http://TheBirdersReport.com

I am still working on the new site. I hope to make it more interesting and informing than ever before. And yes, I will always have great photos of birds on my blog. Come take a look at the new location:

http://TheBirdersReport.com

If you have a link to my site please update it to the new location.

Thanks for your support! I look forward to many more years of blogging about birds and conservation and hope that we can all make this world a better place to live and play.

Larry, The Backyard Birdman

Laysan Albatross photo by Mike Yip

Audubon Action Alert! Save Ocean Ecosystems and Their Seabirds.

The White House has recently proposed a new rule for oversight of marine fisheries. The new rule would gut the protections that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has long provided ocean ecosystems and the seabirds and other wildlife that depend on them. Under the new rule, the ability of the public to have input into the future of our oceans would be severely limited and oversight of marine fisheries would be largely given over to regional fishery management councils — the equivalent of having the fox guard the hen house.

Tell the National Marine Fisheries Service that you oppose the new rule and want to keep the National Environmental Policy Act and citizen input strong 

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires government agencies to analyze the likely environmental effects of their actions and to seek public input into their decisions. The proposed rule would exempt certain categories of fisheries from environmental review altogether and weaken the requirements for environmental reviews of fisheries across the board. The proposed new rule would also severely limit the ability of the public to give input into any decisions made.

NEPA’s review process has successfully protected ocean ecosystems in the past. By mandating that impacts to birds and other ocean wildlife be considered when fishing regulations are made, NEPA can help birds and other wildlife while creating a more sustainable ocean system. Nineteen of the twenty-two species of albatross are already threatened with extinction due to long-line fishing techniques that accidentally catch and drown the birds. On the East Coast of the United States, the rufa Red Knot is threatened by overfishing of its main food source, horseshoe crabs. It is vital for our seabirds that we do not weaken environmental oversight of the fishing industry.

Red Knot photo by Bob Sheldon

Submit a public comment opposing adoption of the new, weakened rule by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Become a wildlife advocate.  Join the “Audubon Action” and make a difference!

Happy Birding!

Chaffinch photo by Andrew Howe

ScienceDaily (July 28, 2008) — Switch on the mike, start the recording, the stage is set for the local fauna! 

Computer scientists from the University of Bonn, in conjunction with the birdsong archives of Berlin’s Humboldt University, have developed a kind of ‘Big Brother’ for birds. This has nothing to do with entertainment, but a lot to do with the protection of nature. The new type of voice detector involved can reliably recognise the characteristic birdsong of different species of birds, thereby facilitating surveys of the bird population.

Europe’s forests are falling silent as countless species of birds go on the red list of endangered species. Yet in fact no-one can say what the exact position is with some species. So as to have a reliable count of the territories of indigenous birds it would practically be necessary to send out a whole horde of spare-time ornithologists to count the birds.     (more…)

The Bird’s Nest - Beijing National Stadium

The construction on this building began in March of 2004 and was just recently completed. It has 80,000 permanent seats and will add another 11,000 temporary seats for the 2008 Olympic games.

This is a huge structure and Herzog and DeMeuron have contributed some green solutions into their design including a rainwater collecting system, a translucent roof providing sunlight for the natural grass below and a passive ventilation system. “Just as birds stuff the spaces between the woven twigs of their nests with a soft filler, the spaces in the structure of the stadium will be filled with inflated cushions to regulate wind, weather and sunlight.”

The Bird’s Nest at Night

For some interesting information on the bird’s nest and more great pictures check out Inhabitat.

Putting all the controversy about the 2008 Olympics, China and Tibet aside, I like the design of “The Bird’s Nest” and appreciate the designer’s green consideration.

Yesterday, former Vice President Gore issued a challenge to America to produce 100% of our electricity from solar, wind and other non-carbon sources within 10 years.

Audubon is proud to partner with the Alliance for Climate Protection’s We Can Solve It campaign (www.wecansolveit.org), and this bold challenge to America is exactly what we need to create jobs, reduce our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels, reduce the risks from catastropic climate change, and make America more secure.

Please take a few minutes to view the five minute version of this important message HERE and pass it along. We think you’ll be inspired and energized by his message of hope and leadership for America.

“Listen To My Song” photo by Walter Ammann

One of the best ways to identify birds in the wild is by their calls or songs.  Here is the call of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet:

[See post to listen to audio]

Have you noticed when you are out walking, it doesn’t even matter where you are, you will hear birds calling.  You may not see the birds but if you listen closely you will begin to hear many different calls from the birds around you.      (more…)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) photo by Mark Schmitt

ITHACA, NY-­ Evolution seems to have happened in fits and starts,­ at least that’s what the fossil record shows. From trilobites to pterodactyls, ammonites to Archaeopteryx, scientists find the same pattern: brief bursts of innovation in which a single species, or branch on the tree of life, turns into a cluster of new twigs, then lapses into long stretches ruled by the status quo.      (more…)

I just had to thank Liza Lee Miller for turning me on to this Wordle program.  You can make word clouds like the one above and save them with a screen capture program like Snag-It .  It’s loads of fun to play around with the program and see what you can come up with!  I took my post from yesterday on “bird blogging” and added a few lines of “BirdmansBlog.com” and made several variations of the cloud you see above.  You can check out this program here: Wordle .

Happy Birding!

“How Could You Ask Me That Question?” photo by Mark Schmitt

I was asked by Mike Bergin of 10,000Birds.com to answer the question “Why are you still bird blogging”?  Are you kidding me?  How could you ask me that question?  Not only do I get to share my birding experiences, I also get to meet all kinds of great folks, interested in some of the same things I am interested in, like birding!      (more…)

Eurasian Collared Doves winning photo by Marian Mendez

Ithaca, N.Y.­Nature has the power to soothe and enthuse. More people are finding that out as they join the free, year-round “Celebrate Urban Birds!” citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. From schools, hospitals, and senior centers, to wellness programs, scout packs, and military bases, participants are reaping the benefits of a closer connection to the natural world and a new appreciation for city birds.     (more…)