Focusing On Wildlife

Voices: Magnificent Frigatebird

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:28:26 GMT

Macaulay Library archivist Martha Fischer takes us to Florida's Dry Tortugas National Park where she experienced the bizarre mating displays of Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens).

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Wandering Hippo Faces Leadership Challenge

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:39:13 GMT

If he is to stand any chance of breeding, a wandering hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius) must challenge the one male that controls all the females on that stretch of the Luangwe river. But the harem-owner isn't about to relinquish control without a very big fight. But will it be a fight to the finish?

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Massive Bird Kill at West Virginia Wind Farm

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:22:58 GMT

With the deaths of nearly 500 birds at the Laurel Mountain wind facility earlier this month, three of the four wind farms operating in West Virginia have now experienced large bird fatality events, according to American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the nation’s leading bird conservation organization.

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Through the Lens: Black-necked Stilt

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:40:05 GMT

Compared to their body size, Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) have the longest legs of any bird! Lab photographer Gerrit Vyn shares a remarkable flock of stilts he filmed in Louisiana at Audubon's Paul J. Rainey Reserve.

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Alaskan Brown Bears Piling On Pounds

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:12:42 GMT

Alaskan brown bears (Ursus arctos middendorffi) take to the sea to get first bite at the annual salmon run. Luckily it's a good year, with the bears getting much more than just the bare necessities...

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Can the Basilisk Lizard Run on Water?

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:49:42 GMT

The basilisk lizard (Basiliscus basiliscus) isn’t also called the Jesus Christ lizard for nothing. When threatened, this unique reptile takes to the waters of Belize and moves its long-toed feet so fast that it can – quite literally – run on water. Miracle of nature? You decide...

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Fantastic Fishing by Greater Bulldog Bats

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:11:18 GMT

Greater bulldog bats (Noctilio leporinus) justify the comparative in their name by catching fish. In the dark. While flying at 40 miles per hour. Against oncoming traffic.

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Winging It - A day in the Life of a Damselfly

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:19:20 GMT

A damselfly's adult life is so short that a newly mature female must mate and lay her eggs in the same day that she becomes an adult. Not only will her wings help her to secure a mate, but they will also be crucial when it comes to laying her eggs… underwater.

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Spoon-billed Sandpiper Near To Extinction

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:14:16 GMT

A third of the global population of the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) has been discovered at a key stop-over site in China. A record 103 birds were recorded at a new site within the Rudong mudflats in China last week.

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Partners for life

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:22:03 GMT

On the lakes of Oregon, USA, a pair of Clark's grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) dance a watery waltz in perfect synchonicity. Only stopping so that the female can have a quick fish supper, the two bring their stunning routine to an end with a gravity-defying move that sees them lifting their bodies out of the water, and strutting along on the surface.

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Self-sacrificing fish

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:07:22 GMT

Flying fish (Cheilopogon melanurus) are so desperate to lay their eggs deep in the centre of a floating palm frond that many of them become stuck. Unable to escape, these dead weights sink the life raft and down they all go, to Davy Jones' locker.

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35,000 Barnacle Geese Descend On Loch Gruinart

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:36:23 GMT

For the second year running, a record number of barnacle geese have touched down at RSPB Scotland Loch Gruinart nature reserve on Islay.

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Hunt for the Tiger Slayers

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:46:49 GMT

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are facing a ruthless predator: human poachers. Controlled by well-funded and well-organized crime rings, poachers are hunting and killing tigers to sell their body parts on the black market. This deadly trade is leaving its mark, with tiger populations dwindling and winking out across parts of Asia where, until recently, they were common. In this video, find out how WCS is stepping in to stop the slaughter of the world's 3,500 remaining wild tigers before it's too late — and what you can do to help.

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Voices: Semipalmated Sandpiper

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:12:49 GMT

Many people don't know that shorebirds are accomplished and energetic singers on their arctic breeding grounds. The Cornell Lab's Ben Clock describes the experience of listening to one such species - the Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla).

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Through the Lens: Snow Goose Migration

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:03:16 GMT

Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) migration is spectacular! Cornell Lab of Ornithology photographer Gerrit Vyn takes us to New York's Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to experience this yearly event.

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Slaughter of Birds in Cyprus Continues

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:37:14 GMT

Disastrously, the number of birds killed on limesticks and in mist nets in Cyprus this autumn is increasing sharply, reaching over 860,000 by October 9th…and it is still growing.

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San Francisco Approves New Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:52:49 GMT

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Golden Gate Audubon hailed the signing into law of new Standards for Bird Safe Buildings by San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee. The signing follows the unanimous approval of the bill by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last month.

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Voices: White-Rumped Sandpiper

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:10:21 GMT

Listen as Macaulay Library Audio Archivist Martha Fischer describes her experience hearing the song of a White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) on its high arctic breeding grounds.

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How Nature Works: Catbird Mimicry

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:15:24 GMT

A remarkable Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) mimics dozens of bird species (and a frog too!) in northern California. Listen as Greg Budney, audio curator at the Macaulay Library, dissects the recording and notes each snippet of mimicked song.

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Environmental Disaster In New Zealand

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:05:37 GMT

Forest & Bird (BirdLife in New Zealand) have said urgent action is needed to avoid an environmental disaster and to minimise seabird deaths as a result of the oil spill off the Bay of Plenty coast.

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Call To Action For Australian Birds

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:23:16 GMT

Birds Australia, Charles Darwin University and CSIRO Publishing today launched The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. The Action Plan is the third in a series that have been produced at the start of each decade. It analyses the status of all the species and subspecies of Australia’s birds, including the Regent Honeyeater (Xanthomyza phrygia), to determine their risk of extinction.

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Dramatic Increase in Cirl Bunting Population

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:44:55 GMT

This summer has seen a dramatic increase in the Cornish cirl bunting (Emberiza cirlus) population, with record numbers of chicks being born in the county.

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FWS Considering Endangered Species Act Protection for Three Birds

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:23:14 GMT

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will conduct an in-depth status review of three birds – MacGillivray's Seaside Sparrow, Florida Sandhill Crane, and Black Rail – as part of a larger review of 374 rare southeastern aquatic, riparian, and wetland animal and plant species to determine whether any or all of them warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

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Canadian Arctic Expedition

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:43:08 GMT

Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) , Ivory Gulls (Pagophila eburnea) and Sanderlings (Calidris alba) were the targets on a Lab of Ornithology expedition to collect sound recordings in the Canadian High Arctic. Join Lab staff Gerrit Vyn and Martha Fischer as they trek across barren Bathurst Island recording birds.

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Voices: American Bittern

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:22:26 GMT

Experience the song of an American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) emanating from a cattail marsh in spring, as narrated by the Cornell Lab's Laura Erickson.

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Through the Lens: Eastern Screech-Owl Camouflage

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:31:40 GMT

Enjoy an intimate look at the Eastern Screech-Owl's (Megascops asio) roosting habits as presented by Cornell Lab of Ornithology photographer Gerrit Vyn.

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