Birder's World Field of View

Birder's World blog has moved to the all-new BirdersWorld.com

2009-03-26T14:14:43-05:00

Birder's World Field of View, our blog, has a new home. Starting immediately, you can read it on the magazine's completely re-designed website. Here's a link to the blog's new location:

We've enjoyed our two years here at TypePad, but we will cease posting new material here, and begin posting new material there, today.

If you're one of our many readers who have been following our updates in My Yahoo!, Newsgator, Bloglines, or another news reader via FeedBurner, I invite you to subscribe to our new RSS feed.

And I invite you also to check out the new BirdersWorld.com, our blog's new digs.

The new BirdersWorld.com is the results of months of thoughtful planning and hard work by many people, and it's full of new features and content that I hope you and other users will enjoy. What's new? Here's a sample:

Photo galleries

The new BirdersWorld.com has four new galleries -- North American birds, birds of the world, rare birds, backyard birds -- where registered visitors can post photos of birds and view and comment on photos posted by other birdwatchers. (And if the first week of uploads is any indication, the galleries are going to be really popular. New photos are appearing all the time!) Click to see the galleries.

Calendar of events

Birdwatchers looking for a bird-related festival, exhibit, lecture, bird walk, or other event can now find events quickly and easily -- listed by event type, date, ZIP code, or location. And organizers looking to spread the word about upcoming events can post their own announcements. Click to see our calendar of events.

Great birding hotspots

Most of you are probably aware that Birder's World has been publishing feature articles about top-notch places to go birdwatching since 1987, when the first issue appeared. A large number of those 20-plus years of articles are already on the website, and the rest will be there shortly. So anyone who's ever thought, "I wonder if there's a good place to go birding near..." can answer that question with the click of a mouse. Just choose a U.S. state or Canadian province from a pull-down menu, or enter a keyword ("Brazil," for example, or "Uganda"). Click for more about birding hotspots.

Help identifying birds

The new BirdersWorld.com also offers top-notch assistance to birdwatchers who want help identifying birds: Subscribers will be able to read every column that contributing editors Kenn Kaufman and David Allen Sibley have published in the magazine.

Kenn Kaufman is an expert birder and naturalist, a bestselling author, a talented artist and photographer, a world traveler, and a renowned public speaker. Read more about Kenn.
David Allen Sibley is the well-known author of the bestselling Sibley Guide to Birds. Read more about David.

Stellar contributing editors

What's more, the new BirdersWorld.com also offers subscribers access to a large and growing collection of columns written by our other stellar contributing editors:

Birder at Large, by Pete Dunne

Stories, wit, and commentary from wide-ranging birder and author Pete Dunne, head of New Jersey's fabled Cape May Bird Observatory, about the people and places, birds and birdlore that make up the world of American birding today. Read more about Pete.

Amazing Birds, by Eldon Greij

What makes a bird a bird; why birds do what they do; how they're able to find food, migrate, reproduce, and survive; and why they're so endlessly amazing, explained by biologist and professor emeritus Eldon Greij, founder of Birder's World magazine. Read more about Eldon.

On the Move, by Paul Kerlinger

What we know and what we have yet to learn about where and when birds migrate, the mind-boggling distances they travel, the obstacles that stand in their way, and how they overcome them, described by migration expert Paul Kerlinger, author of the book How Birds Migrate. Read more about Paul.

Since You Asked, by Julie Craves

Answers to readers' questions about birds -- what they look like, where they nest, why they do what they do, what they eat, you name it! -- from bird bander and writer Julie Craves, director of avian research at the Rouge River Bird Observatory at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Read more about Julie.

Read about all our contributing editors.

Combined with all the popular features that we retained from the old site -- the lively forums, Photo of the Week, the beautiful wallpaper downloads, our e-mail newsletter, and many others -- Birder's World Field of View should do just fine in its new home. I hope you agree.

Please let me know how you like it, and our new website! --C.H.

Rufous Hummingbird chases off Calliope and turns up on our cover

2009-03-17T11:50:58-05:00

Frequent contributing author and photographer Jim Burns photographed the Rufous Hummingbird that appears on the cover of our April issue, on newsstands now. Here's how he got the shot. — M.M.

Every summer during southbound hummingbird migration, I try to get up to the Becker Lake Wildlife Area in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona. The area is centered around a fishing lake surrounded by grasslands.

In a large field east of the lake, sunflowers and thistle have taken over disturbed ground. If the summer rains have been good, the field is a riot of color — yellows and purples of the flowers — and a sea of movement — four flavors of hummingbird, bees, and white-lined sphinx moths buzzing, darting, and flipping everywhere, competing for nectar.

This Rufous Hummingbird shot was taken in August 2007 with a 600mm Canon lens on a Canon 1D camera with flash. Rufous are the most numerous hummingbirds in the area during migration, and the most aggressive. I had made a trip hoping to find and shoot a male Calliope Hummingbird, a bird that is few and far between the many Rufous. I thought I had been lucky when I located one, but this Rufous kept running it off every time just as I’d get set up and bring it into focus. I finally decided, "Fine, I'll just shoot you instead of the Calliope." I spent two mornings on that trip without getting the Calliope shot I wanted, but there's no denying the burnt orange of the Rufous against the backdrop of yellow and purple flowers is spectacular.

Yes, Virginia, there are mountains in Arizona and it snows in those mountains in August. I camped overnight and awoke to snow showers on the second morning, then took this photo in bright sunlight with melting snow on the surrounding hills. Only in Arizona!

Wisconsin mango ‘doing great’

2009-02-19T12:37:34-06:00

The Wisconsin Green-breasted Mango perches in the aviary at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. Photo by Jim Schulz/Chicago Zoological Society

A hummingbird that attracted hundreds of birders to Beloit, Wisconsin, in the fall of 2007 and then became the subject of controversy after it was captured and taken to the Brookfield Zoo in suburban Chicago is “doing great” today, say zoo officials.

The bird, a Green-breasted Mango, is sharing a free-flight aviary with tanagers, dacnises, trogons, and other tropical species. “He’s got a strong personality,” says Tim Snyder, curator of birds and reptiles, “so he really rules the roost.”

The hummingbird was taken into captivity after staying in Beloit for weeks. Its removal sparked arguments between birders who insisted that all wild birds should be left wild and others who feared the bird would perish in the coming winter.

Mango in flight. Photo by Jim Schulz/Chicago Zoological Society

The hummingbird, the only Green-breasted Mango at a U.S. zoo, now sports a breast of adult iridescent green, not the juvenal dark central stripe it wore at the time of its capture. — M.M.

Drought makes this winter third worst for Whooping Cranes in Texas

2009-02-17T15:20:42-06:00

I'm sure you all know that our friends in Texas are in the midst of the worst drought since 1918. The New York Times wrote this last week:

"Much of the state has not had a significant rainfall since August. Winter wheat crops have failed. Ponds have dried up. Ranchers are spending heavily on hay and feed pellets to get their cattle through the winter. Some wonder if they will have to slaughter their herds come summer."

The map above shows the severity of the drought on February 10, 2009, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. BROWN: exceptional. RED: extreme.ORANGE: severe. BEIGE: moderate. YELLOW: abnormally dry.

What you may not know is that the list of casualties includes more than cattle. The drought is also harming the endangered Whooping Crane.

According to Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approximately 11 cranes — 8 juveniles and 3 adults — have died at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge this winter.

Stehn says that two of the dead cranes have been picked up, and they were emaciated. The young birds are presumed to have died because they were not seen with their parents on a recent aerial census of the refuge. The loss of 11 birds represents 4.1 percent of the wintering population (270).

"The all-time worst winter on record was 1990, when 11 out of 146 Whooping Cranes (7.5%) died at Aransas," he adds. "The winter of 1993 showed a 4.9% loss at Aransas (7 out of 143). The current winter ranks the third worst in terms of mortality in the last 20 years, and we still have two months to go.”

The drought has dried up much of the marsh the cranes rely on. Consequently, it's difficult to find food, especially the nutritious blue crabs the cranes like to eat. Many birds have moved to uplands and man-made freshwater habitats in search of food and safe roosting areas. In addition, at least 20 cranes have been seen eating corn at supplemental feeders. — M.M.

Varied Thrush visits Seattle bird feeder, shows up on our cover

2009-02-14T13:00:00-06:00

Veteran bird photographer Steve Maslowski of Maslowski Wildlife Productions photographed the beautiful Varied Thrush that appears on the cover of our February issue, on newsstands now. He shot the photo in 1999 during a trip to the west coast. Here is what he told me about how he took it. — M.M.

The Varied Thrush is a spectacular-looking bird, like a day-glo robin. For years, my brother Dave and I had the species on our hit list, but since we live in the Midwest, it just never seemed to work out.

Finally, I met a homeowner near Seattle, Washington, who said she regularly had Varied Thrushes at her bird feeders in winter. I arranged a trip for late February, when daylight hours would be long enough to provide a reasonable number of hours for shooting.

At least three different thrushes were visiting her feeders. Mostly they gleaned food from the ground. I presume they were getting insects that were living off spilled seed. But the birds also got onto the feeders themselves and seemed to eat small seeds such as millet.

The cover photo was taken from inside a blind at a branch the birds often used while approaching the feeder from the dense tangle they haunted. It was shot with a Nikon F5 with a 300mm lens and 2x converter on an overcast day. (What else do they have in the Northwest in winter?)

Since this photo was taken, we have switched to digital; but the shot shows that film was, and still is, nothing to sneeze at. Then again, with a Varied Thrush, even finger painting would look good.

I photographed a variety of birds there, most prominently juncos and Pileated Woodpeckers. The Washingrton State visit was part of a longer, multi-purpose trip that took me to Alaska to photograph snowshoe rabbits and Bald Eagles.

About Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Steve and Dave’s late father, Karl, started photographing wildlife in the 1930s. Steve went to work full-time with his dad after graduating from Brown University in the early ‘70s, and eventually Dave joined the business. In addition to still photos, the Maslowski brothers have done film and video work for a number of PBS shows, National Geographic, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others. And they have produced nearly 50 educational shows covering topics ranging from the ABCs to the solar system.

A photo by Steve of two young Killdeer ran in our first issue in February 1987, and we've been publishing the Maslowskis' work ever since, including these past covers: June 1989, Eastern Meadowlark; June 1993, Indigo Bunting; and August 2006, American Goldfinch.

Birds and airplanes and our April 2009 issue

2009-02-13T10:51:11-06:00

We all suspected that Canada Geese were the unlucky birds struck by the US Airways jet that came down in the Hudson River last month, and yesterday the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it.

Now researchers are trying to determine if the birds were migratory geese, which weigh 6-11 pounds, or residents, which are typically fatter. Fat or lean, says an article in the New York Times, Canada Geese are too much for a plane's engines to ingest.

The final, authoritative identification was made by a group of researchers we've come to know pretty well lately -- Carla Dove and her team of investigators at the Feather Identification Lab at the National Museum of Natural History.

You see, we had just finished work on our April 2009 issue when Flight 1549 splashed into the Hudson. One of the feature stories in the issue describes the Feather Lab, how it operates, its people, and why it's important. The opening spread of the story, written by wildlife biologist Jennifer Lynch, is above. (The photo was taken in 2004 at Budapest Ferihegy Airport.)

We and Jennifer couldn't possibly have anticipated the events on the Hudson when we were preparing the article, but we're happy about what it adds to the conversation taking place now about birds and aircraft. When you read it, please pay attention to how bird strikes are described -- do birds strike airplanes or is it better said the other way around?

Our April issue goes on newsstands March 3. -- C.H.

New research: Songbirds migrate three times faster than expected

2009-02-12T13:01:00-06:00

A female Purple Martin wears a geolocator on her back. The device weighs less than a dime. Photo courtesy of Tim Morton.
Migrating Purple Martins can fly up to 358 miles (577 km) per day, and Wood Thrushes can cover 168 miles (271 km) per day, according to groundbreaking new research published today in the journal Science. Previous studies estimated songbirds could fly at roughly 93 miles (150 km) per day.
Bridget Stutchbury, a professor of biology at York University in Toronto, and her colleagues from the Purple Martin Conservation Association and the British Antarctic Survey mounted miniaturized geolocators on 14 Wood Thrushes and 20 Purple Martins in Pennsylvania in 2007.
The devices, which weigh about 1.5 grams, measure light continuously, allowing researchers to estimate birds' latitude and longitude by recording sunrise and sunset times. The units tracked the birds' fall migrations to Central America and South America and the journey back to Pennsylvania. In summer 2008, the scientists recaptured five thrushes and two martins and retrieved their geolocators. Then they reconstructed the individual migration routes and wintering locations.
“This is the first time anyone in the world has been able to map songbird migration routes to the tropics and back,” Stutchbury said.

These maps, from Stutchbury's paper, show the geolocation tracks of individual Purple Martins (A and B) and Wood Thrushes (C and D) that bred in northern Pennsylvania in 2007. BLUE: fall migration. YELLOW: winter range movements. RED: spring migration. Dotted lines link locations when latitude could not be determined. Inset shows winter territory locations of tracked Wood Thrushes (dots) and the winter range for the species (shaded); the standard deviation for one individual is shown. [Image © Science/AAAS]
Songbirds are too small for satellite tracking devices, which are used to study movements of falcons and other large birds. Thrushes have also been studied using radio transmitters, but to be effective, researchers who use them have to stay in radio contact with the birds by car or air.
The new study, funded by the National Geographic Society and from proceeds of Stutchbury’s 2007 book Silence of the Songbirds, found that songbirds' overall migration rate was two to six times more rapid in spring than in fall. For example, one martin took 43 days to reach Brazil during fall migration, but in spring it returned to its breeding colony in only 13 days. Rapid long-distance movement occurred in both species, said Stutchbury.
"We were flabbergasted by the birds' spring return times. To have a bird leave Brazil on April 12 and be home by the end of the month was just astounding. We always assumed they left sometime in March," she said.
Researchers also found that prolonged stopovers were common during fall migration. The martins, which are members of the swallow family, had a stopover of three to four weeks in the Yucatan before continuing to Brazil. One martin stayed in the Amazon Basin all winter. The other martin stopped at the basin and then flew about 600 miles south toward Bolivia. Stutchbury said its movement suggests that martins use multiple roosts in winter.

A male Wood Thrush wearing a geolocator attends young at his nest. Stutchbury said the devices did not prevent the birds from mating, building nests, or caring for chicks. Photo courtesy Elizabeth Gow.
Four thrushes spent one to two weeks in the southeastern United States in late October before crossing the Gulf of Mexico, and two individuals stopped on the Yucatan Peninsula for two to four weeks before continuing migration.
The study also uncovered evidence that Wood Thrushes from a single breeding population did not scatter over their tropical wintering grounds. All five birds wintered in a narrow band in eastern Honduras or Nicaragua.
"This region is clearly important for the overall conservation of Wood Thrushes, a species that has declined by 30 percent since 1966," said Stutchbury. "Songbird populations have been declining around the world for 30 or 40 years, so there is a lot of concern about them."
The researchers hope to learn more about the martins and thrushes this spring. They attached geolocators to 20 martins and 35 thrushes in 2008, and they’re hoping that at least half of the birds come back to Pennsylvania.
Other researchers are also using the devices, Stutchbury said. “The floodgates are open. I know a group that’s putting them on Bobolinks. I know a group that’s planning on putting them on Bicknell’s Thrushes. Most of the motivation for using these geolocators at the moment is the conservation value.”
Since the 2007 study began, the developers of the devices at the British Antarctic Survey have shaved a few tenths of a gram off the weight, which will enable them to be used on smaller birds. Stutchbury mentioned Eastern Kingbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Veery as likely candidates for future studies.
She emphasized the importance of the research not only to protect at-risk species of songbirds but also to gauge environmental concerns.
"Tracking birds to their wintering areas is also essential for predicting the impact of tropical habitat loss and climate change," she said. "Until now, our hands have been tied in many ways, because we didn't know where the birds were going. They would just disappear and then come back in the spring. It's wonderful to now have a window into their journey." — M.M.

Audubon: Birds wintering farther north due to climate change

2009-02-10T12:10:42-06:00

A Pine Siskin perches on a feeder. The species has moved its winter range northward about 288 miles. A marked increase has occurred in Alaska, while states like Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana are seeing smaller numbers. Photo by Glenn Tepke.
The National Audubon Society issued this press release today about the effects of climate change on birds. — M.M.
WASHINGTON, DC, February 10, 2009 - The northward and inland movement of North American birds, confirmed by thousands of citizen-observations, provides new and powerful evidence that global warming is having a serious impact on natural systems, according to new analyses by Audubon scientists. The findings signal the need for dramatic policy changes to combat pervasive ecological disruption.
Analyses of citizen-gathered data from the past 40 years of Audubon's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) reveal that 58 percent of the 305 widespread species that winter on the continent shifted significantly north since 1968, some by hundreds of miles. Movement was detected among species of every type, including more than 70 percent of highly adaptable forest and feeder birds. Only 38 percent of grassland species mirrored the trend, reflecting the constraints of their severely-depleted habitat and suggesting that they now face a double threat from the combined stresses of habitat loss and climate adaptation.

Population shifts among individual species are common, fluctuate, and can have many causes. However, Audubon scientists say the ongoing trend of movement by some 177 species-closely correlated to long-term winter temperature increases-reveals an undeniable link to the changing climate.
"Birds are showing us how the heavy hand of humanity is tipping the balance of nature and causing ecological disruption in ways we are just beginning to predict and comprehend," said report co-author and Audubon Director of Bird Conservation, Greg Butcher, Ph.D. "Common sense dictates that we act now to curb the causes and impacts of global warming to the extent we can, and shape our policies to better cope with the disruptions we cannot avoid."

The Red-breasted Merganser's overall northward movement of approximately 317 miles is driving winter populations up in Minnesota, for example, while its numbers in states like Kentucky and Nevada are substantially down over the last 40 years. Photo by Dave Menke/USFWS.
Movements across all species-including those not reflecting the 40 year trend-averaged approximately 35 miles during the period. However, it is the complete picture of widespread movement and the failure of some species to move at all that illustrate the potential for problems.
• Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, and Boreal Chickadee have retreated dramatically north into the Canadian Boreal, their ranges moving an estimated 433, 288, and 279 miles respectively over 40 years. Continuing warming and development are predicted to have adverse impacts on the boreal forest and the species that depend on it.
• Red-breasted Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, and American Black Duck, normally found in southern-tier states, have all taken advantage of warmer winter waters and have shifted their ranges north by an estimated 317, 219, and 182 miles. Still, they are likely to be negatively impacted by the increased drought expected in many parts of North America as global warming worsens.
• Only 10 of 26 grassland species moved north significantly, while nine moved south. Species such as Eastern Meadowlark, Vesper Sparrow, and Burrowing Owl were likely unable to move despite more moderate northern temperatures because essential grassland habitat areas have disappeared, having been converted to intensive human uses such as row crops, pastures, and hayfields. In combination, global warming and ongoing overuse of grasslands by humans will doom grassland birds to continued population declines.
"Experts predict that global warming will mean dire consequences, even extinction, for many bird species, and this analysis suggests that that the process leading down that path is already well underway," warned Audubon President John Flicker. "We're witnessing an uncontrolled experiment on the birds and the world we share with them."
Butcher explains that many birds move great distances to find suitable food and habitat, but questions how far they will be able to move in the face of climate change before they run out of habitat, food or even luck. "The long term picture is not good for many species, and even in the short term, a single harsh winter could have a devastating impact on birds that have moved too far," he adds.

The California Gnatcatcher occurs in a small area in southern California and Baja California. It faces significant range loss if warming trends continue. Photo by Dennis Ancinec.
New forward-looking research from Audubon California reinforces the national findings, predicting that about 80 of that state's native bird species will experience significant climate-driven reductions in their geographic range over coming decades.
Scientific models indicate that the magnitude of losses in California depends largely on steps taken now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The California Gnatcatcher could lose as much as 56 percent of its range, or as little as 7 percent, depending on how climate change is addressed. Projected range losses for the Bay area's popular Chestnut-backed Chickadee vary from 49 percent to as little as 16 percent.
Detailed GIS maps produced using the California research project where the birds are likely to be in 50 to 100 years. Findings will help policymakers and land managers augment efforts to mitigate the severity of global warming impacts with better habitat conservation investments to address changes that can't be avoided.
The chart at right, from the Audubon report, shows the averages in northward range shift for the 305 species studied. Click on the chart to see it larger.
"The birds are giving us yet another warning that it's time for urgent action," added Flicker. "People hear about melting glaciers and changing weather, but now they can witness the impact global warming is having with the birds they see or don't see right outside their doors. These birds are our 'canaries in the coal mine' and they're telling us that we'd better do something fast to curb global warming and to protect habitat."
Critical steps citizens can take can be found online at Audubon.org and include signing a national petition demanding aggressive federal policy action. Habitat conservation efforts based on forward looking projections such as those from Audubon California are also essential.
Habitats already under siege from development, energy production and agricultural expansion and other human uses will require enhanced protection and restoration to sustain bird populations and provide ecological benefits essential to human health, economic prosperity and quality of life.
Audubon anticipates that the new avian evidence will help attract the attention and spark action among more than 40 million self-proclaimed U.S. bird-watchers, ten of thousands of whom contributed to the Christmas Bird Count data on which the studies are based. The 109-year-old census provides the world's longest uninterrupted record of bird population trends.
"Citizen Science is allowing us to better recognize the impacts that global warming is having here and now. Only citizen action can help us reduce them," said Butcher.
Read how climate change is affecting Carolina Wrens, Gray Jays, Adelie Penguins, and other birds.

Whooping Crane Florida flyover

2009-02-02T22:01:46-06:00

The 14 Whooping Cranes that make up the Class of 2008 of Operation Migration are all safely in Florida, I'm happy to report.

Seven are resting at St. Marks NWR in Florida's Panhandle, and seven are at Chassahowitzka NWR, north of St. Petersburg, the site used by previous classes. (This year, remember, the flock was divided to better the birds' chances of surviving the winter.)

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, more than 1,000 local residents drove to a designated viewing area by the St. Marks River to watch the seven St. Marks cranes arrive on January 18. (Read David Sibley's article about St. Marks.) The Chassahowitzka birds completed the 26-mile flight from a pensite at the Halpata-Tastanaki Preserve, west of Ocala, to their wintering grounds five days later, on January 23.

The day before, lead pilot Brooke Pennypacker led the young birds in the annual flyover at nearby Dunnellon-Marion County Airport. Lucky for us, a friend of ours was there, and with his camera -- Robert Strickland. (We published Robert's photo of a bathing Northern Cardinal in "Your View" in our August 2007 issue, and the National Wildlife Federation later named the shot a winner in its most recent photo contest.) He sent us the three photos above, showing Pennypacker and the seven Chassahowitzka cranes.

Thanks, Robert! --C.H.

Favorite posts of 2008

2009-01-29T12:01:00-06:00

Before we forge ahead into 2009, let's take a look back at 12 of our most memorable posts of last year:
• David Sibley found the first-ever Slaty-backed Gull in Massachusetts, but just barely.
• Scientists discovered the source of the chirp made when an Anna's Hummingbird dives: its tail.
• Who knew? California was once home to a flightless seaduck that is now extinct.
• Meet Matt Adrian, a bird artist with a sense of humor.
• Ernie chatted up Marie Read, Arthur Morris, and other photographers whose work we frequently publish.
• In April, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin named James Morgan its 30th Master Wildlife Artist.
• Chuck wrote about a new paper in Science that found that much of bird classification is wrong.
• In July, we said goodbye to our good friend and longtime contributor Tom Vezo.
• On the 100th anniversary of Roger Tory Peterson's birth, we interviewed his son Lee.
• Ivory-bill searcher Dan Mennill told us about his work studying wrens in Costa Rica.
• After publishing David Sibley's important article about birds hitting windows in our December issue, we presented information sources about preventing window strikes.
• California Condor recovery has reached a milestone now that free-flying birds outnumber captive birds. — M.M.