Birdchick Podcast #73.5 Weirdest Duck Stamp Entry?

October 28, 2011

So the Federal Duck Stamp contest is going on today and well this one is the best and weirdest.

Birdchick Podcast #73: Where Can A Birder Go

October 26, 2011

Two VERY interesting articles on my list this week. One from the American Birding Association's publication called Winging It. Go to the Winging It page and click on Vol 23, no. 5 and look for Birding With A Conscience. Also, check out this article on Birding While Black--Does It Really Matter? He was part of the Focus on Diversity birding conference. You can watch some of the speakers here.

Fidelity Exploration & Production Co., of Denver agreed to plead guilty and pay a $1,500 fine for killing a solitary sandpiper that was found in a waste pit during drilling operations in western North Dakota.

When I was in North Dakota this past June with fellow bird bloggers we saw the above oiled duck (I think it's an oiled pintail). I'm now wondering if was oiled in similar circumstances and wish we'd documented it better. It was far away on private property and mobile enough to get away from us. There was no safe way to retrieve it, but wish I documented it better.

Human encroachment on the Tundra (like oil refineries) are creating an imbalance in the predator/prey balance.

From Nature Canada, Birds at Risk: The Importance of Canada’s Boreal Wetlands and Waterways: "The North American boreal forest supports more than 50 percent of the global populations of 96 bird species, including landbirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds.10 The boreal is critical to the majority of iconic species such as the Common Loon, Whooping Crane, Canada Warbler, and White-throated Sparrow."

And if you don't understand why the tar sands are a bad idea, take a look at this before and after photo of what happens to the area when they go in for the oil. This is terrible land stewardship, short-sighted and a terrible option.

And now a really cleansing link:

Really awesome homemade kestrel Halloween costume.

Birdchick Podcast #72: Birding with an iPhone, apps & stuff

October 23, 2011

I got an iPhone 4S with HD camera and video. I'm testing out ways to use it for digiscoping with my Swarovski Scope and DCA adaptor. I'm pretty impressed with the initial results. Will this cause me to give up my SLR?

App I'm playing with this week: BirdBeat--kind of a field sketch book. Might be ideal for kids who would like to learn more about looking for field marks on birds. Also, it's an alternative to someone who doesn't have the ability to digiscope.

Knitters around the world answers the request to knit jumpers for oil soaked penguins.

Red-tailed hawk with a nail through its face has been captured and is in recovery.

With the rising cost of sunflower seed we are seeing some interesting alternative mixes for birds show up on the market.

Project FeederWatch is about to start in November, have you signed up?

Articles on bird tourism money in both Florida and Texas.

Julie Zickefoose is awesome and if you haven't read her before, start now!

Birdchick Podcast #71: Off the hook, yo

October 19, 2011

This is a podcast without links, due to our busy schedule. Topics include The Big Year at the box office and the recent story of the exotic animal park in Zanesville, Ohio. We'll return to our normal (?) podcast format with the next one.

Birdchick Podcast #70: Big Year, Birding The Net

October 16, 2011

There was a movie about birds...not sure if you heard about it... Audubon has unleashed a birdwatching game on the Internet called Birding The Net.

Ornithologist claims to have developed an app called WeBird which will allow you to record bird song with a smart phone and id them for you. I am dubious.

Teen kill whooping crane.

Awesome series of photos of a gull eating a starfish (warning...this does not end well for the starfish).

Article about the high cost of bird feeding.

Birdchick Podcast #69: Big Year midnight screening, Project Runway, and Cornell's contest

October 9, 2011

Birds and Beers: Midnight Screening of The Big Year (Facebook Event) on Friday! You can also get the info on The Birdchick Birds and Beers Page. Why were these birds on Project Runway?

There's a rare original copy of Audubon's Birds of Americaon display at Trinity College in Connecticut.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology is having a "Close Encounters of the Bird Kind" contest.

Wild Turkey chases a TV reporter. What more do you need to know?

Will bird poop ruin your car's paint job?

Famer who destroyed thousands of protected pelican eggs claims he "just snapped."

Birdchick Podcast #68: Eagle Shenanigans & Field Guide or Checklist

October 2, 2011

Immature bald eagle causes some serious shenanigans at Santa Barbara Zoo. On a side note, Karen pointed me towards another wild eagle that got flirty with a captive eagle at the Orange County Zoo. Guys who make bird repellents say they can cut down on bird deaths. Both Flock Buster (here's the ingredients) and Bird Bright ultraviolet paint say they can help.

Steve Dale from Cat Channel tries to extend an olive branch to birders over the whole feral cat issue...all while still getting in a good poke at bird advocates.

Birding is Fun is now a multi-author blog!

I'm very confused. I love stuff from Princeton University Press, but illustrated field checklists confuse me. This book is an illustrated checklist of the Birds of North America and Greenland by Norman Arlott.

It looks like a field guide...but it's not. I like the illustrations but I don't understand it as a checklist. But if you're looking for a book with all the birds in North American (and Greenland) you'll find this book handy. Although, if it's a checklist, where are the boxes to check?

Birdchick Podcast #67: Hummingbird Smuggling and Other Idiots

September 29, 2011

This is an old story (about a year ago) but there are photos of some jerk trying to smuggle hummingbirds in his underwear. Blake Richard Riede was a complete idiot and released several permanently injured birds of prey from their enclosures in Florida. Species released from Boyd Hill Nature Trail Park include red-shouldered hawk, bald eagle and turkey vultures. All but one of the injured birds (a red-shouldered hawk) have been recovered. You can TRY to watch the YouTube video that incriminated him but it's really long. You don't see shenanigans happen until at least 10 minutes in and it's totally worse at 30 minutes in.

Ned Brinkley sent an awesome letter on behalf of the tagged whimbrels who were legally shot in Guadeloupe about the importance of these birds to the rest of the world. Maybe Ned's letter (along with several others) will be step in the right direction to get to set hunting limits during migration. Go Ned and go ABA!

Praying mantis kills another hummingbird. It has happened before.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMHlzAuYnfs[/youtube]

Excellent clip from the Big Year movie--opens October 14!!

Birdchick Podcast #66: Godwits, Bald Baby Penguin & Winter Finch Forecast

September 25, 2011

It's the special news report everyone is waiting for--The Winter Finch Forecast! Will you see finches this winter? Operation Migration has a web cam that live streams flight training for young whooping cranes. Check it out (in daylight hours).

NPR wants to tell us about a bird we've never heard of...though many birders have--the bar-tailed godwit. It's a good story about migration and be sure to check out the matching cartoon.

3 words: Bald Baby Penguin. Below is the before and after:

Full story here.

Want to run away from life this winter? Check out this opportunity! For more bird jobs, go here.

JAMAICAN FIELD ASSISTANTS (6) Not looking forward to cold weather, 6 hours of light, and watching the bird feeder? We have the answer. Be a field assistant on research studying American Redstarts in Jamaica. Project begins approximately January 10th and continues until mid-April (~1-2 positions) to mid-May (~4-5 positions). Assistants can expect long hours in the field, six days per week, walking in mangrove forests inhabited by crocodiles and maneuvering through dense second growth scrub. Being flexible with working conditions, schedule, and living situation is absolutely key to success at this position. Competitive applicants will be very self-motivated, have the ability to re-sight and follow small (6g) color-banded birds, and extract songbirds quickly and safely from mist nets. Experience collecting foraging behavioral data on small songbirds and banding and bleeding experience are all preferred, but not required. This is an all-expenses paid volunteer position (i.e. no salary, but travel to and from Jamaica as well as home-cooked Jamaican food and comfortable sea-side lodging are provided). Send an email with the subject “Jamaican Field Assistant”, a cover letter, CV, and contact info for 3 references to NATHAN COOPER (EM: nathanwands AT hotmail.com).