madre wetland that separates South Padre Island from the Texas mainland. Numerous covered blinds are located along the boardwalk affording photographic and viewing opportunities of the nearly 300 bird species that either live on the island or pass through during annual migration.

Go to the World Birding Center’s website or call 243-8179 for information on the center and visiting hours.

A Field Guide is Every Bird Watcher's Companion

A Field Guide is Every Bird Watcher's Companion


The 13th anniversary of the passing of Roger Tory Peterson was a couple of weeks ago. The release of the North American edition of his Field Guide to Birds this past year prompts Steve Grinley to re-look at the man who revolutionized field guides and the effect that he had on birders like himself.

Trap, Neuter, and Release: Bad for Cats, Disaster for Birds

American Bird Conservancy has produced a new, short video "Trap, Neuter, and Release: Bad for Cats, Disaster for Birds." Each year, feral and free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of our nation's birds, putting additional pressure on the populations of many species that are in decline.

Trap, Neuter, and Release (TNR) programs catch feral cats, neuter them, and then release them back to their colonies, which are subsequently maintained by volunteers. In theory, cat colonies managed under TNR will diminish over time through attrition, and eventually disappear. In practice this is not the case. View the video here

New Technologies to Help Reduce Bird-Plane Collisions.

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A National Geographic News article by John Roach explains new technologies that are being developed to help reduce future bird-plane collisions. Read the article here.

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Scientists Start to Unlock Secrets of Bird Flight

According to an Associated Press article, research funded by the National Science Foundation has helped scientists start to unlock secrets of bird flight. Read entire article here.

Safety and Birding the Mexico Border

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With thousands of people throughout Latin America (as well as other countries) using the U.S.-Mexico border as a way to gain illegal entry into the United States, here are a few thoughts on safety when birding along the Mexico Border.
Typically, illegal border crossers are only poverty-stricken men and women looking for a better way of life in America. But there is another more dangerous border crosser that deals in smuggling narcotics or other illegal contraband. These individuals may be armed, not to mention already paranoid due to the line of work they are involved in.
It’s not hard to imagine an innocent birder with binoculars and khaki or camouflaged clothing looking like law enforcement or a competing smuggler. If you come upon suspicious persons, make the most discrete and hasty withdrawal possible. When you’re back to a well populated area, report any suspicious activity to authorities.
There is a lot of birding to enjoy along the border – but be aware of your surroundings and err on the side of safety. Come to think of it that’s good advice anywhere you bird.

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United States of America 2009 "The State of the Birds" Report

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States. The study shows widespread decline or threats affecting nearly a third of the 800 bird species in the U.S. Reasons given for the decline - habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats.

Find the Interior Department's 2009 The State of the Birds report here.

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New Children's Book Combines Birding & Haiku

And now for something completely different.....a new children's book combines birding & haiku. It’s written for children but many adults would find it interesting, too. Get more information on Michael J. Rosen's most recent book, The Cuckoo’s Haiku and Other Birding Poems, here.

New bird species found - may be more to come!

AP environmental writer, MICHAEL CASEY, reports from Bangkok, Thailand that a new species of the fist-sized babbler bird has been found in a network of underground caves in southwestern China, raising the prospect the country could become a hot spot for other discoveries. Read the article here...