To ensure you attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife in Monarch Butterfly Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel abundance to your yard, there is no better choice than planting a meadow with native plants. Not only is a mature meadow a stunningly beautiful sight of waving flowers with butterflies and birds darting in and out, but it’s […]
Blog Tag: animal behavior
What Do Birds Do In a Hurricane?
The iconic image and story of Harvey, the terrified juvenile Coopers Hawk who desperately fled the onslaught Harvey, the Coopers Hawk Photo Credit: William Bruso of hurricane Harvey by landing on the passenger seat of a Houston taxi cab was a welcome story of hope. Harvey was rescued by the driver, taken to Texas Wildlife […]
Great Views of Shorebirds Now
Birds at the beach never cease to amaze. Not only are Marbled Godwit and American Oystercatchers Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel they capable of migrating extremely long distances non-stop (some manage several days at a time and thousands of miles over open water), there are different species on the move year round. Fall is a […]
Who’s Migrating Now?
Who’s Migrating in Summer? Piping Plovers, Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Spring and Fall migration get all the press. After all, songbirds like warblers or goldfinches traveling in spring look spectacular and move in large numbers. And they can often be seen in our own backyards. But migration continues throughout the year, with different species of […]
Cuban Bee Hummingbird in Action!
Whoa! Fabulous Slo-motion of a Bee Hummer in action from National Geographic. Check it out! https://www.facebook.com/NGM/videos/10155540538188336/?hc_ref=ARS0ost7tcA-fms-M4oxhFQCs1LeZOk2uHUiH4zbZhI5KrM8rYx6KL-vTsRt8lvgD48&pnref=story
Pesky Critters in Your Backyard?
Squirrels got your goat? Hawks or the neighbors cats using your feeder as a buffet table? Maybe that resident woodpecker is using your house for hammering practice? Whatever the issue is there are often simple and humane solutions! For example, getting the right feeder can help control unwanted birds, or eliminate bees and […]
Nestcams!
Osprey and chicks, explore.org It’s still nestcam season and chicks are growing. Some have already fledged and others are just hatching. Keep up with the action right here! NEW!! Ospreys, Maine – check in on a nest full of growing chicks! NEW!! Black Guillemot, Maine Atlantic Puffins, Maine – […]
Backyard Bird Reading
Nesting birds on the ground in your yard? What kind of bird does that? We love this humorous essay many of us can relate to. When it comes to finding out where the birds are nesting in your yard, sometimes info is gotten the hard way. Then It Struck Me and Not Very Gently, by Murr Brewster for […]
Join Nestwatch and Help Nesting Birds
Join Nestwatch and Help Nesting Birds Nobody knows better than you what goes on in the nests in your backyard. If you are curious about the birds nesting in your yard and pay particular attention to Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila them, Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a great project called Nestwatch that can use your […]
Nestcams and a Manikam!
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Manakam This month we have nestcams and a cool manakin lek-cam! If you have never seen manakins displaying, check out this amazing live cam that, if you are lucky, will have Lance-tailed Manakins displaying at their lek. Unlike a nestcam, the action will be sporadic, but don’t miss seeing these amazing […]
Birds to See Now: Greater Prairie Chickens
Birds to See Now: Greater Prairie Chickens In spring, one of the US’s rare birds puts on a show, as Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila Greater Prairie Chickens look for mates. Males in the area gather on their traditional performing “leks” also known as “booming grounds” to display on the grasslands for seemingly uninterested females. To […]
Nestcams!
NESTCAMS! explore.org hummingbird nestcam New nests to watch! See updates on nests you saw last month and see some new nests we are watching now. Have a favorite nest cam? Let us know about it! Laysan Albatross, Hawaii – who can resist these beautiful birds and their chicks? Red-tailed Hawks, New York – watch them building […]
Duck Mating Behavior
Duck Mating Behavior When you are watching ducks and other waterfowl this winter, get ready for a lot of action, because it’s also mating season! Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila Waterfowl mating behaviors can be pretty weird – ranging from the slightly unusual to the outrageous. We found a few videos you might enjoy for a little […]
How Do Birds Keep From Crashing Into Each Other in a Flock?
Flock Behavior: Why Birds Don’t Crash Into Each Other Do you ever watch flocks of birds flying tightly together and wonder how they maintain their distance from one another? Flying in a tight flock helps birds in a number of ways. One of the most important is that a large tight flock makes it more […]
Late Season Nestcams
Late Season Nestcams! Many of the birds from the nest cams we have previously been watching are growing up or have successfully fledged. Now we have a new Guillemot nest, as well as chicks and juvenile birds from some of the nests we have been following. We especially love watching the juvenile Layasan Albatross pictured […]
More Nestcams!
More Nestcams! ‘Tis the season! Birds are still nesting, and this month, there are a few new nestcams including Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns, Allen’s Hummingbird, Peregrine Falcons, Osprey and Double-crested Cormorants. NEW nests with lots of chicks and behavior to watch! Allen’s Hummingbird, California Atlantic Puffins, Maine Arctic Terns, Maine Peregrine Falcons, Idaho Osprey, Maine […]
Watching Migration Fly By
Watching Migration Fly By We couldn’t resist this terrific piece of info on migration from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Using millions of pieces of data from ebird combined with other sources, they put together an animated map of 118 species of birds and their movements including migration, throughout one year. It’s fascinating to see that some […]
More Nestcams!
More Nestcams We can never get enough of nestcams! Nesting season continues with new great views of nesting condors, lots of Great-horned Owlets, and this nest of seven seriously adorable Long-eared Owlets. NEW nests with lots of chicks to watch! California Condor, California Long Eared Owls, Montana Great Horned Owls, Montana CATCH UP on what’s […]
Eating Like a Bird
Eating Like a Bird Birds have much different eating habits than humans – especially during migration when they really need to add calories to deal with the stress and energy requirements of long hours of flying. You may have been chided by your mother at one point that you ate like a bird, but if […]
Ospreys on the Move
Ospreys on the Move! We promise songbirds will start migrating through soon. Until then, there is still a lot of raptor activity to keep you busy! Eagles and many hawks are already nesting, but Osprey, who cannot tolerate cold weather, are on the move right now. Having overwintered in South America and Cuba, they are feeling the […]