Only 200 birds were found dead in Arkansas this New Year's as opposed to the thousands found last year. Really cool snowy owl video from Cornell:
Birdchick Podcast #86: Mathematical Pigeons & One OLD Chickadee
OMG, we can all finally relax, someone claims to have solved the mystery behind The Birds (the Hitchcock movie and the Daphne du Maurier story). A black-capped chickadee banded in Minnesota is the oldest on record...by four months.
Pigeons (aka flying rats) can do math and are smart like monkeys.
That wacky North Korean media claims that roosting magpies are really hanging out to mourn the death of Kim Jong-il.
Birdchick Podcast #85: Birding Apps
This podcast is mostly NBB and I talking about birding apps and NBB giving advice on what to do first if you get a Droid or iPhone for Christmas. These are apps that tickle my fancy, if you would like to add your favorite and why, feel free to do so. Apps mentioned in the podcast:
BirdsEye bird finding app
Audubon Guides apps
iBird apps
I didn't mention it in the podcast, but there's a company called Bird Guides that has some excellent European birding guides too. The have a Birds of Brazil and I'm hoping they'll be adding other countries. How awesome to not have to pack a giant field guide when traveling abroad.
Birdchick Podcast #84: Grebmaggedon, Taped Calls & A Hooded Crane
Thousands of eared grebes crash landed in Utah winding up on football fields, a Walmart parking lot and highways in Utah. At least 3000 live grebes were collected but a low estimate of 1500 grebes died on impact. You can listen to Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Kevin McGowen talk about it on NPR. An article about song sparrows and how taped predator calls affect them. An interesting article, but how often is a bird like a song sparrow going to be exposed to predator calls 24 hours a day, four days in a row by birders?
A huge discussion was started on the American Birding Association's group page about birders and why the uniform appears to be ill fitting khaki pants, vests and floppy hats. Why is this our uniform? Why the vest?
Remember the mystery hummingbird in Chicago (they one they tried to ID based on poop)? Well, they got a feather and they now know exactly what species it is based on DNA testing. Find out the id here (or listen to the podcast).
A hooded crane has been reported in Tennessee. Now the question is if this bird is truly a vagrant from another country or an escapee from a private collection.
Birdchick Podcast #82: Ravens & Larkwire Contest
Have you heard of Larkwire? It's an interactive website that helps you learn bird songs via a game. It beats the heck out of trying to memorize them. You can check it out here and we have a contest going for Master Birder song pack. And what we're going to do is have a bird call and you have to misidentify it: Click here to listen to the bird call you need to misidentify.
All the people to misidentify the bird between now and this Sunday at noon Central Time will be entered into a drawing for the code to win the Master Birder song pack!
The Raven publicist has been working over time this week:
Ravens vandalize cars parked in a commuter lot.
Wind farm project is scrapped thanks to preliminary surveys on nesting marbled murrelets.
Birdchick Podcast #80: Sharon returns from Israel
Jet lagged and full of stories, Sharon talks about her birding trip to the Hula Valley in Israel.
Birdchick Podcast #79: Birder Packing, Protesting: Birding Style!
I have no idea what's going to happen with the podcast over the next week and a half. I'll be in Israel and though I'm assured that there will be Internet access-I have no idea about what kind of free time I'll have and so we may have a podcast before December 1 or we may not. Speaking of traveling, I have a post on 10,000 Birds about essentials all birders should back when traveling. In the meantime, check out Twin Cities Naturalist--he has a contest!
Right now if you order a pair of binoculars from Eagle Optics, you can get an ABA membership for $15 instead of $45. Listen to the podcast for a discount code to Eagle Optics.
Dead found in a salad bag. What species could it be?
Non Birding Bill's Kickstarter Project!
Birders who are protesting the Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky are buying a license and a lottery ticket. Only 400 will be given out and it's only $13 to enter if you are a non resident. This same strategy was used by Paul Johnsgard in the 1990s to protest a prairie chicken hunt and was successful.
Some western marsh harrier males have permanent female plumage. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa?
Fascinating article about veery migration--where they go, how long they stay. Wow, if we found this out about veeries, what else don't we know. This is what a veery sounds like. If you have never heard one in the wild, it is a moral imperative that you rectify this:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK1gaTqBRRk[/youtube]
Birdchick Podcast #78: Owls Eating Pets & Birdfeeding Bans
Interview with Jeff Gordon over at 10000 Birds. (I'm irritated about one of the comments) A proposed bird feeding ban in a development community shows a terrible lack of science education.
From Craig we get this story:
Birdchick Podcast #77: Calling All Birders To Wikipedia...
Red Rock Audubon wants you to help remove mining claim pipes in Nevada--this really does help birds! 10000 Birds brings up the pipe dream of having a non hunting duck stamp.
Starbucks is discontinuing it's shade-grown coffee line. If you don't have a place that sells shade-grown coffee near you, I like to order the Chestnut-sided Warbler blend from Birds and Beans.
The American Birding Association wants YOU to contribute to Wikipedia.
Laughing gull tries to steal food from a great egret.
I haven't read the story but the headline involves the words "hawk" and "escalator" and it can only be a Cooper's hawk.
Burly Bird is unleashing some cool new stickers. Check them out and if you want one...you know what to do.
Birdchick Podcast #76: Murmurations and Duck Penises
Warning. This podcast gets a bit BLUE at the end. If you listen to this with kids or at work...may not be the best one for you. Really cool video of starlings wheeling and spinning.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/31158841[/vimeo]
Sometimes even super common birds unleash their awesomeness. Here's another video from @sfraster
My buddy Amber has an an op-ed piece in the Star Tribune about using lead alternatives when deer hunting.
Red-tailed hawk with the nail through it's face has been released--yay!
The duets of long-tailed wrens in Ecuador. Be sure to watch the video with the article.
There's now a Kickstarter site for people doing science projects called Rocket Hub...and of course there's a research project on duck penises that needs funding.