Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2019 i BirdWatching

News about the health of our planet has been difficult to absorb lately. You may have heard about two shocking reports issued this past October. First, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the world has about 12 years to reign in greenhouse gas emissions to keep the Earth’s temperatures from rising no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over preindustrial levels by the end of the century. Then, the World Wildlife Fund issued its biennial Living Planet Report, a global assessment of the health of animal populations all over the world. Its primary finding is that the average vertebrate (birds, fish, mammals, amphibians) population has declined 60 percent since 1970. The survey is based on data on 16,704 populations of vertebrates, representing 4,000 species. On page 5…

When temperatures plunge and snow piles up, do we birders pack away our optics to wait for spring? Of course not! We head out in search of owls and crossbills, waterfowl and waxwings, and other birds. Enjoy this photo essay of fantastic species you can find this winter!…

South America is home to 15 puffleg species scattered around the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. They are divided into two genera, Eriocnemis and Haplophaedia. Both sexes of all 15 species sport the feather tufts that give them their name. Black-breasted Puffleg, with an estimated population of 210-268 individuals, is listed as Critically Endangered on the international Red List of Threatened Species. Two other pufflegs also are listed as Critically Endangered: • Gorgeted Puffleg, discovered in 2005 in a mountainous area of southwestern Colombia, numbers about 900 birds and occurs in an area of less than 10 square kilometers (3.9 square miles). • Turquoise-throated Puffleg, endemic to Ecuador, may be extinct. It is known from specimens collected in the 1850s and an unconfirmed sighting in 1976.…

Sunflower is the single seed best for bird feeding — at least, that’s what I’ve been telling people since I first started feeding backyard birds in 1981. It attracts a wide variety, from chickadees and sparrows to jays and grosbeaks. Sunflower’s high protein content is nutritious, and the high oil content is extremely valuable in winter. Unfortunately, insects take a heavy toll on sunflower crops unless farmers apply pesticides, but this is true of virtually all crops. One seed is just as nutritious as sunflower but much more resistant to insect pests. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison grew it for fiber. In 1942, the United States government promoted it as a necessary crop to win the war. And it’s listed among the best seeds for birds in older…

Feathered Dreams: Celebrating Birds in Poems, Stories, & Images by Janet M. Ruth Retired research ornithologist Janet Ruth channels her love of birds into captivating poems and stories, as well as lovely pen-and-ink illustrations. In this book, she considers ravens, hummingbirds, a goose-hunting Gyrfalcon, thrashers, and Archaeopteryx, among other topics. On every page, we can see how her scientist’s eye informs her poet’s heart. Wonderful Weeds and Various Varmints: The Natural World in Our Backyards and Beyond by Bob Collier Bob Collier is a retired surgeon who wrote a newspaper column for many years about birds and other aspects of nature. His book tracks the four seasons, offering brief essays on dozens of subjects: crows, wrens, fireflies, vines, trees, gardening with his grandmother, birding in the mountains, and many others.…

If you’ve seen the film The Big Year, you might recall a scene in which characters played by Steve Martin and Jack Black rent a helicopter to find one of the most elusive birds in North America — the Himalayan Snowcock. The segment depicts a hair-raising ride in and out of canyons and over steep ridges to get a glimpse of a snowcock. I’m here to report that finding the bird is just as harrowing as the movie suggests. The Himalayan Snowcock is a large gray, white, and tan partridge-like bird native to the mountains of central Asia. Snowcocks were first brought to the United States from the Hunza region of Pakistan in 1963. By 1965, the Nevada Department of Fish and Game had obtained 107 wild birds from Pakistan.…

The glossy black creature that stepped off the road into the dense rainforest was something that I’d never seen before, but I needed no field guide to identify it. It stood 6 feet tall on two powerful legs, and its naked, red and blue face and neck had two “wattles” of loose skin hanging down. On top of its head was a bizarre, horn-like crest, or “casque,” that added to its formidable, prehistoric appearance. Several signs posted along this quiet road in northern Queensland contained the animal’s unmistakable silhouette, but, with as few as 1,500 Southern Cassowaries remaining in the wild, I never expected to encounter one. I stepped quietly out of the car and cautiously approached the flightless, 150-pound giant as it swallowed fallen fruit picked from the rainforest…

Avocado Lake, which was originally the gravel quarry used to build nearby Pine Flat Dam, makes up almost half of this park. The park is often overlooked in favor of other birding locations in the San Joaquin Valley, but it is a first-rate birding area. Common Loons can be found here in winter. Several species of woodpecker are common, as are bluebirds and nuthatches. Phainopeplas are usually seen, as are House and Marsh Wrens. Loggerhead Shrikes have been observed here as well. Bald and Golden Eagles are seen every year, and numerous other raptors have been observed. In spring migration, several warbler, vireo, flycatcher, and other species can be found in the riparian area along the Kings River, which forms the western boundary of the park. On the lake itself,…

HABITAT Fjords, glaciers, icebergs, wild coastlines. TERRAIN Cruise ships don’t dock in the park. BIRDS More than 280 species. May-September: Harlequin Duck, Surf, White-winged, and Black Scoters, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-throated, Pacific, and Common Loons, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Black Oystercatcher, Red-necked Phalarope, Parasitic Jaeger, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled, Kittlitz’s, and Ancient Murrelets, Cassin’s Auklet, Horned and Tufted Puffins, Black-legged Kittiwake, Bonaparte’s, Mew, Herring, and Glaucous-winged Gulls, Arctic Tern, Northwestern Crow. WHEN TO GO May-September; peak season is June-August. Book early (6-12 months in advance) for best cabin selection, as Glacier Bay cruises tend to sell out. AMENITIES Depends on cruise line. Two official park bird checklists available on website at www.nps.gov/glba/learn/nature/birds.htm. ACCESS National park. No separate fee for cruise ship passengers. National Park Service rangers will board…

Extreme cold is one of the toughest conditions for birds to handle. With a small body mass and high body temperature, they have to rely on their feathers for insulation. A layer of feathers less than an inch thick is all they have to separate their 103°F body from outside air as cold as 30°F below or even lower. Food is critical to replenish fat supplies and fuel their bodies, so you might think that birds would spend a lot of time foraging in the cold. But even more critical is simply staying warm. In the coldest weather, most birds reduce their activity, waking up later and going to sleep earlier, and spend a lot of time just huddled in a sheltered spot. The less they move, the better. Think…

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY BIRD BANDER JULIE CRAVES Q I was getting so many large birds at my bird feeder that I replaced it with a caged feeder. But now even the small birds are not coming to the feeder with the cage around it. What should I do? — Patti Emmons, Santa Rosa, California A It sounds like you put your new feeder in the same place as the old one. This is great, as the location is already associated with food. Ideally, the feeder is in a place where shelter from predators is a quick flit nearby so that the small birds you hope to attract feel safe. Note that you might need to be patient if the feeder looks vastly different from the old familiar one or if…

Birdwatching has a great deal to do with birds, but it has everything to do with people: the camaraderie, the shared experiences, the extemporaneous block-party atmosphere that comes of converging on a smoking-hot rarity. I think this is why hawkwatching appeals to me. Sure, you get to see lots of hawks if you are lucky and the winds incline your way, but no matter how sizable or meager the flight, you can always count on lively conversation with old and new friends. Take the hawk watch at Cape May Point, New Jersey. Every year is different as the seasonal interns add their enthusiasm to the witches’ brew of genial good humor. In fact, every day is different. A day with Clay Sutton (a hawkwatching native son) on deck has a…

I’m awakened by groups of revelers dancing through the cobblestone streets of Otavalo, a small town two hours north of Quito, Ecuador. Inti Raymi, the solstice festival of the sun, is hailed each year in late June with the pounding of drums, the invocation of pan pipes, and strumming of guitars, while twirling, singing celebrants costume themselves in colorful hats, masks, and the traditional woolen chaps that mountain cowboys have used for centuries here to ward off the Andean chill: zamarros — rough, malodorous leggings that form a thick white stripe down the outer thigh and calf. ‘We’ve never even found a nest. This bird is an enigma.’ In fact, Quito’s official bird takes its name from the zamarro. Just the day before, I had clambered around Jocotoco Foundation’s Reserva…

HABITAT A man-made lake, oak woodlands, open fields, and riparian areas along a river. TERRAIN Mostly flat; some paved roads and parking areas; a few dirt roads along river. BIRDS 140 species. Cinnamon Teal, Bufflehead, Wood Duck, Canvasback, Common Loon, Osprey, Bald and Golden Eagles, Red-shouldered, Sharp-shinned, and Cooper’s Hawks, Sora, Virginia Rail, Spotted Sandpiper, California Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, California Quail, Greater Roadrunner, White-throated Swift, hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Nuttall’s, and Downy Woodpeckers, flycatchers, Black and Say’s Phoebes, Western Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Warbling Vireo, swallows, Oak Titmouse, Mountain Chickadee, nuthatches, Bewick’s and Rock Wrens, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, California Thrasher, Phainopepla, Orange-crowned, Yellow, Townsend’s, Hermit, and Wilson’s Warblers, Western Tanager, California and Spotted Towhees, Rufous-crowned and other sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Western Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Bullock’s Oriole, Lesser, Lawrence’s,…

EXCLUSIVE FOR READERS OF OUR DIGITAL EDITIONS avocado lake park fresno county, california glacier bay national park & preserve gustavus, alaska Watch for bonus digital content with our March/April 2019 issue, available on February 9! RETURN TO MAGAZINE…