Bird Brain BlogBird Brain BlogBlogged about Wild Birds and all things Orinihology Articles
Man Teaches Heron to Fly
2008-06-04 19:05:00 Isn’t this backwards? Didn’t humans learn flight principles from birds? Now Gary Zammit of Cornwall, UK turned that around and taught an orphaned Heron how to fly. He did this by running alongside it, flapping his arms, and squawking (like a Heron I guess). Eventually, the Heron caught on and now flies on his own. Man ...
Israel?s new National Bird
2008-05-30 17:59:00 It’s the Hoopoe! After an exhaustive process, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel determined the Hoopoe was the right bird for Israel. According to President Peres - 500 million birds pass through Israel’s skies annually. He wasn’t referring specifically to the Hoopoe, but that’s a lot of bird for a country with ... More About: National , Bird , Ornithology , Ecosystem
Don?t be too Quick to Rescue that Nest
2008-05-24 17:46:00 What do you do when you see an ‘abandoned’ birds nest? The first thing is not to assume it’s abandoned. The parent bird may just be off foraging for food or may be nearby. This article recommends spending at least an hour nearby checking to see if the parent returns. Other tips for dealing with ... More About: Quick , Rescue , Nest
Lost Parrot Blabs Name and Address
2008-05-22 17:35:00 And doesn’t stay lost for long! If you have a talking bird, what’s a good thing to teach it? The name and address! That’s what the Nakamura family of Tokyo did. And when the bird became lost, it had no problem rattling off its name and address to veterinary staff (who were then able to ... More About: Lost , Parrot , Address
How do they Do That?
2008-05-15 17:26:00 Ever wonder how shorebirds like the Phalarope manage to get the water and food bits to travel uphill through their long beaks and into their mouths? Well, so have scientists. And this article seems to pose a reasonable explanation to that age old mystery. How birds make water defy gravity More About: Ornithology
Athabasca Oil Sands - Danger to Birds?
2008-05-02 17:08:00 In late April 500 ducks perished in the northern Alberta oil ponds known informally as ‘oilsands’. The open pools of the oilsands are part of the Athabasca Oil Sands . These are a large deposit of extremely heavy crude oil and water is used to separate the oil. Unfortunately large amounts of oil sit in the ... More About: Birds , Danger , Ecosystem
Feed the Birds not the Bears
2008-04-13 23:01:00 This time of year is a bad time of year for bears. They’re hungry and those bird feeders are going to look mighty tasty. Just ask Eunice Sanville of Alexandria, VA. She lost a home-made birdfeeder to a hungry bear. They’re just waking up and filling up. So if you live on the fringes of ... More About: Bears , Birds , Feed , Ecosystem
Tired of Radio? Try Bird Radio
2008-04-08 22:48:00 A UK broadcasting company has come up with a new idea for an alternate to that mindless chatter you often hear on commercial radio. It’s called the Bird song Station and as the name implies, it plays nothing but birds signing. It’s a 20 minute audio recording that plays in a loop. Now that I would ... More About: Radio , Tired
Penguin Like Bird Lands in Florida
2008-04-08 22:43:00 More and more cold water birds are showing up in tropical climates. Imagine this boy playing in the surf in Florida and seeing a penguin. Ok it wasn’t a penguin, but a penguin look alike - the Razorbilled Auk. They’re usually found in the Artic and rarely seen south of New England. This and other ... More About: Bird , Ecosystem , Penguin
Stop Feeding the Birds Judge Orders
2008-04-03 22:33:00 Usually birdfeeders are a good thing. But you can overdo it! An Illinois couple has been ordered to take down their bird feeders after the neighbors complained of it attracting other animals. Other guests included birds and raccoons, opossums because in addition to the hanging bird feeder, this couple was putting food on the ground ... More About: Judge , Birds , Stop , Feeding , Orders
Wind Turbines and Birds Don?t Mix - or Can They?
2008-04-03 20:31:00 Here’s an interesting article about bird friendly wind turbine in the Galapagos Islands. It seems that rather than just place the wind turbine at the best point for wind currents, the planners also took into consideration placement in terms of risk to birds. The result: no bird fatalities yet! This would seem to suggest that ... More About: Wind , Birds , Ecosystem
Bird Crashes and Revives
2008-03-31 20:22:00 Not all birds who crash into buildings die or become seriously injured. This Cooper Hawk flew into a Bangor Maine office window and was able to be rehabilitated. Coopers usually eat other small birds, but during the bird?s rehab, it was fed tasty mice! Bird that crashed into window returns to wild after rehab More About: Ecosystem , Crashes
Birds and Crabs get a break in NJ
2008-03-25 19:03:00 New Jersey gave a boost to both the horseshoe crab and the red knot. The red knot relies on horseshoe crab eggs as an essential food. The red knot visits the mid-Atlantic coast on its yearly migration. This break came in the form of a law that will ban horseshoe crab harvesting such time as ... More About: Break , Birds , Endangered , Ecosystem
Will the Swallows stay on Capistrano?
2008-03-16 18:47:00 There is already plenty of evidence that climate change is causing a lot of shifting in ecosystems. Here, a swallow in the UK was monitored from November to the end of February where it staying in Cornwall. Problem is, swallows in the part of the world usually migrate to Africa for the winter. This past ... More About: Stay , Ecosystem , Capistrano
Downtown Lights Off - Saves Energy and Birds
2008-03-12 18:34:00 Birds often fly into tall buildings and die or become severely injured as a result. This is especially problematic in migration season. Minneapolis/St. Paul is taking a pro-active approach to this problem by asking building owners to turn off unnecessary lights after hours. This apparently makes the buildings less visible to the birds and therefore ... More About: General , Energy , Downtown , Birds , Lights
Do Owls have Bad Eyes?
2008-03-12 18:23:00 The other day I was driving down a road in our neighborhood and a pigeon flew across my path. I smacked it unfortunately. I usually don’t bother slowing down (I was only going about 25 because it’s a residential street) because they usually get out of the way. Pigeons seem to be the slowest of ... More About: Eyes
Bad Seed?
2008-03-09 18:14:00 Have the birds in your yard been dying? Maybe it’s in the seed. Lloyd Shook of Lake Elsinore (CA), thinks it’s the seed he purchased from WalMart. He said some 50 birds got sick and died after eating the seed. But he was unable to produce anything but accusations and WalMart is not paying him ... More About: Seed
Golfer Uses Bird for Skill Practice
2008-03-07 00:20:00 While filming a segment for a video, pro golfer Tripp Isenhour got annoyed at a red-shouldered hawk. He used his skills to hit the bird and killed it. Unfortunately for him, he was charged with cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird. I have often seen birds getting walloped on the golf course (mostly ... More About: Practice , Skill , Bird
Houston 2nd Graders Get Purple Martins
2008-02-22 18:45:00 2nd Graders at Meadow Wood Elementary in Houston are a lucky bunch. They’re getting early bird training. With a mini grant, they have a bunch of purple martin houses to put on outside their classroom so they can watch and observe. It’s Purple Martin time again and the 2nd graders there will learn ... More About: Ornithology
Brown Pelican Success Story
2008-02-08 20:36:00 Only 40 years ago, they were nearly extinct. This situation was brought about by the use of DDT and other related insecticides in the 1950’s and 1960’s. From near extinction to about 620,000 birds in the Gulf Coast and Pacific Coast regions - now that’s a success story to cheer! The bird is now due ... More About: Story , Success , Brown , Pelican , Success Story
New bird discovered in Nepal
2008-02-05 20:23:00 A previously unknown sub-species of Warbler has been discovered in the southern grasslands of Nepal . The bird fills in an important geographical gap in previously-known varieties in Pakistan and India. ‘New type of bird’ found in Nepal More About: Bird , Ornithology
N.H. Audubon Society taking bird survey
2008-01-28 20:09:00 The NH Audubon Society wants to know the effect of heavy snows this winter are having on birds in the state. They want volunteers to count birds in their yard for comparative checking against last years data. Last year saw relatively little snow. You can access the survey at the link below. New Hampshire Audubon Society More About: Survey , Bird , Ecosystem , Taking
Long Eared Owls show up in Downtown Chicago
2008-01-24 19:57:00 Chicago area bird watchers are seeing a rare sight this winter. The ordinarily reclusive Long Eared Owl seems to be showing up more and more in common places such as a park in downtown Chicago. When you consider what the primary food source is for owls is, this might not be such a good thing. ... More About: Chicago , Show , Downtown , Ecosystem
Yellow Rail Goes off Track
2008-01-22 19:45:00 Birders in the San Francisco bay area had an interesting sighting; a Yellow Rail . Only thing is, this bird is native to the Gulf Coast - oops wrong coast! Arrowhead Marsh is a popular stopover on a west coast migration path called the ‘Pacific Flyway’ and it’s also popular spot for bird-watchers. The watchful birders ... More About: Track , Ornithology , Ecosystem
Atlantic City Patrons drive Seagull War
2008-01-18 19:33:00 Atlantic City ’s boardwalk has a problem with Seagull s. They have become bold and fearless in their scavenging ways. Snatching those hot dogs and burgers out of people’s plates as the ‘victims’ helplessly watch. But how did the gulls get this bold? Seagulls are somewhat fearless by nature. They’re like the squirrels of the skies - ... More About: Drive , Atlantic City , Atlantic
Botulism Taking Toll in Great Lakes
2008-01-17 18:38:00 The Great Lakes Bird ‘Die off’ has been identified as Botulism chain reaction. The key lies in the non native populations of zebra mussels and round gobies which apparently arrived in the Great Lakes by way of ballast tanks from ships during the 1980’s. They’re an invasive species and have created a new food ... More About: Toll , Ecosystem , Taking
PetSmart?s Psittacosis Problems Grows
2008-01-04 18:07:00 It was reported in Minnesota last month, but the problem with PetSmart’s bird has taken on a wider scope. Arizona based PetSmart has suspended selling birds in about three fourths of their approximately 1000 locations in North America. They have tracked the problem to an un-named vendor source in Florida. There are still ... More About: Problems , Tacos
Say?s Phoebe Spotted in Florida
2008-01-03 17:55:00 Say’s Phoebe has been spotted in Florida and is creating a bit of a stir. While these birds are common west of the Mississippi, sightings in Florida are rare. Prior to last month’s sighting, the bird had not been recording in Florida since 1975. We might just chalk this up to the bird getting lost ... More About: Ornithology
California Wind Power?s Dirty Little Secret
2008-01-02 17:48:00 During the 1980’s wind turbines starting appearing in Northern California . They ushered in a new direction in renewable energy and offered a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. With that they are seen as a weapon in the battle against global warming. But the fast spinning turbines have a darker side: birds fly ... More About: Power , Wind , Dirty , Secret
Use Native Plants for your Bird Habitat
More articles from this author:2008-01-01 18:21:00 Setting up a bird habitat is a little more than just a feeder or two and a house. Think habitat. The most important part of a bird habitat are the plants and trees in your yard. Chances are you already have what your birds want - native plants and trees. Don’t bother with plants and trees ... More About: Plants , Bird , Ecosystem , Native , Habitat 1, 2, 3 |
|
 |
|
 |
