Each year over 500,000 birds die worldwide due to oil spills. The recent BP oil rig disaster or the coast of Louisiana is a major ecological disaster, and the effects have been devastating. Louisiana is the southernmost point on the Mississippi River Flyway. The coastal areas provide a critical link between North American nesting grounds …
A number of people write to me asking about the field of ornithology, from young grade-schoolers to retired businesspeople. Their interest in birds leads them to think they want to pursue the field of ornithology in some way. So let’s talk about that. What do ornithologists do? Well, an ornithologist studies birds, but there is …
A well known blackbird is the Brewer’s Blackbird. This common blackbird gets its name from a prominent 19th Century Boston naturalist who started his professional career as an M.D. with a degree from Harvard and later developed a passion for birds. As a teenager he began sharing his field observations with J.J. Audubon. Audubon …
Wondering what to do in the winter? Build a birdhouse or two. With the disappearance of orchards and other trees and the replacement of old wooden fence posts with fiberglass ones, there are fewer sites suitable for birds to build a nest in. There is one thing we home dwellers can do: provide habitat. Landscaping …
Glass has been around for nearly 3000 years, but it’s only been a bit over 100 years since the invention of sheet glass, making mass production of windows possible. Birds and windows have been in conflict ever since, if not before. Every year at this time I get lots of questions on my website, ornitholo.wpenginepowered.com …
After seeing so many wonderful birds in the wilds around the world I wonder about those kept in cages, Birds have been raised in captivity for many years for pleasure or profit. (For today’s discussion, I’m excluding birds like chickens raised for food.) I have met folks from Bird Clubs and have spoken at their meetings. They …
There are more than 90 million pet cats in the U.S., the majority of which roam outside at least part of the time. In addition, millions of stray and feral cats roam our cities, suburbs, and rural areas. So how much of a problem are these feline predators to our feathered friends? Well, quite a …
Last blog I talked about the use of bird names and that we in the U.S. use common names. Where did these names come from? Some are obvious – the Acorn Woodpecker stores acorns in trees and the Yellow Warbler is, guess what color? The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher has a very long tail and the Belted …
Birds add life, sound and color to our lives. Watching wild birds is often a diversion from the pressures of our daily lives. We even value birds that we personally will never see; it is comforting and uplifting just knowing that our world includes birds that can offer joy in our lives. Birds provide intangible …
