| Title |
Description |
Date |
| European Starling Nightmare | Back in 1890, Eugene Scheiffelin had a dream: to hear all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. So he brought about 100 starlings from Europe and released them in Central Park. Today, those starlings have multiplied into more than 200 million birds. Dream or nightmare, that's a lot of non-native birds. It's no wonder this bird has been successful--a pair generally has two to three broods a season. Even more unfortunate, the starling competes with native birds for nesting sites.
(1581KB) | 03/19/2008 |
| Walking on Eggshells | Walking on eggshells usually means dealing with something delicate, fragile. But eggs are far from fragile. An egg has to be strong enough to withstand the weight of an adult bird during incubation. But the tiny, weak baby bird within has to be able to peck its way out. Is it true that if you touch a bird's eggs, the bird will abandon the nest? Nope. But don't do it! You don't want to alert those wily raiders, crows and jays, to that well-kept secret. What would you like to hear about on BirdNote? Mail info@birdnote.org.
(1565KB) | 03/18/2008 |
| St. Patrick's Day 2007 | St. Patrick's Day 2008! On St. Patrick's Day, we may well wonder: Why are so few of our birds in the United States green, while so many tropical birds wear green proudly? Ornithologist Steve Hilty believes it be a form of protective coloration. Simply put, green birds virtually disappear when they land in a green tree. The Green Jay is about as green a bird as we'll find in the US, and it's seen only in far southern Texas. (In today's show, you heard the Yellow-lored Parrot. The music was provided courtesy of the Toucan Pirates.)
(1544KB) | 03/17/2008 |
| Wood-Wrens - A Tropical Duet | Gray-breasted Wood-Wrens sing a duet. Each sings a different phrase, yet the phrases are so closely linked, it sounds like one song. Such singing is called antiphonal song. The pairs use song to stake out and hold breeding territories. Dueting is most typical of birds that live in dense habitats; it no doubt helps them locate each other in deep cover. (1435KB) | 03/16/2008 |
| Sage Grouse Lek | At the display area--or lek--the male Sage-Grouse perform for mating rights while the females look on. (1470KB) | 03/15/2008 |
| Birds Talk, People Squawk | Darvin Gebhart is a champion goose-caller. But there are also birds that use human language. Sparkie Williams was a famous parakeet, or budgerigar, who lived in England in the 1950s. He recorded commercials for bird seed and released his own hit single "Pretty Talk." Alex, the African Grey Parrot, was another notable talking bird, with a limited vocabulary but amazing cognitive abilities. (1624KB) | 03/14/2008 |
| Montezuma Oropendola's High-Security Nesting | A male Montezuma Oropendola holds forth in a tree bedecked with twenty or more hanging nests. The nests are intricately woven sacks hanging three feet or more from the branches. Oropendolas favor trees that are separate from other trees and often build near large nests of wasps, whose stinging attacks deter both potential nest predators and parasitic insects. (1501KB) | 03/13/2008 |
| The Golden Pendulum - Montezuma Oropendola | In a clearing where an ancient Mayan city once stood, the Montezuma Oropendola perches and sings. His courtship display is astonishing: he swings by his feet and sings, his tail describing a golden pendulum--the very source of his name in Spanish--oropendola. (1508KB) | 03/12/2008 |
| Interview with Jeff Wells | Dr. Jeff Wells, senior scientist with the Boreal Songbird Initiative, has published The Birder's Conservation Handbook. With profiles of 100 North American birds at risk, Dr. Wells also offers suggestions that can help stem the decline of birds--including this White-throated Sparrow--which nest in the boreal forest of northern Canada and Alaska. #1: buy recycled paper! Learn more about the Birder's Conservation Handbook at BorealBirds.org. And you can sign a petition to save the boreal at SaveOurBorealBirds.org.
(1542KB) | 03/11/2008 |
| Secretive Varied Thrush | If you hear the eerie song of the Varied Thrush, you may be in a moist Pacific Northwest forest, in a quiet and private place. We hear few Varied Thrushes in urban and suburban habitats, because the lowland conifer forests of our Puget Sound region today cover less than 1% of their original area. Except in winter, when they gather in loose flocks to move to lower elevations, these shy birds prefer solitude. The intricate pattern of color on its wings resembles dappled sunlight on the forest floor. (1533KB) | 03/10/2008 |
| A Treasure Chest | Hummingbirds' names evoke their exquisite qualities and variety, from sabrewings to woodstars to sunangels--to this Green Violet-ear. Central and South America are home to well over 300 species of hummingbirds! (1487KB) | 03/09/2008 |
| Master Gardeners Can Help | The Master Gardener program began in Washington State in 1972, and is now active in 50 states and several other countries. Got bugs? They'll show you how to live with them--and without pesticides. They're water-wise, plant-savvy, and eager to help. Want to create a wildlife sanctuary in your yard? The Master Gardeners are ready to help. Or you can become a Master Gardener yourself! (1458KB) | 03/08/2008 |
| Valentine Lovebirds | Cupid, a Roman god of love--who often turns up on Valentine cards--is not the only winged being linked to February 14. Medieval Europeans believed that many birds mated on this day, underscoring Valentine's Day's natural link to affection and courtship. The nine species of lovebirds (genus Agapornis) are native to Africa. These colorful birds snuggle close to one another and gently preen each other?s head and neck, whether it's Valentine's Day or not.
(1549KB) | 02/14/2008 |
| Crows Preening | Crows and other birds groom each other while sitting side by side on a wire or branch. One stretches out its neck, and the groomer, or preener, twirls individual feathers in its beak, often starting at the back of the head and working around to the front. The bird being groomed turns its head upward, so the preener can reach the feathers under its chin. Allopreening strengthens the bond of the pair--and keeps their feathers in good shape, too. (1571KB) | 02/13/2008 |
| Three Kingfishers | The Belted Kingfisher is the one species of kingfisher found throughout most of North America north of Mexico. You'll have to go to Texas to see two other kingfishers. The quiet call of the Green Kingfisher can be heard at wooded streams and ponds. A Ringed Kingfisher perches up high and makes spectacular dives into the water, coming up with fish larger than those the Belted can handle. Learn more about Texas birds at WorldBirdingCenter.org.
(1561KB) | 02/12/2008 |
| Myth of the Thunderbird | There is a legend--that of a huge bird called the Thunderbird--whose origin remains a mystery, even to Native Americans. According to myth, Thunderbird was so large and flew so high, it carried the rain on its back and created lightning and thunder. Could Teratornis merriami be the creature that inspired the myth of Thunderbird? Probably the largest bird ever to fly and known only by its Latin name, it died out following the last ice age. Yet for a short time, thousands of years ago, that bird shared territory with early Native Americans.
(1547KB) | 02/11/2008 |
| Consider the Ostrich | The flightless Ostrich is a bird of superlatives...the largest and tallest bird on the planet...some growing to fully eight feet tall, and weighing 250 pounds! It's also the fastest creature on two legs, capable of running at 40 miles an hour. Ostriches have never been observed to stick their heads in the sand. They're more likely to run away when threatened. But if an Ostrich senses danger and can't run away, it lies down and remains still, with head and neck outstretched. (1535KB) | 02/09/2008 |
| Sizing Up Birds of Prey | In most birds--if the sexes vary at all in size--the male is larger. But with many hawks and falcons, the pattern is reversed. And female birds of prey are most notably bigger than males among hawk species that hunt agile prey, such as other birds. Perhaps the female Cooper's Hawk's larger size ensures that she may dominate the male through courtship and nesting. And together they can tap a wider range of resources.
(1478KB) | 02/08/2008 |
| Birds in Music | We have many examples of music inspired by birdsong, but there are also composers who have used actual bird sounds in their works, including Ottorino Respighi in his 1923 work, The Pines of Rome. When Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara composed "Cantus Arcticus" (also known as ?Concerto for Birds and Orchestra?), he may have had this Whooper Swan, the national bird of Finland, in mind. In 2007, German producer Dominik Eulberg released a composition made entirely with sampled bird sounds.
(1529KB) | 02/07/2008 |
| The Greatest Migration on Earth | Scientists recently attached tiny electronic tags to Sooty Shearwaters, then tracked the birds' annual oceanic movements. The shearwaters flew enormous, migratory figure-eights from Antarctic waters to the coastal currents off California, Alaska, and Japan--and then returned south. The yearly migration of Sooty Shearwaters covers 39,000 miles, the longest documented migration of any bird. Learn more about these birds at BirdWeb.org. (1512KB) | 02/06/2008 |
| Song of the Dipper | The American Dipper makes its living in the boulder-strewn rapids of mountain streams. The dipper starts to belt out its sprightly song while icicles still hang thickly from frozen waterfalls. John Muir wrote of this bird: "His music is that of the streams refined and spiritualized. The deep booming notes of the falls are in it, the trills of rapids, the gurgling of margin eddies, the low whispering of level reaches, and the sweet tinkle of separate drops oozing from the end of mosses and falling into tranquil pools." Learn more about the dipper at BirdWeb.org.
(1517KB) | 02/05/2008 |
| Jay's Whisper Song | It's hard to imagine that the boisterous Steller's Jay could possibly have a softer aspect to its blustery behavior. But it does. It's called the "whisper song." Male jays use this whisper song during courtship, and it also emanates from solitary birds for no apparent reason. Quietly, the bird extends its head slightly forward, slowly turns it from side to side, and begins . . . very softly . . . to . . . sing. Learn more about the Steller's Jay at BirdWeb.org.
(1477KB) | 02/04/2008 |
| The Crane Wife | From Japanese folklore comes the tale of "The Crane Wife." Long ago, a poor man found an injured crane and nursed it back to health. Not long after the crane took wing again, a beautiful young woman appeared at the man's door, and she became his wife. Throughout history, the Japanese have viewed the crane as a symbol of good fortune. Because cranes mate for life, they also represent fidelity and honor. (1456KB) | 02/03/2008 |
| Bird Songs Go to Hollywood | Movie-makers love to add bird sounds to a film, to evoke a mood or set a scene. For all the attention to some details though, nature's details often get a little mixed up--like an Australian Laughing Kookaburra guffawing in the depths of the Florida Everglades? For a jungle sound, it's hard to beat the territorial call of a Pied-billed Grebe, a bird that is widespread and common across the US. Learn more about this vocalizer and others at BirdWeb.org.
(1509KB) | 02/02/2008 |
| Swan Song | The term "swan song" has an intriguing lineage. The ancient Greeks believed that swans remained silent most of their lives, singing an exquisite, heartrending lament only at the moment of their death. The idea of a swan singing in death, a "swan song," recurs from Ovid to Aesop to Tennyson. Even the great classical philosopher Plato believed the tale. It is a based on a fallacy, but one so charming that it has survived for centuries. Learn more about this Mute Swan at BirdWeb.org.
(1503KB) | 02/01/2008 |
| Trogons Nest with Wasps | The Violaceous Trogon, which nests in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, often excavates its dwelling within a large, active wasps' nest. It begins by devouring some of the wasps, then digs a cavity large enough to accommodate the birds and their eggs. While they may continue to snack on resident wasps throughout nesting, the trogons never eliminate all the wasps, creating a nest that few predators would dare disturb. (1443KB) | 01/31/2008 |
| Why Are Blackbirds Black? | Why are blackbirds black? One possible answer is that black is conspicuous against just about all of Nature's backgrounds. So if a bird wants to be seen, black isn't a bad color to be. But why would a blackbird want to be seen? Blackbirds, like this mixed flock of Red-wings and Yellow-heads, wander around the countryside after the breeding season. They feed on the ground, and whenever a predator approaches, they take flight. Coming together quickly in a dense mass may confuse the predator and thwart its attempts to catch one of the birds. Learn more at BirdWeb.org.
(1442KB) | 01/28/2008 |
| Bohemian Waxwings Visit | Along the Columbia River, apples litter the ground, and a few still hang, frozen and thawed again and again. Suddenly a flock of hundreds of birds rises from the ground beneath the apple trees, swarming in tight formation, wing-tip to wing-tip. Bohemian Waxwings are erratic winter visitors to the region from their nesting grounds in the boreal forests of the north. They come in search of fruit to sustain their winter wanderings. To learn more about this sleek visitor, visit BirdWeb.org. (1455KB) | 01/27/2008 |
| Skagit Bald Eagle Festival | During winter, Bald Eagles retreat from the territories where they breed, to seek out rivers rich with spawning and spent salmon. The Upper Skagit River in northwest Washington is a favorite sashimi restaurant for hundreds of eagles. To celebrate the congregation of eagles, Rockport, Concrete, Marblemount, and Newhalem will hold the Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival on January 26-27, 2008. For more about the festival, visit www.SkagitEagle.org. Learn more about the Bald Eagle at BirdWeb.
(1444KB) | 01/26/2008 |
| How the Robin Got Its Name | How did the familiar American Robin get its name? When English settlers in the New World encountered this new bird, they saw in it a reflection of the bird they knew as the Robin--or Robin Redbreast--of the old country. So they called this one a robin, too. The robin of the British Isles is a tiny bird with an orange face and upper breast, and only a distant relative of our much larger American Robin. Today the American and British Ornithological Unions work together to determine, among other things, how a given bird is named. (1441KB) | 01/25/2008 |
| John Burroughs II | John Burroughs, one of the masters of American nature writing, wrote "The birds do indeed begin with the day. The farmer who is in the field at work while he can yet see stars catches their first matin hymns. In the longest June days the robin strikes up about half past three o'clock." Encouraged by his friend, Walt Whitman, John Burroughs wrote essays, poetry, and travel sketches--some in this cabin known as "Slabsides". Titles include Wake Robin, Birds and Poets, Birds and Bees and Other Studies in Nature, Songs of Nature, Bird and Bough, and others. (1452KB) | 01/24/2008 |
| John Burroughs I | John Burroughs was probably the most popular nature writer of the late 19th Century. Many consider Burroughs the founder of the modern nature essay. Yet Burroughs wrote not about nature on a grand scale, but about glimpses of nature close to home. He preferred to walk his own backyard woods--on Old Clump Mountain in the Catskills region of New York--than the alpine realms that now bear his name.
(1442KB) | 01/23/2008 |
| The Early Bird? | We've all heard about the "early bird" getting the "worm" -- sound advice about initiative and timely action. Recent research shows, however, that birds dining early and heavily may lower their life expectancy. Socially dominant birds stay lean (and agile at avoiding predators!) during the day, and then stoke up later, before a cold night. Subordinate birds have to look for food whenever and wherever they can find it, and carry fat on their bodies to hedge against unpredictable rations. Dominant birds, which can push subordinates off food, can choose when they eat and so lessen their odds of being eaten themselves.
(1514KB) | 01/21/2008 |
| Toucan - Tropical Icon | In the Amazon, heat and humidity weigh upon you, and a cacophony of birdcalls surrounds you. One piercing, cheerful yelp catches your ear. Could this be the same sound you remember from a Saturday morning in your childhood? The Cuvier's Toucan could have been the inspiration for Toucan Sam, the "spokesbird" for Froot Loops® cereal. Its huge bill is surprisingly light, and enables the bird to pluck fruit hanging from small, outer branches. It may also scare off potential predators. (1423KB) | 01/20/2008 |
| Gliding with Tropicbirds | Picture a streamlined, sparkling white seabird, with a red spear of a bill and luxuriantly long tail-streamers. With the strong, direct flight of a falcon, a tropicbird can catch a flying fish on the wing, or plunge like an arrow into the sea and--with its serrated bill--capture a squid. Three species of tropicbirds range through most of the tropical latitudes of the world's oceans, and have done so for 60 million years. These are the Red-tailed Tropicbird, the White-tailed Tropicbird, and the Red-billed Tropicbird. (1461KB) | 01/19/2008 |
| Kittiwake, Kittiwake | Named for its rhythmic calls, the Black-legged Kittiwake as it is known in North America--it's also known as the Common Kittiwake--is a dapper, oceanic gull. As famously described by Roger Tory Peterson, the tips of its pale gray wings "are cut straight across, as if they had been dipped in ink." Unlike many gulls, kittiwakes spend most of the year at sea and are seldom seen inland.
(1448KB) | 01/17/2008 |
| Why Arctic Terns Have Short Beaks | Arctic Terns look much like Common Terns, but both their bill and their legs are shorter. They feed in exactly the same way, so why would the Arctic Tern's bill and legs be shorter? Because Arctic Terns breed in the Arctic and winter in the Antarctic, they are subject to much colder weather than are Common Terns. Birds' bills and legs lose heat, because they're not covered by feathers. It just makes sense for birds in cold climates to have short bills and legs. Note the difference between the bill and legs of the Arctic Tern on the bottom here to those of the Common Tern on the top. Learn more at BirdWeb.org.
(1460KB) | 01/15/2008 |
| Ptarmigan in Winter | Both the Willow Ptarmigan and these White-tailed Ptarmigan, feathered mostly brown in summer, are utterly transfigured by an autumn molt. As snow begins to mantle their world, both species of ptarmigan--now dressed all in white--blend in superbly. In addition to turning white in winter, the ptarmigan pulls another trick. It adds dense white feathering on both the tops and bottoms of its feet. And its claws grow longer! The winter ptarmigan actually quadruples the bearing surface of its feet. The bird grows snowshoes. Learn more about the White-tailed Ptarmigan at BirdWeb.org.
(1471KB) | 01/12/2008 |
| Jaywalking | Ever wonder why jaywalking is called JAY -walking? Crossing a street against traffic signals seems unlikely activity for a jay bird. The term originated in 1917. Cars had recently become common and, for the first time, stepping out into traffic posed a problem. Back then, the term "jay" was slang for a hick, a rube, or a country bumpkin. Sophisticated city dwellers with little tolerance for rural folk coined the term "jaywalker" to describe someone green to the ways of the city and modern traffic signals, someone impudent--or imprudent--enough to step in front of traffic. Learn more about this impudent Blue Jay at Cornell's AllBirds.
(1455KB) | 01/11/2008 |
| How Feathers Insulate | Can you guess how many feathers cover a Canada Goose? A single Canada Goose has between 20 and 25 thousand feathers. Some are designed to help the bird fly or shed water. Many are the short, fluffy kind, the down, whose purpose is to insulate the bird from the cold. Birds survive in sub-zero weather by fluffing their feathers, creating layers of air and feathers. Just a fraction of an inch of this insulation can keep a bird?s body temperature at 104 degrees, even in freezing weather. (1492KB) | 01/10/2008 |
| A Swirl of Snow Geese | Snow Geese migrate long distances, stopping at traditional stopover and wintering areas. Washington's population nests on Wrangel Island in Russia, northwest of the Bering Strait, and winters on the deltas of the Samish, Stillaguamish, and Skagit Rivers. Snow Geese are typically seen in large flocks, and up to 55,000 spend the winter in Western Washington. For a map to their wintering area on the Skagit Flats, click here. For more about the Snow Goose, visit BirdWeb.
(1472KB) | 01/10/2008 |
| Why Do Chickadees Come and Go? | Watch the chickadees at your feeder. You'll see one come in, quickly grab a seed, and fly away. Now, keep watching that chickadee. It may return immediately, but it's more likely to wait its turn. When a whole flock of chickadees moves into your yard, it looks as if they form a living conveyer belt. One chickadee after another flies to the feeder and leaves with a seed. When they find a concentrated supply of food such as a tray of sunflower seeds, the birds take turns rather than coming in at once and squabbling over the seeds. (1453KB) | 01/09/2008 |
| Operation Migration | Unlike many other birds that have an inherent sense of direction and destination, young Whooping Cranes have to learn their migration route from the adults. Enter Operation Migration and ultralight aircraft to lead them on their journey! Fortunately, the Whooping Cranes need to be shown the way only once. Learn more about this year's journey from Wisconsin to Florida at Operation Migration.org.
(1449KB) | 01/07/2008 |
| A New Year Dawns | Listen to the earth awaken, as dawn circles the globe.
Learn more about acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, who recorded these sounds around the globe, at SoundTracker.
(1422KB) | 01/06/2008 |
| Queen Bee in Winter | Creatures of the natural world, including honeybees, respond with exquisite sensitivity to the intensity and duration of the sun's light. Their lives and ours depend on the daily transformation of sunlight, through photosynthesis, into energy available to sustain us. In the dead of winter, as the year turns, the queen bee in the hive (like this one with a green mark) responds to the slowly strengthening light and begins to lay eggs. (1485KB) | 01/05/2008 |
| Comparing Chickadee Calls | When a Black-capped Chickadee visits a feeder, its cousin, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, might tag along. The Chestnut-back has a black head with a large white cheek patch, but its back and sides are a rich chestnut brown. And the birds sound different, too. The call of the Black-capped Chickadee follows the familiar "Chick-a-dee, dee, dee" pattern. The call of the Chestnut-back is higher pitched, faster, and has a buzzy quality. Learn more on BirdWeb.
(1440KB) | 01/02/2008 |
| Comparing Chickadee Calls | When a Black-capped Chickadee visits a feeder, its cousin, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, might tag along. The Chestnut-back has a black head with a large white cheek patch, but its back and sides are a rich chestnut brown. And the birds sound different, too. The call of the Black-capped Chickadee follows the familiar "Chick-a-dee, dee, dee" pattern. The call of the Chestnut-back is higher pitched, faster, and has a buzzy quality. Learn more on BirdWeb.
(1450KB) | 01/02/2008 |
| A New Year Dawns | Listen to the earth awaken, as dawn circles the globe.
Learn more about acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, who recorded these sounds around the globe, at SoundTracker.
(1421KB) | 01/01/2008 |
| A Big Year | January 1st marks the first day of a new year. A fresh chance to have what birders call a Big Year, the ultra marathon of competitive birding. During a Big Year, a few obsessive birders race to see as many species as they can in a specified area. If you are serious about a Big Year of birding in the US, you'll travel from Attu, Alaska to the Dry Tortugas off Southern Florida. Or . . . you might decide to have a Not-So-Big Year and just count the bird species seen in your yard. (1494KB) | 12/31/2007 |
| When Birds Ruled the Earth | A bird known as Titanus walleri [pronounced tye-TAN-iss WALL-er-eye] made its home in Florida just a few million years ago. Titanus, as its name suggests, was titanic indeed--a flightless predator, ten feet tall, with a massive hooked bill. Titanus and other birds related to it belong to a group some paleontologists call the "terror birds." They were dominant land predators in South America for tens of millions of years. (1436KB) | 12/30/2007 |
| Why Robin Has a Red Breast | According to the Suquamish story, many years ago, South Wind blew hot and long. The animals banded together and found the source of the wind--a fortress atop a rocky mountain. At night, the animals crept into the fortress and vanquished the men who protected the South Wind. Afterward, the animals all danced around the fire. All except for Robin, who refused to join the dance. He sat quietly, staring into the fire, and stayed there for so long that his breast turned red. And the robin has had a red breast to this day. Learn more about the American Robin at BirdWeb.
(1476KB) | 12/29/2007 |
| Morning in Oaxaca | A winter morning in Oaxaca, Mexico--a great time to visit old friends from the Pacific Northwest. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Western Tanagers--Northwest summer-nesters that winter in western Mexico--mingle with resident Berylline Hummingbirds. From Western Tanagers to Bullock's Orioles to Hermit Warblers, Northwest birds of summer become neotropical birds in winter. For more about this Western Tanager, please visit BirdWeb.org. (1462KB) | 12/28/2007 |
| Following the Honeyguide | The Greater Honeyguide's demanding call is not aimed at a member of its own species. The honeyguide, true to its name, uses its calls to guide people in search of honey directly to bee hives. A man follows the honeyguide's calls through the forest. The bird flies to a colony of bees living in a hollow tree. The man exposes the hive with an ax and takes much of the honeycomb. Then the honeyguide moves in to feast on bee larvae and beeswax. The honeyguide is one of few birds that can digest beeswax. (1424KB) | 12/27/2007 |
| Myth of the Wren | December 26th is known in the British Isles and elsewhere as St. Stephen's Day, in honor of the first Christian martyr. Beginning in the Sixteenth Century, local lads would go forth for a yearly wren hunt. The wren was protected the rest of the year, but the day after Christmas, the "Wren Boys" would catch a wren and parade it around town. The "star" of that celebration was the bird we know as the Winter Wren. To learn more, visit BirdWeb.org.
(1494KB) | 12/26/2007 |
| Twelve Days of Christmas | The Twelve Days of Christmas began as a French secular love song. A woman's generous "true love" delivers gifts over the twelve days. The first seven days' gifts are all birds. The song's age is uncertain, but likely dates to at least the Sixteenth Century. The "five gold rings" from The Twelve Days of Christmas were gold Ring-necked Pheasants. And the partridge in a pear tree was probably the Red-legged Partridge, a cousin to this Gray Partridge. Learn more at BirdWeb.org.
(1494KB) | 12/25/2007 |
| How Hummingbirds Survive Cold Winter Nights | An Anna's Hummingbird is a year-round resident as far north as southern British Columbia. How is it possible that a bird that weighs just four grams, lacks insulating down feathers, and needs to eat roughly twice its weight a day could possibly make it through a freezing Northwest night? This busy bird survives a freezing winter night thanks to a wondrous metabolic feat known as noctivation, a brief descent into hibernation. (1453KB) | 12/23/2007 |
| No Pounding Headache | The Pileated Woodpecker makes loud, hard whacks, as it leans back and then slams its chisel of a bill into the side of a living tree. Sounds painful, if not downright disabling! How does the woodpecker's brain withstand it? All woodpeckers have an enlarged brain case, so the brain sits above the level of direct hammering impact. The skull's frontal bones--together with a set of muscles at the bill's base--act as a shock absorber. More at BirdWeb. (1463KB) | 12/22/2007 |
| Solstice Fires | In The Golden Bough, Sir James Frazer describes early Europeans building solstice fires at year?s end to strengthen the sun. Seeing the sun steadily weakening, steadily falling in its arc across the sky, they did what they could to restore it to health. Birds and other creatures of the natural world respond to the length of winter days. Much of the rhythm and timing of birds' behavior, including migration and breeding, is determined by the length and intensity of the sun's light. (1486KB) | 12/21/2007 |
| The Rooster | The chicken is perhaps the most widespread avian species in the world -- and the exotic Red Jungle Fowl is the ancestor of the hybrid Araucanas and Rhode Island Red. Scientists postulate that chickens were first domesticated from jungle fowl in India, about 5,000 years ago. Traders and travelers then carried them far and wide. (1471KB) | 12/20/2007 |
| Chickadees in Winter | As heard on: KOHO - December 16, 2007. Common even in winter, Black-capped Chickadees were tallied at more than a thousand on a recent Christmas Bird Count in Fairbanks, Alaska. These chickadees weigh less than half an ounce. How can such fragile creatures survive the rigors of winter at high latitudes? For winter survival, chickadees have three things going for them: they're insulated, they're active, and they have a good memory. Thanks to a half-inch coat of feathers, the chickadee maintains its body temperature at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, even when the air is at 0 degrees. (1472KB) | 12/16/2007 |
| Birds' Feet Don't Freeze | As heard on: KOHO - December 15, 2007. Have you ever watched ducks walking around in freezing temperatures and wondered why their feet don't freeze? The ducks seem oblivious to the cold, even as they stand on ice-covered lakes and streams. And how do songbirds sit on metal perches with no problem? Birds' feet have a miraculous adaptation that keeps them from freezing. Rete mirabile--Latin for "wonderful net"--is a fine, netlike pattern of arteries that interweaves warm blood from a bird's heart with the veins carrying cold blood from its feet and legs. (1484KB) | 12/15/2007 |
| Encounter with a Cassowary | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - December 14, 2007. In a tropical woodland in eastern Australia, you might glimpse a Southern Cassowary, a huge flightless bird that must rate as the most prehistoric looking of all birds. It's nearly six feet tall with a crest like one of the bony plates on the back of a stegosaurus. Cassowaries are capable of making remarkable sounds, including the lowest known bird call in the world--it's barely audible to the human ear! For more about that sound, click here. For more about the Southern Cassowary, click here. To see a cassowary and chick, click here.
(1447KB) | 12/14/2007 |
| Pecking Order | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - December 13, 2007. Birds in flocks almost invariably develop a pecking order. An alpha chicken can peck any other in the flock, and a beta chicken can peck all others but the alpha, etc. Juncos and other small birds have a pecking order, too. The pecking order--or dominance hierarchy--of a flock of birds is usually this: males are dominant to females and adults are dominant to young birds. As a flock changes and birds come and go, the pecking order changes.
(1500KB) | 12/13/2007 |
| Carrier Pigeons Go to War | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - December 12, 2007. In World War I, messages could be sent over field phones. But conditions of war--particularly at the front where battles raged--often made it impossible to lay phone wires. Pigeons were crucial in relaying messages from the front to positions behind the lines. The most renowned carrier pigeon was Cher Ami--or Dear Friend--flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the Battle of Verdun in France. The messageCher Ami carried on October 4, 1918 was vital in saving hundreds of American soldiers of the now famed "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry.
(1485KB) | 12/12/2007 |
| Christmas Bird Count 2007 | As heard on: KOHO - December 11, 2007. During late December, birdwatchers will be out counting birds, as they have for over one hundred years. The first Christmas Bird Counts were organized to discourage the tradition of going out and shooting birds on Christmas Day. (1473KB) | 12/11/2007 |
| Beaks and Bills | As heard on: KOHO - December 09, 2007. Stroll along the shoreline, and notice the bills of a few birds--like the Long-billed Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit. Call it a "bill" or a "beak", the variety of shapes and sizes of the birds? signature instrument is extraordinary. And crucial! A bird does things with its bill that other animals do with their forelimbs--including preening, nest-building, self-defense, and displaying. To learn more about the Long-billed Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit, please visit BirdWeb.org.
(1449KB) | 12/09/2007 |
| The Music of Long-tailed Ducks | As heard on: KOHO - December 08, 2007. Long-tailed Ducks are back for the winter from the north, where they nested on tundra ponds and marshes. These diving ducks spend the winter in deep salt water, often in sheltered bays. Long-tailed Ducks are far more vocal than most ducks, a feature that has earned them a host of charming nicknames, including "John Connally," "My Aunt Huldy," and, from the Cree language, "Ha-hah-way." There's more about the Long-tailed Duck at BirdWeb.
(1447KB) | 12/08/2007 |
| As the Crow Flies? | As heard on: KOHO and KPLU - December 07, 2007. Traveling "as the crow flies," "eating like a bird," and being "free as a bird" are just a few of the sayings we use to describe everyday human actions and feelings. But these often don't take into account the birds' real activities, relative to their size. "Birds of a feather flock together." When you visit your local Audubon chapter, you'll find classes about birds and nature--and people who care about them. Meanwhile, can you think of a phrase to replace "kill two birds with one stone" Mail us at info@birdnote.org.
(1503KB) | 12/07/2007 |
| Eco-birding | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - December 06, 2007. If you're planning a trip to Latin America, consider hiring a local nature guide. Local guides, including those that specialize in birds, are often listed in travel books or are available through hotels or nature preserves. Hiring a local guide when you travel can be a win-win-win situation. You win, having the services of a local expert...and perhaps seeing this Green Violet-ear Hummingbird. The guide wins, with employment. And the birds win, because local communities better understand the economic incentive to protect the birds and their habitats.
(1489KB) | 12/06/2007 |
| Birds of Paradise | As heard on: KOHO and KPLU - December 05, 2007. It's morning on the island of New Guinea, and the lowland forests erupt with the crowing calls of Birds of Paradise. Male Raggiana Birds of Paradise perform elaborate displays to attract females, sometimes even hanging upside-down with their wings pointing upward. Forty-three species of Birds of Paradise are found on or near New Guinea. There's a world of birds out there.
(1429KB) | 12/05/2007 |
| The Oystercatcher's World | As heard on: KOHO and KPLU - November 05, 2007. Heard on KPLU and KOHO, November 5, 2007: Black Oystercatchers prey on shellfish in the wave zone, especially mussels and limpets. The waves cause mussels to open often, making them easier to eat. (1500KB) | 11/05/2007 |
| The Royal Ravens | As heard on: KOHO - November 04, 2007. The Tower of London has a long and notorious history of murderous political intrigue, dungeons, and famous beheadings. And for more than 300 years, the Tower of London has also been home to a set of royally maintained ravens. Since the time of Charles II, at least six ravens have--by royal decree--made their home in the Tower of London. The ravens are given ample food, comfy quarters, and private burials in the moat near Traitor's Gate. (1499KB) | 11/04/2007 |
| On the Trail of the Bobwhite | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - November 03, 2007. The Northern Bobwhite has an unmistakable call, which is also the source of its name. The species is native to the US, east of the Rockies, but Bobwhites have been released into the wild as game birds in many locales in the West. Northern Bobwhites are known to have been introduced in Washington as early as the 1870s, but today, there are only a few small, self-sustaining populations, primarily in the prairie-like areas just south of Puget Sound. Is there a bird or topic you would like to hear about on BirdNote? Email info@BirdNote.org.
(1448KB) | 11/03/2007 |
| Audubon and the Ruby-throated Hummingbird | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - November 02, 2007. Heard on KPLU and KOHO, November 2, 2007: John James Audubon, French naturalist and painter, described hummingbirds as a "glittering fragment of the rainbow." The only hummingbird species that Audubon observed in nature was this Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a summer visitor to eastern North America. Many of Audubon's journals and remarkable paintings are on display now at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry through January 6th. (1457KB) | 11/02/2007 |
| How the Steller's Jay Got Its Crest | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - November 01, 2007. Heard on KPLU and KOHO, November 1, 2007:
The Makahs tell a story about how the bird we know as the Steller's Jay--the bird the Makahs call Kwish-kwishee--got its crest. The mink, Kwahtie, tried to shoot his mother, the jay, with an arrow but missed. Her crest is ruffled to this day. (1443KB) | 11/01/2007 |
| The Spooky Shearwaters | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 31, 2007. Some early sailors, visiting remote Pacific islands, surely feared that the ungodly wailing on shore meant they had been tricked to the gates of Hell itself. In truth, they stood among courting pairs of seabirds called Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. These birds nest on islands in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. During courtship, pairs perform long duets of eerie wailing.
(1472KB) | 10/31/2007 |
| Shift Change - Swallows to Bats | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 30, 2007. As darkness grows, bats--like the western long-eared bat--replace swallows in the business of catching flying insects. The night shift has come on duty. Both swallows and bats consume vast quantities of insects. Both are critical components of healthy environments. But the way they fly is strikingly different. (1464KB) | 10/30/2007 |
| Birds - A Window on the World | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 29, 2007. Is BirdNote a show just for birdwatchers? Not at all! BirdNote stories present birds as a window on a much wider world. BirdNote brings you scenes of nature throughout the seasons, across the region, and around the world. We bring you birds of the backyard, as well as birds of paradise--like this one--in far-off New Guinea; familiar chickadees and faraway penguins. Who is BirdNote for? Anyone with an ear to the world and two minutes a day. (1460KB) | 10/29/2007 |
| The Amazing, Head-turning Owl | As heard on: KOHO - October 28, 2007. An owl's seeming ability to rotate its head in a complete circle is downright eerie. Are spectral forces at work here, enabling an owl to spin its head 360 degrees? Or do its neck feathers hide some anatomical secret? An owl's apparent head rotation is part illusion, part structural design. Because its eyes are fixed in their sockets, it must rotate its neck to look around. It can actually rotate its head about 270 degrees--a marvelous anatomical feat. (1447KB) | 10/28/2007 |
| Raven and Wolves | As heard on: KOHO - October 27, 2007. Researcher Bernd Heinrich writes: "Ravens associate with any animals that kill large game--polar bears, grizzlies, wolves, coyotes, killer whales, and humans." These birds travel with caribou on their migration, and scavenge remains after wolves have made their kills. The bill of the Common Raven can't cut into a carcass, so a large carnivore must tear through the tough hide first. (1455KB) | 10/27/2007 |
| Seabird Crash with Tony Scruton | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 26, 2007. Tony Scruton, steward of one of the Nature Conservancy's preserves in the San Juan Islands, crosses President Channel six times a week. Tony has been closely observing seabirds on the waters of Washington's San Juans for more than 30 years. As he tells it, numbers of murres and scoters have dwindled. There are barely one-tenth of the grebes that he once saw. And some species of birds have disappeared entirely. (1453KB) | 10/26/2007 |
| How Shorebirds Find Their Way | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 25, 2007. Shorebirds such as these Pacific Golden-Plovers are famous for their ability to navigate over great distances. Migrating birds have a built-in map and a built-in compass. Many night-flying migrants use star patterns to orient themselves, and the fact that the sun always sets in the west makes it a compass point for a bird about to take off on a night flight. Perhaps the most amazing thing is birds' ability to use variations in the Earth's magnetic field to mark their approximate position. Learn more.
(1467KB) | 10/25/2007 |
| Columbus's Birds | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 12, 2007. As Christopher Columbus neared land in 1492, clues in the form of birds gave him hope that landfall was not far off. From his journal: Sept. 14: The crew of the Niña stated that they had seen [a type of tern] which never goes farther than twenty-five leagues from the land. ... Sept. 30: Four tropic birds came to the ship, a clear sign of land, for so many birds of one sort together show that they are not straying about, having lost themselves. It was probably an ancestor of this Sandwich Tern that Columbus saw before he made landfall in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492.
(1439KB) | 10/12/2007 |
| Cacklers and Canadas | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 11, 2007. The Cackling Goose resembles a toy version of the Canada Goose. Its small voice fits nicely its small size. Although it was once considered a diminutive form of Canada Goose, recent genetic research shows the Cackler to be a separate species. They breed along the coast of Alaska and winter from Washington south to Mexico. Look, and listen, for pint-sized Cackling Geese this fall at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Washington and other locations where migratory geese gather.
(1453KB) | 10/11/2007 |
| Bird's Eye View II | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 10, 2007. Some birds, like this Red-tailed Hawk, possess amazingly highly developed eyesight. Just what makes birds' eyes so special, their eyesight so remarkable? It has to do with the muscles that give them an astonishing ability to focus and to change focus. Birds have muscles that carry out both jobs, plus other muscles that change the shape of the cornea, too. And birds have exceptionally large eyes located on the sides of their heads, so they have a bird's eye view of almost all of their surroundings, almost all the time.
(1491KB) | 10/10/2007 |
| Ridgefield BirdFest 2007 | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 09, 2007. Cackling Geese migrate south from Alaska in October, and flock together for the winter at sites like Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, in southern Washington. But there's still more excitement to be had at Ridgefield. On October 13 and 14, the Friends of Ridgefield sponsor a BirdFest and Bluegrass Festival at the refuge. In addition to music, the festival offers artwork and guided kayak and walking tours. Keep an eye out for hawks and herons, otter and beaver--oh! and fiddles and mandolins, too!
Learn more about the festival at www.ridgefieldfriends.org.
(1491KB) | 10/09/2007 |
| Swainson's Birthday | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - October 08, 2007. October 8th is the birthday of William John Swainson, ornithologist, author, illustrator. He settled in New Zealand, and it's quite likely that he never saw any of the birds named for him. But because of Swainson's reputation and knowledge about birds, the Swainson's Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, and Swainson's Hawk were all named in his honor. In fact, John James Audubon himself named the Swainson's Swamp-Warbler. (1443KB) | 10/08/2007 |
| Birds and Berries | As heard on: KOHO - October 07, 2007. Henry David Thoreau wrote, "Our little mountain-ash is all alive with [birds.] A dozen robins on it at once ... plucking the berries... A robin will swallow half a dozen berries, at least, in rapid succession..." If you, too, enjoy watching birds eat berries, then consider planting trees and shrubs that produce berries, to attract birds (like this Cedar Waxwing) to your garden. (1452KB) | 10/07/2007 |
| The Moon of Falling Leaves | As heard on: KOHO - October 06, 2007. The full moon in October is the Harvest Moon--or as the Cree Indians called it, "The Moon of Falling Leaves." It's almost time to stow the tools and put the garden to bed for the winter. When the trees lose their leaves, you can see the nests of summer. It's a good time to prune trees, because you won't disturb nesting birds. If you have a dead tree, you could leave it as a snag and provide spring and summer homes for cavity-nesters. Learn more about making your yard attractive to wildlife.
(1438KB) | 10/06/2007 |
| October Planting for Wildlife | As heard on: KOHO and KPLU - October 05, 2007. October is the perfect time to plant for the benefit of next year's birds--including this Cedar Waxwing. You'll minimize the stress on plants as they move from pots to the landscape. Your new plants will put their resources into their roots rather than leaves or flowers. And the season's reliable rain will reduce the need to water. To attract the greatest variety of birds to your landscape year 'round, plant native shrubs that produce fruits and berries and provide a safe refuge for winged visitors. Learn more about gardening for life at Seattle Audubon.
(1425KB) | 10/05/2007 |
| The Little Red Spot on a Gull's Bill | As heard on: KOHO and KPLU - October 04, 2007. In the mid-20th Century, Dutch scientist Niko Tinbergen studied nesting Herring Gulls. He noticed that newly hatched chicks were fed by their parents only after they pecked at the adults' bills. Tinbergen devised experiments that varied the shape and coloration of the adult's bill. It became clear that the red spot on the adult gull's bill was a crucial visual cue in a chick's demands to be fed, and thus its survival.
Learn more about Tinbergen's research.
(1455KB) | 10/04/2007 |
| South Polar Skua | As heard on: KOHO and KPLU - October 03, 2007. South Polar Skuas glide just off the Pacific Coast each fall. Skuas are prone to piracy, stealing fish from gulls and terns by chasing them down. These birds are also fierce predators on their Antarctic nesting grounds, raiding penguin colonies, eating eggs and young chicks alike. The word "skua" dates back to Old Norse. The skua's annual appearance in the fall is part of an immense, annual clockwise migration, north from Antarctica to Japan, and then back south along the edge of North America. (1442KB) | 10/03/2007 |
| Veracruz, River of Raptors | As heard on: KOHO and KPLU - October 02, 2007. In Veracruz, Mexico, the flow of migrating raptors includes birds from all over eastern North America. The town of Cardel lies on the flat coastal lowlands of the Gulf of Mexico. Each fall, biologists and volunteers gather there on the roof of the five-story Bienvenido Hotel, where they count five and a half million migrating raptors. When the birds are teeming overhead, the mechanical counters tick constantly.
Learn more about the river of raptors in Veracruz.
(1505KB) | 10/02/2007 |
| Wandering Tattlers Hit the Coast | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - September 07, 2007. This dusky forager among the mussels and barnacles goes by the curious name of Wandering Tattler. It was likely named for the notion that its rapid whistles alert other birds to the presence of a hunter, or other predator. And while it's not certain that the sandpiper actually "tattles," it truly is an epic wanderer. After breeding along gravelly streams in Alaska, tattlers spread out all across the Pacific islands, spending the winter from Hawaii to Australia. (1435KB) | 09/07/2007 |
| Tracking Peregrine Falcons | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - September 06, 2007. In September, a streamlined Peregrine Falcon calls as it wings its way south from its Arctic nesting grounds. The pale gray falcon will spend the winter in Chile. On its back, it wears a miniature satellite transmitter, attached there by members of the Falcon Research Group. In 2006, Bud Anderson of Washington State and others of the FRG initiated the Southern Cross Peregrine Project. Their goal: track the migration of the tundra race of Peregrine Falcon, the most highly migratory of all Peregrines.
(1493KB) | 09/06/2007 |
| More Limericks | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - September 05, 2007. It's time for more limericks! Here's one by Brian Cairns.
The call of the bittern's unique,
For it booms 'twixt the reeds in a creek.
All the other birds titter,
Preferring to twitter
Or warble, or chirrup, or shriek.
Can you compose a limerick about birds? Mail it to us at info@birdnote.org, and we just might read it on the air!
(1481KB) | 09/05/2007 |
| Jaegers Give Chase in September | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - September 04, 2007. A tern or gull plunges headfirst into the water, then bounces aloft grasping a small fish in its bill. But before the bird can swallow its catch, a Parasitic Jaeger swoops in. The jaeger nips the bird's wing and it drops its hard-won fish. The pursuer catches the fish in mid-air and gulps it down. The jaeger (German for hunter) is built for sprinting speed and predatory feats. (1425KB) | 09/04/2007 |
| Juvenile Shorebirds Head South | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - September 03, 2007. Like most juvenile shorebirds, this young Black-bellied Plover was abandoned by parents that began their southbound flights from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a few weeks earlier. It will join other young Black-bellied Plovers as they make their way south. This little flock of birds will arrive on the coast of Washington within a few days if they make a direct flight, or within a week or more if they stop at a wetland along the way. Some will stay, but others continue their continent-spanning journey, arriving in coastal Venezuela at the end of December. (1483KB) | 09/03/2007 |
| Swooping with Swifts | As heard on: KOHO - September 02, 2007. A White-throated Swift twists and turns, sailing through the air on black, scimitar-shaped wings that span 15 inches. Dashing headlong toward an unyielding wall, the bird disappears at the last second into a slender crevice. The White-throated Swift is aptly named. Flying at tremendous speed, this swift is among the fastest of all birds. They leave the air only to nest or roost in a cavity. They do everything else while airborne. (1451KB) | 09/02/2007 |
| Darwin's Birds | As heard on: KOHO - September 01, 2007. The finches of the Galapagos Islands are famous in the history of evolutionary theory. But Charles Darwin spent four years studying other birds as well, as the Beagle circumnavigated southern South America before reaching the Galapagos in 1835. It was not just the finches or the Andean Condors, but a lifetime of attending to all the wild things in his path that brought Darwin to his great idea. (1455KB) | 09/01/2007 |
| Martyn Stewart Part II | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 31, 2007. Martyn Stewart's calling is recording the sounds of birds and nature. He describes some of the rewards of working in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: "It is a great place to go record birds and animals. You know generally that once you point your microphone at a nesting bird or a bird that's hopping through the tundra, it's going to be pristine. You haven't got a leaf-blower or an ATV or a plane flying over the top of you ... It's just a beautiful place." (1475KB) | 08/31/2007 |
| Martyn Stewart Part I | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 30, 2007. We owe a lot to the nature recordists who travel the world to document the calls and songs of birds. Recordist Martyn Stewart describes how he obtained the call of a Rough-legged Hawk (like this one), a winter visitor to Washington State that nests on the tree-less Arctic tundra: "I had seen this on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and I noticed it was nesting or maybe roosting on a ledge. It took probably a couple of days to get to the foothills ... of the Brooks Range. You look down and say 'Whoa, this is dangerous stuff'." (1487KB) | 08/30/2007 |
| Vaux's Swifts Roost in Chimneys | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 29, 2007. In late August, migrating Vaux's Swifts seek nighttime shelter in chimneys. A gathering of swifts waits until dusk to descend into a chimney. The swifts enter in a continuous swirl. Each swift drops into the opening with wings raised, feet first, to hang upright for the night by its claws. (1491KB) | 08/29/2007 |
| Roger Tory Peterson Part II | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 28, 2007. August 28 is the birthday of Roger Tory Peterson, born in 1908. He was author of A Field Guide to the Birds and creator of the Peterson Identification System. And his favorite bird? The King Penguin. He said: "Others see little clowns, ridiculous dwarfs, little people dressed in feathers. But they are far from that. They are highly specialized birds dedicated to penguinism, a life molded by the cold, impersonal sea, harsh climate and the crowded colonies in which they reproduce."
Learn more at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.
(1457KB) | 08/28/2007 |
| The Barred Owl Calls | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 08, 2007. Barred Owls are very territorial, and they don't migrate. Solitary calls from a male in February and March probably mean that he has not attracted a mate. On a spring day, he is dive-bombed by crows as he tries to sleep in a deciduous tree. In May and June, he continues to hoot, though less frequently. By summer, breeding season has passed. Maybe this solitary Barred Owl is what some scientists call a "non-breeding floater". Perhaps his patch of woods is just too small to host a pair of owls year round. Learn more about Barred Owls at BirdWeb.org.
(1428KB) | 08/08/2007 |
| Groove-billed Ani | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 07, 2007. The Groove-billed Ani's large, laterally flattened bill spits out its sharp, high whistles, slurred whinings, and various squeaks, pips, squeals, and growls. These retiring birds gather in loose groups, nesting communally. As many as four pairs of birds may use one nest, a bulky cup of twigs lined with fresh leaves. Up to 20 chalky white eggs have been found in one nest! Learn more at Cornell's All Birds.
Drop us a line and tell us what BirdNote means to you. Mail info@birdnote.org.
(1440KB) | 08/07/2007 |
| Wilson's Warbler near Summer's End | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 06, 2007. By early August, the rich yellow of the feathers of the Wilson's Warbler seems to flash in every forest thicket. Despite predators and rain, many pairs of adults have raised four young, which now flit about on their own. The young males hatched this spring learned their father?s songs this summer. Next spring, they, too, will sing those songs.
Did you know that by buying shade-grown coffee, you can help preserve the wintering grounds of this bird and many others? Learn how at ShadeCoffee.org.
(1434KB) | 08/06/2007 |
| Sky Larks of Victoria | As heard on: KOHO - August 05, 2007. The Sky Lark is a bird whose songful brilliance inspired English poets, and gave its name to the phrase "an exaltation of larks." To glimpse a singing Sky Lark, look high up, where the male flutters and circles perhaps 100 feet off the ground, broadcasting its complex song. Around 1902, Sky Larks were brought to Vancouver Island from England to satisfy the desire of English immigrants there to hear the lark's lovely song. And Vancouver Island remains the only place in North America where the Sky Lark can still be heard. Learn more about the Sky Lark on BirdWeb.org.
(1510KB) | 08/05/2007 |
| Western Tanager Reflection | As heard on: KOHO - August 04, 2007. Western Tanagers are distinctive summer visitors to our area and the only tanagers seen regularly in Washington. They are typically found in open coniferous or mixed coniferous and broadleaved forests, and seem most at home in the dry Douglas-fir forests of Eastern Washington. Each fall, the Western Tanager makes its 2000-mile journey back to South or Central America. Learn more about how you can protect the tanager's winter habitat when you purchase shade-grown coffee. Visit ShadeCoffee.org. (1453KB) | 08/04/2007 |
| Tracking Burrowing Owls | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 03, 2007. Helen Trefry, a wildlife biologist in Edmonton, Alberta, wanted to know where the Burrowing Owls in her part of Canada migrated to. How long did it take them to get to their destinations, and where--and how--did they spend their stopovers. An amateur radio operator from Texas, along with a network of ham radio enthusiasts known as "biotrackers," helped Helen Trefry track Burrowing Owl migrations. These citizen-scientists tuned in their scanners and VHF monitors, hoping to catch the faint beep of the owls' transmitters.
(1476KB) | 08/03/2007 |
| Woodpeckers as Keystone Species | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 02, 2007. Woodpeckers, master carpenters of the bird world, are called "keystone species" for their crucial role in creating habitat suited to other woodland wildlife. Abandoned woodpecker nest-holes become nests or roosts for small owls, cavity-nesting ducks, swifts, bluebirds, swallows, wrens, and other birds, as well as mammals including bats, squirrels, martens, and voles. The diseased trees in which woodpeckers excavate become, over time, multi-level condominiums for a whole host of wildlife. Learn more about this Northern Flicker at BirdWeb.org.
(1464KB) | 08/02/2007 |
| Evening's Last Singer | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - August 01, 2007. After sunset, the American Robin sings faster and more elaborate versions of his daytime songs. Some birds have more than 100 songs! They time their singing to the intensity of light as well as to the time of sunset. When dark clouds roll in, they get rolling earlier. Males sing mainly to attract a mate and establish and defend a domain. In October, when breeding and raising offspring are all but finished, he sings to remind his neighbors of the boundaries of his territory. The more neighbors, the more frequently he?s apt to sing.
(1437KB) | 08/01/2007 |
| Bird Sound Types and Qualities Part II | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 31, 2007. Birding by ear is a great way to identify birds. Listen for qualities of the sound as well as the pattern. Western Meadowlarks have a song that is "liquid" and "clear." Quite a contrast to the "dry" notes of this Chipping Sparrow often found in the same habitat. The Spotted Towhee has a "metallic" quality to its trill, while the Purple Finch uses a "sweet" and "slurred" cadence. The American Dipper belts out a "ringing" song.
Volunteers at your local Audubon can help you tune your ears.
(1475KB) | 07/31/2007 |
| Bird Sound Types and Qualities Part I | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 30, 2007. What words do experienced birders use to describe the sounds of birds? There's "whistle" to describe the Quick, three beers call of the Olive-sided Flycatcher. And the "rattle" of the Belted Kingfisher. The Dark-eyed Junco delivers an almost perfect "trill," while the House Wren--like this one--lets go a "cascade." Experts at birding-by-ear call the Downy Woodpecker's song a "whinny." (1475KB) | 07/30/2007 |
| Bullock's Oriole Weaves a Nest | As heard on: KOHO - July 29, 2007. The Bullock's Oriole is the only member of the oriole family that nests in the Northwest. With a slender, sharply pointed bill, the oriole weaves a marvelous pouch-like nest that hangs suspended from its upper rim. The nest hangs downward four to eight inches. The female (like this one) weaves together long, flexible strands of grass -- but also adds in man-made materials she finds. (1457KB) | 07/29/2007 |
| Bullock's Oriole - Blaze of Orange | As heard on: KOHO - July 28, 2007. A dazzling bolt of avian lightning -- a blaze of neon-orange, shooting across a gray, sage-covered hillside on quick wing-beats. It's a Bullock's Oriole, sailing out from its nest among the upper branches of a cottonwood, hunting for insects in the shrubby sage. Bullock's Orioles return north from Mexico in May to nest along many lowland streams east of the Cascades, and all over the West. They eat small invertebrates, ripe fruit, and nectar.
(1447KB) | 07/28/2007 |
| Ivan Doig on the Music of Birds | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 23, 2007. Writer Ivan Doig writes about bird songs, including that of this Western Meadowlark, in his book, Ride with Me, Mariah Montana: ?Warbles and trills and solo after solo ...: the air was magically busy. None of us spoke while the songs of the birds poured undiluted. I suppose we were afraid the spate of loveliest sound would vanish if we broke it with so much as a whisper. But after a bit came the realization that the music of birds formed a natural part of this place, constant as the glorious grass that made feathered life thrive."
(1458KB) | 07/23/2007 |
| Black Swifts Nest behind Waterfalls | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 20, 2007. A waterfall roars down a steep cliff. Just after sunset on a July evening, a Black Swift arcs into view, and swoops behind the waterfall. The swift builds its nest in crevices behind waterfalls in the western mountains, from British Columbia to Mexico. It's among our most elusive birds, foraging on insects over long distances and returning to its secluded nest site only at dusk. One such nest site is behind Grouse Falls in Tahoe National Forest. Where do Black Swifts nest in Western Washington? Find out at SoundToSage.org!
(1450KB) | 07/20/2007 |
| Savannah Sparrow | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 19, 2007. The persistent buzzy song of the Savannah Sparrow has been described as "trying to start a tiny motor." The name "savannah" gives us a clue as to where to find this sparrow. In spring, they wing their way north to open agricultural fields, meadows, coastal grasslands, and even tundra to breed and raise young. Also listen for the Savannah Sparrow in open, unmowed sections of city parks. It's that little brown bird that just can't seem to get its motor started.
(1459KB) | 07/19/2007 |
| Poorwills at Night | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 18, 2007. Close kin to the Whip-poor-will, the nocturnal Poorwill can be heard in summer in canyons east of the Cascades at the deep end of dusk. And the Common Poorwill's greatest claim to fame? It was the first bird confirmed to hibernate, based on evidence verified in 1946. Since then, we have learned that Lewis and Clark, in 1804, found a hibernating poorwill. And that for centuries, the Hopi Indians have called the poorwill "holchko" or "the sleeping one". (1435KB) | 07/18/2007 |
| Fast Food for Opportunistic Birds | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 17, 2007. Birds will take advantage of a lucky find of food or a new way of obtaining food. Imagine this scenario from bygone years when automobile radiators were unprotected, exposed to the rush of air. As a result, they would strike and collect flying insects. Now imagine the car stopping for a few minutes. Immediately, expectant House Sparrows (like this one here) spring into action. They fly to the radiator and snatch as many insects as possible before the auto moves on. For a wild bird, "fast foods" can mean survival.
Please drop us a line and tell us what BirdNote means to you. Email us at info@birdnote.org.
(1473KB) | 07/17/2007 |
| Bluebirds Return to the San Juans | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 16, 2007. For more than 40 years, Western Bluebirds have been missing from the San Juan Islands. The last breeding pair was seen on Lopez Island in 1964. The steady loss of nesting cavities likely led to the bluebirds' disappearance from the islands. But in the spring of 2007, a partnership that includes San Juan Islands Audubon released eight breeding pairs on San Juan Island and plan to release more. They've set up 120 nesting boxes for the birds, which originate from a growing population at the Fort Lewis Prairie near Tacoma.
(1468KB) | 07/16/2007 |
| Sitting in the Catbird Seat | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 13, 2007. Longtime baseball announcer Red Barber often described a player in a winning situation as "sitting in the catbird seat." So what is "sitting in the catbird seat?" And what is a catbird? The Gray Catbird is a cousin of the mockingbird, and it does sound a little like a cat. During breeding season, when it's protecting its territory, the catbird competes with others of its species, the two combatants singing their way to higher and higher perches. The one who finally takes the highest perch is...well...sitting in the catbird seat!
(1480KB) | 07/13/2007 |
| The Bushtit vs. the Elastic | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 12, 2007. BirdNote listener Catherine Alexander recently told of watching a Bushtit, in search of the perfect bit of stuff for its nest. It found a tattered, old sock, hanging from a tree. The Bushtit grabbed a frayed bit of elastic and pulled and pulled. The elastic held strong. Bushtit pulled. Elastic held. The Bushtit's wing-power began to fail, and the elastic slowly, inexorably, returned to its original length, Bushtit in tow.
Have you seen something amusing or inspiring in the world of birds? Mail us your tale at info@BirdNote.org.
(1494KB) | 07/12/2007 |
| First Songster of the Day | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 11, 2007. Why do birds start their songs so early in the morning? Some are announcing that they've made it through the night. Some males grab the first opportunity to remind others of their territories and to fend off other males. Some migratory males signal their location and availability to females that may have arrived during the night. The American Robin is usually among the first--and the last--singers of the day. Learn more at BirdWeb.
(1482KB) | 07/11/2007 |
| Rufous Hummingbirds in Summer | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 10, 2007. In early July, the female Rufous Hummingbird has fledged her first two nestlings and is just about to fledge a second brood. As big as their mother, the two youngsters of that brood bulge the sides of their walnut-sized nest. By July, the fiery-red adult males have vanished, southward. Nearly all our Rufous Hummingbirds will depart by late August. (1487KB) | 07/10/2007 |
| Birds in Summer - The Heat of the Day | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 09, 2007. It's just a few weeks past the solstice, and the real heat of summer is yet to come. Some shorebirds are already on their way south, but most songbirds will be here for a while longer. What's the best time of day to look for them? Many birds are most active in the early morning, taking advantage of the abundance of insects at that hour. Midday heat sends people inside, and birds take a siesta, too. And then, both birds and bugs rev up again in the late afternoon. But gulls forage all day long!
(1478KB) | 07/09/2007 |
| Cruise to Protection Island | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 06, 2007. It?s July at Protection Island National Wildlife Reserve, perhaps Washington's most important seabird nesting site. Join members of the BirdNote team on a special tour of the reserve, on Saturday, July 28th.. BirdNote lead writer and naturalist, Bob Sundstrom, will accompany us. Expect Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, and Tufted Puffins, like this one!
(1467KB) | 07/06/2007 |
| National Symbol - Turkey vs. Eagle | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 05, 2007. When the eagle was being selected for national emblem in 1782, the wise Benjamin Franklin championed the turkey. We paraphrase him: "The Bald Eagle is too lazy to fish for himself; when the Osprey has taken a fish, ... the eagle pursues him and takes it away from him. ... Besides he is a rank coward ..." fleeing when mobbed by a robin-sized kingbird. But the Wild Turkey, Franklin wrote, is "though a little vain and silly, a bird of courage [that] would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on."
(1449KB) | 07/05/2007 |
| July before Dawn - Aldo Leopold | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - July 02, 2007. The song of this Field Sparrow was the first bird song Aldo Leopold awoke to on his Wisconsin farm in the 1940s. Sadly, Field Sparrow populations are declining rapidly. BirdNote is preparing to expand beyond Washington, and you can help shape our future. Let us know what BirdNote means to you at info@birdnote.org.
(1486KB) | 07/02/2007 |
| The Greatest Bird Rescue Ever | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 29, 2007. On June 23, 2000, an enormous iron ore tanker sank off the coast of South Africa, near a critical nesting site for African Penguins, covering 19,000 adult penguins in oil. Fortunately, thousands of volunteers arrived to help. The oily birds were moved to Cape Town to be cleaned. Another 19,500 penguins that had so far escaped the oil were released at sea, 600 miles to the east. It took those birds nearly three weeks to swim back home, allowing workers time to clean up the oil-fouled waters and beaches. Learn more.
(1491KB) | 06/29/2007 |
| Purple Martins Return to the San Juans | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 27, 2007. 2005 could be called the year that Purple Martins returned to the San Juan Islands. That year, martins bred at Roche Harbor as well as Jackson and Fourth of July Beaches on San Juan Island, at Fisherman Bay on Lopez, and at West Sound Marina on Orcas. In 2006, martins nested on Stuart Island. How did this come about? Starting in the '70s, people who cared about the birds began placing nest boxes along marine shorelines. Thanks to the knowledgeable efforts of these volunteers, Purple Martins have returned to the islands. (1480KB) | 06/27/2007 |
| Hoatzin! | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 26, 2007. A Hoatzin is a relative of the cuckoos and one of the strangest birds in the world. With a scraggly crest and long, buff-tipped tail, it looks like it was put together by a committee. But it isn't only in the way it looks that this bird is odd. The Hoatzin is a vegetarian, filling its stomach with leaves, and then resting and digesting for long periods. Chicks have vestigial claws on their wings, which they lose when they grow older. (1546KB) | 06/26/2007 |
| Grosbeaks and Monarchs | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 25, 2007. Black-headed Grosbeaks are one of very few birds that regularly eat Monarch butterflies, which most birds and other animals find unpalatable, if not downright toxic. The caterpillars of Monarch butterflies consume milkweeds that contain toxic substances known as cardenolides. The poison is stored in the adult butterfly's abdomen, giving it a powerful form of defense. The Black-backed Oriole also preys on the butterflies, but studiously avoids the tainted abdomen. Learn more about the Black-headed Grosbeak at BirdWeb.
(1479KB) | 06/25/2007 |
| The Elusive Virginia Rail | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 22, 2007. The Virginia Rail is a secretive bird, a relative of coots and cranes, and a bird you'll more often hear than spy. It takes its name from its narrow body -- "as skinny as a rail" -- an adaptation to its favorite marshy habitats. The rail walks hidden, squeezing through the dense reeds and grasses. It looks like a tiny heron, not much bigger than a robin. You can count yourself lucky if you have actually seen a Virginia Rail. Learn more at BirdWeb.
(1515KB) | 06/22/2007 |
| White-headed Woodpecker | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 20, 2007. The White-headed Woodpecker is a striking bird! The species is widely scattered and nowhere common in the Pacific Northwest. Like other woodpeckers, the White-headed digs out juicy insect larvae from the trees by pounding with its sharp bill. But by holding its bill at an angle, it also flakes off big pieces of bark. In fact, one way to find these woodpeckers is by looking for lighter areas on pine trunks where they have pried free the bark. These woodpeckers also eat the big seeds hidden in Ponderosa pine cones. Learn more at BirdWeb.
(1478KB) | 06/20/2007 |
| Peregrines Take Wing | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 19, 2007. In June, many young Peregrine Falcons are ready to leave the safety of the aerie and go off on their own. Well, sort of... A young bird lifts off and heads ... where? With a little luck, the young falcon will make it safely to a nearby ledge--whether cliff or skyscraper. Juveniles stay close to their nesting site for several weeks, still dependent on their parents for food. Like young children, they play, grappling talons. They stoop on each other in flight, learning the skills they'll need to catch prey in mid-air. Learn more at BirdWeb.
(1534KB) | 06/19/2007 |
| Bobolinks | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 18, 2007. With its bubbly, jangling song, the Bobolink has long been admired across North America. Washington Irving called the Bobolink "the happiest bird of our spring--he rises and sinks with the breeze, pours forth a succession of rich tinkling notes, crowding one upon another" Bobolinks nest in hayfields and grasslands, returning north each spring, all the way from southern South America. (1538KB) | 06/18/2007 |
| Father Birds | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 15, 2007. Although the male hummingbird leaves the female to build the nest, incubate the eggs, and raise the young alone, other father birds are a lot more involved. A Peregrine Falcon father shares family duties almost evenly with the mother. (Shown here is Stewart, who nested on a downtown Seattle skyscraper for many years.) But the Emu of Australia? Now there's a father! The male Emu remains on the nest for nearly two months, eating and drinking almost nothing, never leaving the nest for any reason. (1527KB) | 06/15/2007 |
| Thoreau and the Wood Thrush | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 14, 2007. On June 14, 1853, Thoreau wrote in his journal of an enchanting encounter with the Wood Thrush: "The wood thrush launches forth his evening strains from the midst of the pines. I admire the moderation of this master. There is nothing tumultuous in his song. He launches forth one strain with all his heart and life and soul, of pure and unmatchable melody, and then he pauses and gives the hearer and himself time to digest this, and then another and another at suitable intervals."
(1530KB) | 06/14/2007 |
| Pete Nelsen and the Western Grebes | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 13, 2007. All of his long life, Pete Nelsen has fished the waters of the San Juan Islands. Pete says, "p until the '70s, we'd see big flocks of Western Grebes. There would be rafts covering 40 to 50 acres on Bellingham Bay and Eastsound on Orcas. And murres, hundreds of thousands of murres. The grebes and murres started declining in the '70s. Now when you?re on the water, you see only a few." Learn more about these Western Grebes at BirdWeb.
(1479KB) | 06/13/2007 |
| Frank Chapman and the Solitaire | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 12, 2007. Frank M. Chapman, the father of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, was born on June 12, 1864. He became Curator of Birds at New York City's American Museum of Natural History. The author of many books on ornithology, Chapman carried on an active program of field research in Central and South America. Not surprisingly, then, Chapman's choice for the most beautiful bird song of all comes from the Mexican cloud forest: from the Slate-colored Solitaire.
(1511KB) | 06/12/2007 |
| A Trio of Nuthatches | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 11, 2007. At less than five inches long, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is the mid-sized nuthatch of the three species in the Northwest, and the most familiar. The White-breasted Nuthatch is the largest of the three, and boasts a louder, honking voice. The smallest of the trio is the Pygmy Nuthatch, its high-pitched peeping in keeping with its petite size. To learn which nuthatch you might expect at your feeder, visit SoundToSage.org.
(1476KB) | 06/11/2007 |
| Red-wings and Yellow-heads | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 07, 2007. The Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar denizen of cattail marshes throughout Washington State. In marshes east of the Cascades, Red-wings must share space with a larger cousin, the Yellow-headed Blackbird. The two blackbird species don't share evenly. Zoologist and blackbird expert Gordon Orians writes: "When Yellowheads arrive on their breeding marshes, they usually evict already established male Red-wings from their territories." The Red-wings are relegated to the less productive, shoreward edge of the marsh.
(1547KB) | 06/07/2007 |
| Chickadee Codes | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 06, 2007. Have you noticed that Black-capped Chickadees sometimes add extra "dees" to the end of their calls? Christopher Templeton of the University of Washington recently cracked the chickadee code. He found that a relatively lesser threat, such as a slow-to-maneuver Great Horned Owl, warranted only two "dee" notes. But a far greater threat, a small, agile Northern Pygmy-Owl, elicited an emphatic five "dees." This is one of the most sophisticated warning systems in the avian world. (1512KB) | 06/06/2007 |
| Tree Swallows and Feathers | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 04, 2007. Tree Swallows glisten in the June sunlight, as they swoop and glide, their arcs interlacing in the air. When a white feather flutters down among them, one swallow snatches the feather in its bill and flies upward, as another swallow gives chase. After a moment, the lead bird lets loose the feather, which drifts lazily, until the second bird swoops to catch it in midair. Loose feathers are an important resource for Tree Swallows. They line their nests thickly with them, a featherbed for their nestlings. Learn more at BirdWeb.
(1567KB) | 06/04/2007 |
| The Sneeze of the Willow Flycatcher | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - June 01, 2007. Willow Flycatchers arrive in the Northwest later than most other migrants, usually at the end of May. They're coming from South America, a long way to fly for a bird that weighs 1/35th of an ounce. A male Willow Flycatcher aggressively defends its territory against other males and soon attracts a mate. Their compact nest is usually low in a willow or rose or bracken fern. To find a Willow Flycatcher, listen for its sneeze. Learn more at BirdWeb.
(1493KB) | 06/01/2007 |
| The Jackass Penguins of Africa | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 31, 2007. African Penguins stand just over two feet tall and weigh up to nine pounds. They nest in burrows six feet deep. The African Penguin now faces severe challenges. But even today, at Boulders Beach near Cape Town, it's possible to walk the beach among these charming birds and hearken to their obstreperous voices. (1440KB) | 05/31/2007 |
| Darwin Meets Penguins | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 29, 2007. Charles Darwin's insights during his travels on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s revolutionized the natural sciences. And his personal accounts of the journey, such as his encounters with Magellanic Penguins, tell captivating stories. While on the Falkland Islands, Darwin--as an experiment--placed himself between a penguin and the sea. The undaunted bird, rolling its head from side to side, waddled directly into the young naturalist, pushing him aside. (1469KB) | 05/29/2007 |
| Lazuli Bunting | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 28, 2007. With its beautiful colors, the Lazuli Bunting might just have inspired Navajo artists. In summer, these beautiful singers inhabit the brushy canyons east of the Cascades. And where the Lazuli Bunting sings, you'll also often hear the music of Vesper Sparrows and Western Meadowlarks.
(1478KB) | 05/28/2007 |
| Birds of the Hanford Reach | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 25, 2007. The name "Hanford" evokes nuclear waste--plutonium--scary stuff, right? Ironically, the sweeping views, stark beauty, and towering bluffs of the Hanford Reach mark one of the most pristine waterways in Washington. For nearly 50 years, the reservation was closed to entry, and so today, it is the only remaining free-flowing section of the river. In spring, the reach is alive with birds. Paddle down the river and watch for warblers, ducks, swallows, ravens, and maybe even a Prairie Falcon, like this one! Learn more about this falcon at BirdWeb.org.
(1535KB) | 05/25/2007 |
| Rufous Hummingbirds' Marvelous Nest | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 24, 2007. The nest-building skills of the female Rufous Hummingbird are a marvel. She first weaves a cup of soft, fluffy plant material, then envelops it with moss, and binds it with strands of spider web. The final touch: layering the outer surface with lichen flakes to provide perfect camouflage. Smaller than a walnut half, the nest soon harbors two eggs the size of shelled peanuts. A favorite nest site is the fork of a downward-drooping twig, perhaps low in a shrub or up higher in an old conifer. Learn more on BirdWeb.
(1499KB) | 05/24/2007 |
| Singing with Meadowlarks | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 22, 2007. No song epitomizes the open spaces of the American West like that of the Western Meadowlark. No other song even comes close. Indeed, the Western Meadowlark's song can be rightly acclaimed the essential musical theme of much of the West. It?s a bird of grass- and sage-lands, fields and pastures, meadows and prairies--a bird of open habitats. Look, but especially listen, for meadowlarks in the open country of Eastern Washington, and on the natural prairies south of Puget Sound. (1499KB) | 05/22/2007 |
| Digging Deep with Rhinoceros Auklets | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 21, 2007. Rhinoceros Auklets excavate nest-burrows in the grassy slopes of Protection Island. A chunky seabird about the size of a crow and a close relative of puffins, Rhinoceros Auklets use the long, sharp nails on their webbed feet - and their hefty bills - to dig safe havens below ground for raising their young. Some are truly inspired excavators, digging burrows more than 15 feet deep! For the sake of comparison, if a six-foot tall man were to dig a burrow in proportion to his height, he would have to shovel down 72 feet! (1478KB) | 05/21/2007 |
| Northern Waterthrush | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 18, 2007. Despite its name, the Northern Waterthrush is really not a thrush: it's a warbler. But unlike most warblers, waterthrushes feed on the ground, walking along with rear ends bouncing, hunting for insects at the water's edge. They winter in the tropics, where they frequent the edges of ponds and mangrove swamps. Where might you find a Northern Waterthrush? Check out soundtosage.org and see. (1499KB) | 05/18/2007 |
| Barn Swallow Splendor | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 17, 2007. This lovely creature is a Barn Swallow--notice the rich colors! A genuine master of the air, the swallow swoops low along the ground at high speed, changing direction in the blink of an eye. This prodigy has flown all the way from South America, to offer--without fee--its services as a prolific collector of flying insects, which it vacuums from the air. The Barn Swallow is a common summer visitor here. (1470KB) | 05/17/2007 |
| Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 16, 2007. It's spring, and the hills and valleys around Leavenworth are alive with birdsong, including that of this Red-winged Blackbird. What a perfect time for the Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, with over seventy events and guided tours. There's an audio workshop with nature-recordist Martyn Stewart, a frequent contributor to BirdNote, a presentation by Dr. Gordon Orians, and much more. The Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest runs May 18th through the 20th.
(1490KB) | 05/16/2007 |
| Storks Bring Babies? | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 15, 2007. Storks and babies have been linked together for centuries. But how did that old legend get started, that storks bring babies? Researchers suggest that the legend goes back into pagan times, when civilizations were keen to have high birthrates. The myth of storks and babies was forged by the birds' return in spring, when many babies were born. Many people in Europe still associate storks with good luck and look forward to the birds' return each spring.
(1563KB) | 05/15/2007 |
| Mother Birds | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 14, 2007. In the avian world, motherhood is a mixed bag. Peregrine Falcon mothers share duties fairly equally with Peregrine dads. At the other end of the spectrum is the female hummingbird, which usually carries the entire burden of nesting, incubating, and tending the young. And then, there's the female Western Sandpiper. She finishes a nest the male has started, and they share incubation duties. But Mother Sandpiper usually leaves the family just a few days after the eggs have hatched. She laid a clutch of eggs that almost equals her body weight. She needs a break!
(1521KB) | 05/14/2007 |
| Cartoon Birds | As heard on: KOHO - May 13, 2007. At this time of year, you may see young birds making their first forays outside the nest. Despite its lack of experience, each bird must learn to fend for itself. The plight of the young bird is illustrated by this encounter between predator and prey, as a young hawk sets out on its first hunting expedition. First, the young hawk spies its prey... With determination, persistence?and a small bomb--it eventually subdues the much larger chicken. BirdNote wishes to thank Henery Hawk® and Foghorn Leghorn® for their appearance in today's show.
(1453KB) | 05/13/2007 |
| Singing Sandpipers | As heard on: KOHO - May 12, 2007. We've all seen sandpipers foraging busily on mudflats and at the ocean's edge. But this Lesser Yellowlegs often carols from the top of a tall conifer in its nesting territory in Alaska. The name "sandpiper" actually comes from the voices of these birds, rather than from their long-billed probing in the sand. While the name refers in particular to the birds' short "piped"--or whistled--calls, a number of sandpipers are also superior, and surprising, singers.
(1474KB) | 05/12/2007 |
| Limerick Day | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 11, 2007. May 12th is Limerick Day, the birthday of Edward Lear, an author of nonsense verse, including limericks. In honor of Lear's birthday, here is the famous limerick written by Dixon Lanier Merritt in 1910:
A wonderful bird is the pelican.
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak,
Food enough for a week,
I'm damned if I know how the hell he can!"
Try your hand at a limerick about birds, and we just might read it on the air! Send it to info@birdnote.org.
(1494KB) | 05/11/2007 |
| International Migratory Bird Laws | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 10, 2007. At this time of year, we celebrate migratory birds, including this Common Yellowthroat. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act expanded on earlier legislation and gave much needed protection to birds, especially migratory songbirds. In 1940, the US and 17 other countries throughout the Americas signed a pact to "protect and preserve - in their natural habitat - representatives of all species...of their native flora and fauna." Celebrate migratory birds in Edmonds, Washington at the Puget Sound Bird Fest, May 18-19, 2007.
(1477KB) | 05/10/2007 |
| Nesting Niches | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 09, 2007. American Robins, House Finches, and Song Sparrows may all nest within one small garden. By selecting different nesting strata, the species avoid competing for the same nesting sites. If you plant your garden in multiple layers?trees both short and tall, shrubs, and ground-hugging thickets--you may be rewarded with a multi-layered medley of bird song. (1461KB) | 05/09/2007 |
| Peacocks in India | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 08, 2007. Peacocks have been domesticated for thousands of years and now occur everywhere in the world. But to see wild peacocks, you'll need to go to India and Sri Lanka. Where hunted, peacocks are shy and rarely seen, and give loud alarm calls when startled. Where protected, however, they become as tame as domestic birds, and you can admire the fabulous plumage of the males at close range. (1481KB) | 05/08/2007 |
| Ruddy Duck | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 07, 2007. When the male and female Ruddy Ducks meet on their breeding grounds, the male gets right to strutting his stuff. When a female appears, the male raises his long tail and his head, until the feathers on it look like horns. He inflates his neck and, faster and faster, strikes his chest with his bill. These blows force air through the feathers, causing the water to bubble. The male ends his display by jerking his head and tail forward and emitting a low belching sound. (1479KB) | 05/07/2007 |
| Song of the Canyon Wren | As heard on: KOHO - May 06, 2007. One bird's voice embodies the basalt canyons and deep coulees of the Northwest like no other--the song of the Canyon Wren. The wren's evocative, cascading notes, bouncing off the tall, sheer rock faces and jumbled talus slopes, may be the most memorable bird song of the West. The Canyon Wren lives year-round in such spots as Dry Falls, Vantage, or along the Yakima River Canyon in Washington, surviving winter's numbing cold. (1474KB) | 05/06/2007 |
| Swallows Return to Nest | As heard on: KOHO - May 05, 2007. Each spring, seven species of swallows return to nest in Washington. The fleet and graceful flight of swallows livens up the sky. Tree Swallows and Violet-green Swallows nest widely east and west of the Cascades, and man-made nest boxes contribute greatly to the birds' continuing success in the region. Other than the Purple Martin, only two swallow species nest in man-made boxes--this Tree Swallow and Violet-green Swallows.
(1510KB) | 05/05/2007 |
| Wilson's Warbler Part IV | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 04, 2007. In early May, the Wilson's Warbler sings from deep within a shrubby Northwest thicket. A week of non-stop singing attracts a female to the male's territory at the edge of the forest. The female alone builds a nest of dead leaves, bark strips, and stems, concealing it in mossy ground at the base of a shrub, or perhaps in a tussock of grass. She lays four eggs, which she incubates for 12 days. When the eggs hatch, both parents busily attend the fast-growing nestlings. (1523KB) | 05/04/2007 |
| Three Brown Thrushes | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 03, 2007. The Swainson's Thrush, the Hermit Thrush, and the Veery are small, brown birds, but their songs clearly distinguish them. The Swainson's Thrush announces its presence in early spring with subtle, limpid "whit" or "wink" sounds. A Veery's phrases tend downward in pitch. The Hermit Thrush sings ethereal, paired phrases, long flute-like notes backed by complex, reedy phrases. (1467KB) | 05/03/2007 |
| Birdsongs near Home | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 02, 2007. Who's in the neighborhood today? It's amazing how many birds you can see--and hear--when you go for a walk. There's a towhee--and a Steller's Jay--now, a junco--There's the "tin trumpet" sound of the Red-breasted Nuthatch. And the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is warming up, all because it's spring. Oh, and the Song Sparrow! What a song! Consider taking a walk in your neighborhood, to see what you can see--and hear!
(1470KB) | 05/02/2007 |
| Birds Half Asleep, Half Awake | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - May 01, 2007. For birds, a brain that can function while literally half-asleep is important to survival. In flocks of birds at roost, those at the outer edge of the flock often have one eye open. Such birds are truly half-asleep: one brain hemisphere snoozes as the other remains awake and alert. The eye connected to the sleeping half of the brain closes; the eye of the wakeful hemisphere remains open and vigilant. Birds in the middle of the flock are resting the entire brain, sleeping with both eyes closed. (1504KB) | 05/01/2007 |
| Swainson's Thrush, Power Napper | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - April 30, 2007. Early March finds the Swainson's Thrush just departing its wintering grounds in Mexico or South America--and it travels at night. When does it sleep? Recent research by scientists at Bowling Green State University suggests that during migration, Swainson's Thrushes take hundreds of "power naps," lasting only a few seconds at a time. The thrushes are also apparently able to rest half their brain by sleeping with one eye closed. The other eye remains open, with half the brain alert for threats from predators. (1483KB) | 04/30/2007 |
| Western Tanager, Coffee Bird | As heard on: KOHO - April 29, 2007. The Western Tanager winters in Mexico and Central America and nests in western North America. Sadly, much of its southern habitat has been lost, because tall, shade-giving trees have been cut down to grow coffee in direct sunlight. But when coffee is grown under a tall canopy of trees, the Western Tanager can enjoy a secure, food-filled winter home, and the coffee tastes better, too. You can help by requesting shade-grown coffee. (1443KB) | 04/29/2007 |
| Western Tanager, Coffee Bird | As heard on: KOHO - April 29, 2007. The Western Tanager winters in Mexico and Central America and nests in western North America. Sadly, much of its southern habitat has been lost, because tall, shade-giving trees have been cut down to grow coffee in direct sunlight. But when coffee is grown under a tall canopy of trees, the Western Tanager can enjoy a secure, food-filled winter home, and the coffee tastes better, too. You can help by requesting shade-grown coffee.
(1493KB) | 04/29/2007 |
| American Bittern | As heard on: KOHO - April 28, 2007. The American Bittern, a member of the heron tribe, spends much of its time in the dense cover of the marsh. Although they are found across the country, you'll seldom see one. Bitterns are masters of camouflage. Their striped plumage perfectly imitates surrounding vegetation, and they conceal themselves by freezing--holding their heads and necks upward at an angle that mimics the reeds. Have you seen an unusual bird or observed a bird doing something usual? Tell us your story! Write to us at info@birdnote.org.
(1444KB) | 04/28/2007 |
| What Do Birds Smell? | As heard on: KPLU and KOHO - April 27, 2007. Birds are justly renowned for their highly sensitive eyesight and hearing. But what about birds' sense of smell? Among the many birds of the world, some are, without doubt, prodigious smellers. Turkey Vultures have a supremely keen sense of smell to lead them upwind from great distances to their malodorous feasts. Diminutive seabirds c |
