Birdchick Podcast

  Podcast prize is AWESOME dvd by Michael Male and Judy Fieth called Watching Sparrows.  A must for anyone ready to dip their toes in the dizzying world of brown birds.  The sound quality is rich and fun to have on in the background of your work day. This story makes me SO angry.  Doofus US Fish and Wildlife Employee (just this one, not all of them as a whole) fined a family for saving a woodpecker from a cat.  Bonehead move. US Fish and Wildlife issued statements over the incident. Lessons learned from THIS podcast.  Thanks, Walton County Almanac! Craig from Worcester and Malvern Local RSPB wants to know: Which in your opinion would be the best to join out of ABA, ABC or Audubon (or any other like Cornell Lab) I am interested in American birds and occasionally get the chance to see some in Michigan when I visit my relatives or holidays in Florida. In the UK he's a member of BTO, RSPB and Birdlife. Why does this birding only have two campers? Because of old ideas in attracting teenagers. Flirty birds have a shorter lifespan? Some birds like big bills and they cannot lie. Pitcher Plant captures a great tit.

Laura Sexson writes us: "After catching up on some pod casts, I thought I would let you know that USPS.com now has the 2011-2012 Duck Stamp showing as a choice.  After some frustrating search attempts I find the search term White – Fronted narrows the results from over 90 to 6.  I expect my stamp in the mail soon." Atlantic puffins are hatched a bit more independently than other species. Non Birding Bill has a show in the MN Fringe Festival!  Come see it, opens this Friday: Macbeth the Video Game Remix! I don't know what the World Birding and Nature Center at South Padre Island has going on here, but this article doesn't paint them in a favorable light.  Something is up and dispute between the county, the city and the nature center and the boardwalk may be chained or unchained when you visit. The picture in this article about Jamaica Bay reminds me of Selleck Waterfall Sandwich. Move over Archaeopteryx... ...this crazy looking hippie blue jay called Xiaotingia zhengi says that you may not be a bird after all!

Robotic gull is cool and a bunch of people at TED think it's cool because it brings in birds...alas, the birds are mobbing it as if it were a predator. Scientists claim they have figured out a way to force squirrels to hibernate. The American Birding Association now has clothing you can purchase. Um...LowerPro gives this to birders: If your field guides stays open for more than four hours, you may want to call a doctor... What the heck is this bird?

David Sibley shares some ideas for dealing with birds flying into your windows over at Birdwatching Magazine.  I particularly like the idea of using monofilament fishing line on the outside of the windows. Study concludes that green-rumped parrotlets name their chicks (insert dramatic chipmunk). Remember those wildfires in Arizona?  Early estimates indicate that 80% of nesting sites for hummingbirds were lost and important fueling areas for migrating hummers is gone and KAYTEE is putting together emergency kits for hummingbirds! Whooping cranes with satellite transmitters show that the birds are stopping in dangerous oil lands areas. Interesting development and information regarding the sustainability of a sandhill crane hunt in Kentucky over at Vicki Henderson's blog. Bird coloration guide?  Would you purchase a guide to bird color descriptions to help you describe and id birds? What Non Birding Bill made me for breakfast.

Why you should be careful when rescuing wildlife, man looses an eye while rescuing a gannet. Mouth to beak resuscitation. Woman falls to her death while hanging a bird feeder. Residents asked stop feeding birds so trees can be cut down...Oh Caltrans...please hire a wildlife biologist. Cool event: Changing Face of American Birding  Note: we mistakenly refer to this as podcast #47 while recording. It's not. It's #48.

Odd interaction over at Mike McDowell's blog about a birder claiming ownership of an image...but who does the image belong to? If an animal takes a photo with your camera...who owns the image? My post on 10,000 Birds about an overt racist birder.  It called into question for me what kind of vibe do I put off when I encounter people of color. Colombian parrot "Arrested" for aiding drug dealers.  Sigh. Funny or Die presents: Black Hiker with Blair Underwood (video).

Holy Mackerel!  Birding is Fun sent me a link to a news story about a person caring for conjoined American Robins.  Whaaaaaaaaaaa?  There's even an update...a vet separated the birds and discovered that their skin fusion was not the result of natural causes. Some water birds like pelicans and terns are breeding well despite their surrounding areas getting dumped on by BP last summer (still not buying your gas BP). The challenges of the Exxon Oil Spill in the Yellowstone River. Fantastic article over at Mother Jones on the whole--are feral cats really a problem for native wild birds?  A quote from the article: "The American Bird Conservancy's campaign to convince pet owners to keep cats indoors has had some success—bird deaths have declined by a third in areas that passed ordinances against free-ranging cats." Also, note the statistic chart of what kills how many birds.  Fascinating. Let's end with fun: baby screech owlies!  

 When eiders dump eggs, they try to do it in a nest of a female they are related too. What happens when a reporter who knows nothing about birds attempts to write a story about birding...sigh. Naturalist and BBC legend David Attenborough inadvertently helps solved a murder from 1879! A peregrine falcon named Lady Gaga...who names these birds?? Fabulous blog post from Sparky Stensaas on an observation of a young brown thrasher trying to eat a snake, meanwhile one of the adults tries to give it more bugs.

Did you guess the movie that we referenced in the podcast?  If you did, we're gonna send you something special! Fabulous article about a study conducted on pigeons and their use of a "flap run" rather than flying.  This energy saving practice could be the key to the evolution of flight. Tourist injured in PNG. Careful with your camera when you travel! Macaque steals camera and takes an epic self portrait. Most terrifying nature camera ever? The inaccurate article I referenced. Here's Pigeon Disturbs Cat Nap.  It's a video making the rounds on the Internet and it actually shows a ringed turtledove singing to a cat that is trying to take a nap.  If you ask me, the dove is looking for a little lovin'.   Don't worry, the cat doesn't kill the dove.

Sorry about all the cockatiel noises in this one.  Kabuki was very put out about our absence over the weekend.   Remember how the Germans were gonna use turkey vultures to seek out missing dead bodies...it's not working out so well.  Insert Sad Trombone. Broken pipeline on the Yellowstone River pumping thousands of gallons of oil in Montana. Male Swainson's hawk protecting nest is nailing bicyclists in Oregon. Move over crows, pigeons can recognize faces too... Swarovski has their Digiscoper of the Year contest open!

Mist net study finds that trapping birds is not as fatal as some people thought. Birding sites for people with limited mobility.  Are there other states doing this? Lost Emperor Penguin that ended up in New Zealand taken in for veterinary care. Gull steals camera in France and flies with it while it is recording. Non Birding Bill's reference to an octopus that steals underwater camera:    

Wildbird Magazine redid their website and they have contests going on. Threatened roseate terns establish a nesting colony on the roof of a government building in Marathon used by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Study shows penguins are "afraid of the dark" or more realistically all the things that will eat them after dark. Starlings giving the bird.  No wonder birders don't like them. Sibley talks about the end of the warblers as we know it.  If you're a hardcore birder, you're freaked.  If you like your backyard birds this will be confusing and eye roll inducing.  

  What's everybody talking about this week?  Birds with Arms! Gyrfalcons are secret seabirds? Emperor penguin shows up in New Zealand.  And here's a link to what Non Birding Bill mentioned: penguins nesting on landmines! Bald eagles defend nest outside of an Alaskan post office.      

Crazy rare birds showing up and making news:  a Cassin's sparrow is in Ohio and a willow ptarmigan is outside a nuclear power plant in Ontario. Lead poisoning is still killing reintroduced California Condors in the Grand Canyon. This Friday is the first day to buy the new Duck Stamp for the year.  Purchasing stamps doesn't mean that you support hunting.  It means you are giving money and over 98% of the money from the stamp purchase goes to habitat acquisition for National Wildlife Refuges and they essentially get you access to any NWR without paying a fee.  It's not just ducks who benefit from this, several species of birds, plants and mammals benefit from this.  Just because hunters are forced to purchase one doesn't mean birders are making a good statement by not purchasing one. It's a Dalek Squirrel Feeder.  Why can't we have one these in North America??? Some pelicans cleaned up from last year's BP Oil Spill are breeding this year. eBird has updated their list entry system.  Are you submitting your bird observations to eBird?

Ohio City Councilman Jerry James tried to legislate feeders used for birds should be kept clean. If fell flat...but should it have? A rare white-throated robin shows up across the pond.  I link to this story strictly for the term "flaparazzi." Police in Everett, Washington dealing with fledging crows. Holy cow, eBird had over 3 million observations in May! OMG.  There are Hipster Birders.