National Public Radio's |
National Public Radio's |
Last updated on November 21st, 2009
| Hunters' Names for Ducks: Click here |
| Hunters have nicknames for waterfowl, names that capture the distinctive sound and sight of these birds, such as “Whistler” for the sibilance of the goldeneye’s wings in flight. “Spoonbill” is the nickname for this Northern Shoveler —easy to see why! If you know why the Northern Pintail is called a “Sprig,” e-mail info@BirdNote.org. Many birdsounds for BirdNote come from the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds. |
| The Return of the Snowbird: Click here |
| Although you may see Dark-eyed Juncos in the summer, come fall many more - those that have been nesting in the mountains or farther north - arrive to spend the winter. These juncos often visit birdfeeders for winter feasting. Dark-eyed Juncos forage on the ground. The flash of white tail-feathers when one is alarmed alerts other members of the flock, and is also part of the courtship display. Order your Birds of BirdNote calendar today! |
| Scaup Disappear: Click here |
| Twenty-five years ago, there were twice as many scaup in North America as there are today. Starting in 1986, non-native zebra mussels spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes. And scaup love to eat them. However, zebra mussels and other shellfish accumulate contaminants, including selenium, from refineries and farm fields. And selenium is toxic to wildlife in any more than minute concentrations. Scaups (like this Lesser Scaup) that have high levels of selenium may not be able to reproduce. Learn more. |
| Project FeederWatch: Click here |
| Project FeederWatch, sponsored by Cornell and National Audubon, is a window on the birds of winter. Through Project FeederWatch, scientists are able to track the movements of birds - including this Pine Siskin - and understand trends in population and distribution. Participate by counting birds at your own feeder. The count starts in November and lasts through the winter. There is a small fee to participate. Register today. |
| Fancy Ducks: Click here |
| Take a walk around a lake in late November, and you’ll find male ducks in their most brilliant breeding colors. These ducks have lost their nondescript late-summer feathers, known as “eclipse plumage.” Male dabbling ducks - like this Green-winged Teal - look their finest in late fall and winter, the season of courtship and pair-bonding. Learn more about ducks at Cornell's AllAboutBirds. Order your Birds of BirdNote calendar today! |
| The Music of Black Scoters: Click here |
| Black Scoters are sea ducks that spend the winter on saltwater bays. They are large, strong ducks and buoyant swimmers with a habit of cocking their tails upward. Black Scoters nest each summer on freshwater tundra ponds. Each fall, they can be found on bays all across the Northern Hemisphere. An unmistakable clue to their presence? – their mysterious, musical wail. Learn more at Cornell's AllAboutBirds. Buy your 2010 Birds of BirdNote calendar today! |
| The Douglas Squirrel: Click here |
| The Douglas squirrel is a pint-sized, chestnut-red native resident of forests west of the Cascade rim. They waste no time in telling you—and other squirrels—you’re in their territory, particularly if you’re near their central larder of conifer cones. Named for Scottish explorer and botanist, David Douglas, the Douglas squirrel sounds a bit like a bird sending out an alarm. Watch a video of a Douglas squirrel chattering. Order your Birds of BirdNote calendar today! |
| When Birds Ruled the Earth: Click here |
| A bird known as Titanis walleri made its home in Florida just a few million years ago. Titanis, as its name suggests, was titanic indeed—a flightless predator, ten feet tall, with a massive hooked bill. Titanis and other birds related to it belong to a group some paleontologists call the “terror birds.” They were dominant land predators in South America for tens of millions of years. For more about Titanis walleri, visit the Hall of Florida Fossils. |
| Tom Pincelli, The Birding Priest: Click here |
| Father Tom Pincelli is a Catholic priest known to many as "Father Bird." He's a birder and conservationist in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Southern Texas. One of his favorite birds is this Green Jay. The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival starts today. Can't make it to Texas? There may be a festival near you. Find out at BirdWatchersDigest.com. |
| More Eyes and Ears: Click here |
| A family of dapper Black-capped Chickadees call as they hang upside down, pecking at alder seeds. A wren skulks and buzzes through the underbrush. A petite Downy Woodpecker whinnies near-by. Mixed-species flocks may include a dozen species and more than fifty individuals. More ears and eyes mean better detection of predators. Find your local Audubon chapter and learn more about birds. Looking for the 2010 BirdNote calendar? Purchase it here. |
| Goldeneyes and Whistling Wings: Click here |
| On a still winter afternoon, you may hear Common Goldeneyes flying low across the water. Whistlers, their wings sibilant, make the sound - as Ernest Hemingway wrote - of ripping silk. Common Goldeneyes nest in cavities, in northern boreal forests. Learn more at Cornell's AllAboutBirds. Order your Birds of BirdNote 2010 calendar today! |
| Common Redpoll: Click here |
| The tiny Common Redpoll, one of the smallest members of the finch family, weighs only as much as four pennies, yet it survives the cold and darkness of winter in the far North. Most birds depart in autumn to warmer climes. But redpolls feed on birch and alder seeds that are available throughout the winter, no matter how deep the snow. This little bird typically eats 40% of its body weight in seeds every day to keep itself alive. Redpolls are survivors. Here's a video! |
| Birds Carry Plants to Hawaii: Click here |
| Three-quarters of Hawaii’s native flowering plants probably come from seeds that hitched rides with birds. The bird-borne seeds that sprouted in Hawaii evolved into more than a thousand new species. The most likely seed-carriers were undoubtedly strong fliers, such as plovers or tropicbirds — like this Red-tailed Tropicbird — which travel thousands of miles across the Pacific. (Enlarge the photo, to see the bird's red tail.) |
| How the Steller's Jay Got Its Crest: Click here |
| The Makahs tell a story about how the bird we know as the Steller’s Jay — the bird the Makahs call Kwish-kwishee— got its crest. The mink, Kwahtie, tried to shoot his mother, the jay, with an arrow but missed. Her crest is ruffled to this day. Learn more about the Steller’s Jay at BirdWeb.org. Order your Birds of Birdnote 2010 calendar today! |
| Bird Feeders and Whaling Ships: Click here |
| In the opening lines of Moby Dick, the narrator, Ishmael, confesses to “a damp, drizzly November in my soul.” One sure way to brighten November’s damp and drizzly mood is to welcome birds into your yard with birdfeeders. Hang suet in a wire cage to attract a Northern Flicker like this one. Just add water, and you’re all set. Learn how to invite birds to your yard at Cornell's AllAboutBirds. Sign up for the BirdNote podcast! |
| Birds and Dinosaurs: Click here |
| What is the connection between the blood-curdling roar of a Tyrannosaurus rex and the gentle song of a robin? A recent bonanza of fossils has intensified debate over how contemporary birds are linked to the extinct dinosaurs. The evidence and theories are complex. Many experts now believe that today’s birds are the surviving dinosaurs, a radical departure from the long-held view that both sprang from much earlier reptilian ancestors. Anchiornis huxleyi is the latest. Learn more at The Daily Mail. |
| Former Abundance: Click here |
| On a November day in the late 1960s, flying in a light plane along the Mississippi River, the eminent waterfowl biologist Frank Bellrose came upon a raft of 450,000 Lesser Scaups that stretched for miles. Protection, restoration, and enhancement of habitats used during all seasons are under way to enable the population of ducks—like these Lesser Scaups—to rebound. Learn more about the State of the Birds at Audubon.org. |
| Bald Eagles Hunt in Tandem: Click here |
| A Bald Eagle dives suddenly toward the water, huge wings canted, talons outstretched. A merganser floating on the bay is its intended prey, but the duck dives before the eagle can strike. But a second eagle swoops down. After five minutes of repeated passes, one of the eagles plucks the merganser from the water, and the eagles share the results of their cooperative hunting. To see more photos of eagles, visit PaulBannick.com. |
| American Wigeon: Click here |
| The American Wigeon is a grazer. Its bill is narrow, with a pointed tip like that of a goose. When feeding on water plants, a wigeon grabs a leaf and rips it off with its strong bill, rather than using the straining apparatus typical of dabbling ducks. Take a field trip with your local Audubon and see if you can spot a wigeon. Start here. Buy your 2010 Birds of BirdNote calendar today! |
| The Lowly Starling: Click here |
| Much maligned as a pest and cursed by many as an “invasive species,” the European Starling has had many fans, too. Eugene Schieffelin introduced about 50 pairs into the United States in the 1890s. And Rachel Carson noted that the starling carries “more than 100 loads of destructive insects per day to his screaming offspring.'' No less a figure than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart kept a pet starling and wrote a poem about it when it died. Read the poem. |
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