The Backyard Birdman

Male Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris)

photo by Gregg Scott

I found this photo by Gregg Scott on the Science Blogs site and he actually had a link to a desktop wallpaper size photo that you can download here Hummer .  This is one of the coolest wallpapers I have (and I have lots of ‘um).  The Science Blogs site had lots of cool info on birds too so I put a link to their site in my blogroll.  Go check them out and download Gregg’s Hummingbird wallpaper and go to Gregg Scott’s website to see some great bird photography.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet photo by Doug Greenberg

Take a good look at this photo of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet because, chances are, you will never get this good a look at this bird in the wild but maybe for a split second, and that’s on a good birding day!

(more…)

Lazuli Bunting photo By Walter Ammann

The longest running citizen science project in the world, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, starts Friday, and it’s looking for a few thousand volunteers like you.

Excursions are organized around the country by local bird clubs, and anyone can join in to help simply by identifying the birds you spot. (more…)

Dark-eyed Junco photo by Mark Schmitt

The last few weeks have been the return of the Dark-eyed Junco.  These gregarious members of the sparrow family flock to feeders every winter across North America.  They are a joy to watch because of their flight habits of “flittering” around from place to place in flocks.  They appear to be chasing each other, their dark tails with two white outer feathers, make a conspicuous striped appearance to their tails as they fly.
(more…)

A mysterious seabird that forages at the face of shrinking glaciers highlights the 12 Alaska species red-listed as critical by the Audubon’s 2007 Watchlist.  This rare bird is called “Alaska’s avian ‘poster child’ for global climate change.”

Federal biologists John Piatt and Kathy Kuletz wrote in a 2004 scientific paper, “the fate of the Kittilitz’s murrelet likely hinges on the fate of Alaska’s glaciers, and therefore may be among the world’s first avian species to succumb to effects of rising global temperatures.”

Read the entire article here: Alaskan Birds In Jeopardy

I decided that it would be a good idea to do a short demo for everyone on how to set up a bluebird trail.  This is so important to me that I want to make sure only people who have the time and energy to follow up on their project, and diligently follow the necessary steps to a successful bluebird breeding program, embark on this endeavor.

Watch my video here:

(more…)

Researchers at Aberdeen University will spend two years listening to birds to find out how their songs, calls and cries become a part of people’s lives.  Read the entire article here: British Study Birdsongs 

One in every four bird species in the United States is imperiled and needs conservation help to survive, finds a new assessment released today by two bird-centered organizations - the Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy. (more…)