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 […]
Blog Tag: wild birds
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 […]
Travel: Easy Birding in Panama
TRAVEL: Easy Birding in Panama If you are looking for a birding adventure a little farther from home, winter is an exceptionally good time to visit the Caribbean, Central and South America. If you have been wanting to visit a tropical forest with loads of fabulous birds, one of the best and easiest countries to […]
Fall Backyard: Start Your Native Plant Meadow
Fall Backyard: Start Your Native Plant Meadow If you have even a little bit of a yard, don’t wait to plant a native plant meadow. I planted a small meadow in the fall as an experiment a few years ago, and if I hadn’t seen for myself the magnetic attraction it has for birds and […]
Confusing Fall Warblers
Confusing Fall Warblers It’s that time of year again when even the most experienced birder might be puzzled by the fall plumage of warblers. For new birders, fall warblers can be a real challenge as not only are they much quieter (so it’s often difficult to make the ID with sound), but their molt takes […]
Your Fall Backyard Tuneup
Your Fall Backyard Tuneup In fall, birds’ needs start changing. The bird houses you set up in spring and which saw a lot of activity are now vacant. Pressure to secure food for hungry mouths in the nest has subsided, and now many birds are bulking up for migration. To create a friendly backyard for […]
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 […]
A Day at the Beach
A Day at the Beach What could be more summer-like than a day at the beach? Who doesn’t love having fun in the water and on the sand? And the beach is a popular spot for wildlife as well. Terrapins cross busy streets to get from the marsh to Piping Plover chick the sandy shores […]
Your Summer Backyard
Your Summer Backyard Your backyard in summer is different from the rest of the year. In each season, birds have different needs, and summer can be extreme – both because of the heat and the additional pressure of feeding baby and juvenile birds. You may be providing a lot of food for birds – in […]
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 […]
More Nestcams
More Nestcams Can’t keep your eyes off the nestcams? You are not alone! Keep tabs on the birds you saw hatch and check out some new nesting birds. This month we have new Barred Owls, Red-tailed Hawks and more Bald Eagles. NEW!! Red-tailed Hawks, New York Bald Eagle, Iowa Barred Owl, Indiana CATCH UP ON YOUR […]
NESTCAMS!
NESTCAMS! It’s that time of year again! Get a front row seat and the best view of these early nesters from across the US and Hawaii — hummingbirds, albatross and some very cool raptors: Great Horned Owl, Georgia Allens Hummingbird, California Layasan Albatross, Hawaii Bald Eagle, Washington, DC Barn Owls, Texas
Birds Need Your Help to Get Through the Winter And, February is National Bird Feeding month — a time when winter food sources have been seriously picked over and cold weather persists. Many birds like robins and mockingbirds are surviving off remaining berries. And when its been a tough winter, those berries are now in […]
The Importance of Brush Piles
The Importance of Brush Piles During winter, many trees and bushes lose their leaves, leaving birds and animals with fewer places to hide. Wildlife can be attracted to your backyard by providing food, clean water, and cover. Creating a brush pile can provide a valuable safe spot for birds to use to escape predators and […]
Ducks on Ice
Ducks on Ice Ever wonder why ducks can stay in ice water or on the ice and their feet don’t freeze? There’s a simple scientific reason for this. Basically the feet, which are not covered in feathers, have a counter-current heat exchange system between the arteries and veins in their legs which supplies the naked […]
Family Fun: Owling Adventure
FAMILY FUN: Owling Adventure What kid (or adult for that matter), wouldn’t love to see an owl in the wild? Due to their nocturnal habits (most owls are only active at night), and well-camouflaged feathers, owls can be difficult to spot. During the day, owls roost in thick trees and shrubs, and often hold completely […]