Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2021 i BirdWatching

My nomination for the sentence I’m most sick of hearing? “I can’t wait until things get back to normal.” The sentiment behind the words may be sincere — because, yes, we all want to be able to gather with family and friends, not have to wear masks, and be free to go to restaurants, plays, concerts, and birding lectures again. But for me, the grating aspect of going “back to normal” is two-fold. First, it implies that we’re willing to overlook all the people who have been lost in this pandemic, as well as the grief of survivors, the enormous job loss and business closings, and the significant mental-health impact endured by millions of people due to stay-at-home orders and the like. We cannot and must not forget the tolls…

Whooping Cranes migrating through the Great Plains avoid “rest stop” sites that are within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of wind-energy infrastructure, according to a study published in March in the journal Ecological Applications. Avoidance of wind turbines can decrease collision mortality for birds, but it can also make it more difficult and time-consuming for migrating flocks to find safe and suitable rest and refueling locations. The study’s insights into migratory behavior could improve future siting decisions as wind energy infrastructure continues to expand. “In the past, federal agencies had thought of impacts related to wind energy primarily associated with collision risks,” said Aaron Pearse, the paper’s first author and a research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. “I think this research changes that paradigm…

Last year’s viral incident in Central Park between African-American birder Christian Cooper and a white dog walker sparked the online event known as Black Birders Week. Black birders organized events on social media and video webinars to share their experiences and raise awareness about the challenges of birding in public spaces for people of color. Black Birders Week will be back this year from May 30 through June 5. Search the hashtag #BlackBirdersWeek on Twitter and Instagram for a list of events.…

This year, Olympus has expanded the field of the Micro Four Thirds format with the debut in January of the M.Zuiko 150–400mm F4.5 super-telephoto pro zoom lens. It offers reach equal to a 300mm-800mm zoom equivalent on a full-frame 35mm body, with up to 1,000mm when the internal 1.4x teleconverter is engaged with the flip of a switch. Adding an Olympus external teleconverter can max out the effective reach at 2,000mm. Imagine concentrating on capturing the image of a sparrow feeding on the ground just a few feet away when a Cooper’s Hawk swoops in to alight on the branch of a tree at 40 yards. With the Olympus 150-400mm, it only takes an instant to lift, zoom, and focus to grab that perfect raptor image. If, after nailing the…

From the 1950s to the early 1970s, pesticides including DDT caused Osprey populations to plummet. By the time DDT was banned, only 10 percent of the Atlantic Coast population in North America remained, and the bird was feared to be headed toward extirpation in many areas. Now, it is a symbol of conservation success. The global population may be as high as half a million mature individuals. A 2001 estimate of breeding numbers in the lower 48 states found 16,000 to 19,000 pairs, which was up 25 percent from 1994. Since then, numbers have continued to grow around the country to the point where most states no longer monitor the species, making a reliable continental population estimate virtually impossible. “Although small pockets of contamination remain, the historic range has greatly…

Birders who have struggled to identify members of the flycatcher family may have noticed that they are different from other groups of birds. This family includes many examples of challenging species — not just wood-pewees but also Empidonax, crested flycatchers of the genus Myiarchus, some kingbirds, and others — that look almost identical but are separated by diagnostic voices. In fact, voice is a significant part of the identity of the whole family. While most perching birds, from ravens to robins, belong to the Oscine group, flycatchers are Suboscines, defined by a different structure to their vocal apparatus. They’re also different in how their songs develop. Songbirds in general learn their songs. They apparently have a kind of inner template to help them recognize the voices of their own species,…

HABITAT Grasslands and reclaimed surface mines. TERRAIN Steep and rocky. Not wheelchair-accessible. Birds can be heard from a car, not seen. BIRDS More than 150 species. Winter: Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrel, Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrush, Pine Siskin, Fox and White-throated Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbird. Summer: Wood Duck, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, American Woodcock, Great Blue and Green Herons, Black and Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged, Sharp-shinned, and Cooper’s Hawks, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Barred Owl, Henslow’s Sparrow, Blue-winged Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Cliff Swallow. Rarities: Northern Shrike, Ruffed Grouse, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Golden-winged Warbler. WHEN TO GO Year-round. Early morning. AMENITIES No facilities. ACCESS State-owned abandoned coal mine. Free. Must drive to location. Park on west side of road, in front of gate, then cross…

Florida Scrub-Jay: Field Notes on a Vanishing Bird, by Mark Jerome Walters, University Press of Florida, 2021, hardcover, 176 pages, $24.95. I would recommend this book on the strength of the prologue alone. In just seven brilliant pages, author Mark Jerome Walters covers the evolutionary history of birds from dinosaurs to the present, focusing on the line that led to corvids, then to jays, then to the titular species, Florida Scrub-Jay. Explaining how the bird became separated over time from other scrub-jays, Walters notes that “it’s a double miracle that the bird survives at all.” Now, of course, Florida Scrub-Jay has to contend with modern humans and the development and citrus groves that we brought to its peninsular home. Walters, who traveled Florida to report on the natural history and current…

Let’s hear from you! Submit photos as full-resolution, high-quality JPG files via email (no TIFFs, please). Include a short description of the photo; include the bird name, the equipment used, and the location. Please include your name, address, phone number, and email address. If we publish a story or photo of yours, we’ll send you a complimentary copy of the issue in which it appears. There’s no payment for use of text or photos in “Your View.” Send your photos and stories to: Your View Editor BirdWatching Magazine yourview@birdwatchingdaily.com…

Birders often struggle to distinguish the streaky brown birds, lumping them together with nicknames like “LBJs” (for “Little Brown Jobs”). It is truly challenging to sort out the many species and variations of birds that are small, brownish, and streaked. As always, one of the best strategies for understanding the variability and reaching an identification is to recognize broader groups of species. Two of the most prominent groups of streaky brown birds are the sparrows and the finches. Both have conical bills for eating seeds and are mainly small and brownish with a streaked pattern. They are classified as two different families, which are not very closely related, and the fundamental differences between them can be obvious once you know what to look for. (Note: The familiar House Sparrow is…

The home of the annual “Birds in Art” exhibition, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, is featuring a special exhibit through June 6 of avian art from the museum’s collection. The works include Chickadees, a watercolor painting by Frank Weston Benson (right) that had been owned by poet Robert Frost; Pacific Loons, an oil painting by John James Audubon; Black-throated Diver, an aquatint created for Audubon’s Birds of America; and works by painters N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth. The museum had closed due to the pandemic, but it reopened in February after reconfiguring its largest gallery to allow guests to be physically distanced. Admission is free, and masks are required. Learn more at www.lywam.org.…

While most of us get out and enjoy birds for the simple pleasure it brings us, it turns out it is good for us in many other ways as well. Physical benefits: Whether walking gently sloping trails or across mountains or simply standing at the edge of a pond, birding keeps us physically fit and active. Walking to find birds improves circulation and cardiovascular health. And training our binoculars on a bird before it flies away develops our reflexes. Mental benefits: Birdwatching promotes patience and mental alertness and helps us become more observant. Especially as we age, learning to identify birds and their calls is a great way to keep our minds active and sharp. Emotional benefits: Birding brings us together across countries and cultures, language barriers, and time zones.…

HABITAT Undulating shortgrass prairie and sagebrush flats surrounding five lakes that vary from open, deep playas to marshes and dry pans. TERRAIN The refuge sits at 7,150 feet in the Laramie Basin and is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. A level, gravel road leads to an overlook. Flat shorelines surround lakes. BIRDS More than 225 species. Year-round: Golden Eagle, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, Horned Lark. Spring and fall: Tundra Swan, Horned Grebe, Sandhill Crane, up to 25 species of migrant shorebirds, Prairie Falcon, Mountain Bluebird. Summer (many also occur during spring and fall): 13 species of waterfowl, Virginia Rail, Sora, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Wilson’s Phalarope, Willet, gulls, terns, egrets, ibis, Northern Harrier, Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks, six species of swallow, Marsh Wren, Sage Thrasher, Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspurs, Brewer’s…

In late 2020, we conducted our second annual Bird Portrait photo contest at BirdWatchingDaily.com. We received more than 700 entries — images of wading birds, owls, hummingbirds, ducks, and passerines, among others. On our website in March, we announced the finalists and honorable mention photos, followed by the three winning images, which are shown on the following pages. Thanks to everyone who entered! To see all of the finalists and honorable mention images, visit www.birdwatchingdaily.com/photography/featured-galleries. 1ST Andy Raupp of Pingree Grove, Illinois, won first place with this incredible photo of a Cedar Waxwing flipping a berry into the air. He took the photo at a suburban park in his neighborhood on a cold winter morning. He said when he came upon a tree filled with birds, he was “excited to…

I had been watching and photographing nesting Ospreys in my neighborhood for several years and had always enjoyed seeing their skillful flying and ability to catch fish. I thought I knew the birds pretty well, but in the summer of 2016, I took a series of photos that made me do a doubletake. When I looked closely at the images on my computer screen, I noticed what appeared to be an antenna protruding from behind the head of one of the young birds. I had to know more, and my search for answers introduced me to a remarkable research project about the Osprey — one of the best-studied raptors in the world — and a dedicated scientist who has uncovered many of its secrets. I live on the outskirts of…

Below is a list of more than 140 raptor centers and general wildlife centers that rehabilitate birds of prey in the United States and Canada, along with their locations and web addresses. Many welcome visitors, but due to the changeable situation with COVID-19, please call ahead or check online to see if your local raptor center is open. Most wildlife rehab organizations rely on volunteers, interns, or both to assist professional staff with the care, feeding, and transportation of animals. If you’re looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity or internship with wildlife, look up a center near you. And please note that this list does not include the hundreds of individual rehabbers who are licensed to care for raptors (and often other species) on their own, not as part of…

allegany county, maryland 39°36'16.28"N 78°57'17.69"W My first time birding at Old Legislative Rd. was awkward. I did not have proper directions and ended up, unknowingly, trespassing on private property. The entrance to the birding area is an unmarked path, but there are several other unmarked paths on the road, and I chose the wrong one. As a birder, I’ve found accidental trespassing is inevitable from time to time, and after another visit, I got the hang of this rural area. From that point forward, my birding experiences here blossomed. Where else in Maryland can you get great looks at Henslow’s Sparrows and Golden-winged Warblers on their breeding grounds? Driving along Old Legislative Rd., past the hotspot, the melodic whistling of Eastern Meadowlarks in the grasses along with the bouncing cadence…

laramie, wyoming 41°10'37.0"N 105°43'03.7"W In southeastern Wyoming lies a little-known birding gem, the Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge. More than 225 species of birds have been found here, making it one of the most diverse birding sites on the high plains. The refuge forms an important complex of five lakes and marshes amidst the arid shortgrass prairie of the Laramie Basin. Sitting at the foot of the dramatic Snowy Range, the refuge is an oasis for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and migrant passerines. The highest numbers and diversity of species can be found during spring and fall, when waterfowl in particular are attracted to the open water of Hutton Lake. The thousands of ducks attract Golden and Bald Eagles in good numbers, and Peregrine and Prairie Falcons make quick appearances.…