Need Help Creating Habitat for Birds?

    Every spring and fall we offer suggestions about how to make your yard and community a place birds and other wildlife can flourish. By now we all know the basics – Keep it wild – but naturally so – without invasives! Use native plants that provide year-round food and shelter in layers Use […]

Puffling Patrol

Puffins are small seabirds who spend their entire lives at sea — with the exception of the breeding season when parental duties keep both parents busy feeding and caring for their chick and taking turns at forays out to sea for food. With just one precious egg per nest, there must be precision in the timing […]

Safety First! Attracting Owls to Your Backyard

  Who doesn’t love owls? Not only are they wonderful to see, but they also control the rodent population. And many owl species, like this Barred Owl, will use nest boxes. But they can be easily put in harm’s way if their welfare isn’t considered. This is the time of year to be getting nestboxes for owls out, […]

NestCams!

Lots to watch during the winter! From Northern Royal Albatross in New Zealand to Bald Eagles in California. Plus there are several links to watch migrating birds and our favorite neo-tropical feeder in Panama to get your fix of birds in a warmer climate. There’s always something going on! West End Bald Eagle Cam, California – Two eggs […]

New BirdCams!

  Lots to watch during the winter! From teeny baby Allen’s Hummingbird chicks in California to Northern Royal Albatross in New Zealand. Plus there are several links to watch migrating birds and our favorite neo-tropical feeder in Panama to get your fix of birds in a warmer climate. There’s always something fun to watch!   NEW! Allen’s Hummingbird […]

BirdNote: How Can We Protect Birds From Plastic?

Plastics are everywhere – on our beaches, in the water, large pieces, microplastics — you name it. There is so much plastic waste that it is having a serious negative effect on wildlife both in the ocean and on its shores. Birds are very susceptible to plastic problems through entanglement or ingestion. In this 30 minute fascinating […]

BirdNote: Song Sparrows In Your Brush Pile

For me, it’s officially spring when Song Sparrows start singing! Song Sparrows are found throughout the United States and into Southern Canada. To bring them into your garden, plant thick, low vegetation, or create a brush pile. This sparrow is celebrated – and named – for its singing. Without its melodious song, this furtive bird could be […]

It’s a Wonderful Life: Wisdom Albatross at 70

Have a birthday looming? Perhaps you just celebrated one and started feeling a little out of it? Not to make comparisons, but the world’s oldest known bird just turned 70 (well, at least 70)….and she has laid an egg and is about to become a mom yet again. To us, albatross are extreme – they spend a couple […]

Backyard Birds: A Home for Phoebe

Eastern Phoebes are welcome guests in any location. These dark brown and white flycatchers are great to have around for insect control and their “phee-bee” call is often an early harbinger of spring. From Maine through Kentucky, this active bird is in decline, so providing a nesting box would be a helpful addition to your backyard. Their nesting […]

Nestcams in Winter

Birds are nesting somewhere every day. During North American winters, nesting is taking place in the Austral summer and for some unusual birds in North American, right now. Here are a couple of active nestcams to enjoy – and if you live in North America, both nestcams are best watched at night!   Laysan Albatross: […]

A Story About Native Grasslands and Nesting Birds

Enlarge your understanding of birds with BirdNote’s new series – Threatened. Enjoy longer, in-depth stories about birds and explore what happens when humans dramatically alter the landscape — and why some birds can hack it in the new norm, while others struggle. In this episode, we’re traveling to Idaho, where native grasslands were once a diverse […]

Home Sweet Home – Critically Endangered Bermuda Petrels Return to Nest!

Even now, some birds are thinking about nesting. This affectionate Bermuda Petrel pair who has been using this same burrow since 2009 has returned again this year to start a family! But this is not your typical breeding pair of birds. These birds are critically endangered – in fact although once numerous, they were thought to […]

The Story of Condor Chick Iniko

Iniko is the name of a 6 month old condor chick in Big Sur, California.  His name means “Born in Troubled Times”, and his story has been a dramatic one. Born April 25, 2020 to Condors “Kingpin” #167 and “Redwood Queen” #190, he was lovingly cared for by both parents who shared the duties of feeding […]

Piping Plovers Living the Life

For many shorebirds, nesting season is highly stressful and often unsuccessful – often due to human interaction.  But in one spot in NJ, there is a protected beach area where Piping Plovers can raise their brood relatively undisturbed – due to human intervention.  Because here, a protected spot was built especially to protect the nesting habitat […]

Why Are Birds So Quiet Now?

For months now, early every morning the songs and calls would Molting Northern Cardinal Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel start – sometimes before dawn – and the raucous, beautiful and energetic bird sounds from birds like Carolina Wrens and this Northern Cardinal continued filling the soundscape until sundown.  Then one day….suddenly the yard was oddly quiet.  While some juvenile birds were still […]

3 Billion Birds Gone – What Can I Do To Help?

If you are asking this question after reading about the study showing 3 billion birds are gone since 1970,  you White-throated Sparrow Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel are not alone as the enormity of the numbers of birds lost is difficult to comprehend.  Some of the hardest hit birds are ones we see most often  – White-throated Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern and Western […]

Nestcam Update

Guillemot Chicks screenshot – courtesy Audubon/Explore By now, most raptor chicks have fledged.  But now there are some other nests and burrows that are very active:   In a manner befitting a Guillemot, both eggs hatched in the Guillemot burrow  on International  Guillemot Appreciation Day!  Do not miss watching these two adorable, black, amazingly active and fluffy little chicks! […]

Helping Birds: Create Habitat For Them

Mature Native Plant Meadows in a Small Yard Having safe and undisturbed habitat is critical to keeping our birds and planet healthy.  Research published last year by Cornell Lab of Ornithology showing 3 Billion Birds have been lost and the enormous impact this has had on bird populations over the past few decades cited habitat loss as the […]

BirdNote: Bobolinks and Grasslands

Male Bobolinks are first to arrive on their breeding grounds in the grasslands. Why are there fewer Bobolinks than in decades past? Probably because the landscape of North America has changed so much. Bobolinks originally nested on native prairies of the Midwest and southern Canada. Much of the land where they nested has come under intense cultivation. Grassland conservation […]

New Nestcams and Updates!

California Condor Chick – courtesy Ventana Wildlilfe Society This has been a busy month — some birds we have been following have fledged, others are still in the nest about to burst out on their own.  NEW this month is a great view of a California Condor nest in Big Sur, which is home to an active and fluffy chick […]

City Birds You May Not Know Are Around You

Common Yellow-throat Illustration by David Sibley When cities are quiet, we can easily hear the birds around us.  This illuminating article from the New York Times helps us learn about 13 birds we live in close proximity with but may never have seen.  With stunning images by David Sibley and informational sonograms of bird calls from Donald Kroodsma, this article […]

Helping Birds: I Found a Baby Bird on the Ground!

Every year as hatching and fledging season gears up, we find baby birds in spots they don’t seem to belong, i.e. out of their nest. And they seem to look either helpless or lost – what can we do? Rescued House Finch Nestling Photo Credit:  Deborah Rivel The answer to this question is based on […]

Stuff To Do With Kids: Make a Nesting Shelter for Robins

Stuff To Do With Kids: Make a Nesting Shelter for Robins American Robin on Nest Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel American Robins are wonderful birds to have in your yard. I can’t recall a time I didn’t have robins around, and even in the city where I live, there are robins in the garden behind my […]

BirdNote: Spider Silk is Duct Tape For Nests

The spider’s web is an intricate piece of precision engineering. Made from large proteins, it’s sticky, stretchy, and tough. So it’s no surprise that many small birds – including this Anna’s Hummingbird – make a point of collecting strands of spider silk to use in nest construction. Spider silk not only acts as a glue, holding […]

More and More Nestcams !

Great Horned Owl and owlets – courtesy Owl Research Institute Bird around the globe from home with nestcams! In North America, you can see nests we have been following and some new ones with owls, eagles, peregrines and ospreys. Visit New Zealandwhere you can continue to follow the now very large Northern Royal Albatross chick.  Then zip over to Bermuda, to […]

Lots of Nestcams!

Fluffy Bermuda Petrel chick, courtesy Cornell Lab It’s the season for nestcams!  What can you see now? Travel the globe to see eagles, owls, hummingbirds, peregrines!  Plus get updates on albatross and petrel nests (including this Bermuda Petrel pictured here) we have been following. All just waiting for you to click their cam link!   […]

Nestcam: Northern Royal Albatross in New Zealand

Year round, its nesting season somewhere!  Right now our focus is on Northern Royal Albatross Cornell/NZ Dept. of Conservation Nestcam birds “down under”, and  we have the privilege to see the intimate but brief land-life of the largest seabird in the world — a Northern Royal Albatross pair in Taiaroa Head, New Zealand — with a most spectacular view via […]

Making a Nesting Site for Great Horned Owls

Great Horned Owlets Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila One of the best ways to control rodentsis the old fashioned and completely non-toxic way – reliance on the hunting skills of owls. Some owls, like Great Horned Owls, are especially effective at this during nesting season and are often found in orchards or on farm woodlots. They will nest out in the open, […]

3 Billion Birds Gone – What Else Can I Do To Help?

After the release of the scientific report last month, spearheaded by White-throated Sparrow Photo Credit:  Deborah Rivel Cornell Lab of Ornithology, showing the loss of 3 billion birds in North America in less than 50 years, we were deluged with requests asking what can a normal person do to help?  The decline of birds is so precipitous that […]

IN THE NEWS: Piping Plovers Nesting in Parking Lot Mobilize a Town

Piping Plover chick Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel   Tiny and aggressive, Piping Plovers migrate from Central America and the Bahamas to the US and Canada to breed each year.  But pressure from human disturbances and development on or near their nesting areas, has pushed some of these birds to nest in unlikely and unsafe areas. […]

Uh Oh, I Found a Baby Bird – What Do I Do?

Northern Cardinal Fledgling Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Nesting season’s most asked question is: “I found a baby bird on the ground – what do I do? ” Well, that’s not entirely scientific, but the question gets asked a lot right now! We expect to see baby birds in the nest being fed and cared for, but what […]

Birdcams!

Osprey nest in Savannah  nestcam/Cornell   More Chicks to watch!    Our favorite nestcam this month shows three seriously cute and relentlessly active Osprey chicks in the nest we have been following in Savannah.   Barred Owls in Indiana have two beautiful little owlets in their nestbox.   Our super fluffy Bermuda Cahow chick on Nonsuch Island is really getting big! […]

Birdcams!

Bermuda Cahow chick -nestcam/Cornell   Chicks are hatching!    Our favorite nestcam this month is the ridiculously adorable Bermuda Cahow chick on Nonsuch Island.  He’s so fluffy and tiny that every movement and especially wing flapping becomes an experience!  And don’t miss the parental visits to feed and preen him and fluff his nesting materials. Unbearably cute! Fraser Point Bald Eagles  – all […]

Special Nest Boxes for Tree Swallows and Bluebirds

Tree Swallow Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Both species of beautiful blue birds rely on hard-to-find cavities or nest boxes to raise their families.  And right now the race is on for available nesting spots. Tree Swallow populations are in decline in part because they need cavities or special boxes for safe nesting. Hear more about the […]

Make Your Backyard a Hummingbird Haven

Rufous-TailedHummingbird Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel All species of hummingbirds are found in the New World, making this a truly American bird.  While most hummingbirds are found in Central and South America, some species of these tiny gems searching for food and shelter grace many a North American garden.  If you are in an area where hummingbirds […]

Birdcams!

Fraser Point Bald Eagle nestcam/explore.org There is a lot to see right now — owls setting up to nest, baby hummingbirds being fed, beautiful birds at the feeder in Panama and more…  Enjoy them all! Fraser Point Bald Eagles  in Santa Cruz have 2 eggs – hatch watch starts March 16. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird cam in California with a chick and another egg!  (see […]

Backyard Nest Boxes – Time to Get Started!

  It’s not too early to prepare for the nesting birds you want to attract to your yard during nesting season.  If you are interested in a DIY project, here’s one which helps  Northern Flickers.   Northern Flicker Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Flickers are considered common birds, but are suffering a steep decline in population due to loss of habitat as dead trees […]

IN THE NEWS: Wisdom the Albatross Lays Another Egg!

  Wisdom and her mate/Photo Credit: USFWS Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross, banded as an adult over 60 yearsago in 1956, is known to be at least 68 years old, making her the oldest known living bird. But what is even more remarkable is that Wisdom is still successfully laying eggs and hatching chicks – and at a rate that […]

Good News Stories About Birds in 2018

  Black-tailed Godwit/Photo Credit: BirdLife Sweden For our year end issue we wanted to highlight some bird conservation success stories.  Sometimes the challenges to birds and conservation can loom large. It’s not always good news. But there are numerous successes and new positive findings about birds which give us hope that the work we do on behalf of […]

Nestcams!

Songbirds are mostly finished nesting, Guillemot Chick Screenshot: explore.org and their chicks are gaining strength to make their first migration south.  But there are still some adorable nestlings and juvenile birds waiting to make their first flight. Don’t miss these seabirds and Osprey before they leave the nest! Puffin burrow with a fluffy puffling and a Guillemot chick in […]

The Year of the Bird in July – Take A Kid Into Nature

Photo Credit:Meghan Kearney, USFWS This month in the Year of the Bird, we encourage you to get your kids or kids you know out into nature.  If you love birds, teaching a child how to bird can create both an understanding of and interest in nature which can translate into a lifelong passion for him […]

A Safe Backyard For Nesting Birds

A Safe Backyard for Nesting Birds     Northern Cardinal Fledgeling Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Nesting season is upon us, and we are thinking about our backyard and gardens from the birds perspective.  Here are few things the birds you are attracting right now will appreciate your doing for them!   1 – With baby […]

The Year of the Bird in June – Take Action and Use Less Plastic

The Year of the Bird in June – Take Action and Use Less Plastic!   Dead Albatross chick with stomach full of plastic Photo Credit: Chris Jordan Time was when discussions surrounding plastic and birds often revolved around taking bags (often plastic) to the beach and gathering up the myriad detritus of birthday balloons, plastic […]

Baby Birds Through the Summer

Baby Birds Through the Summer  Spring isn’t the only time to see baby birds. While most Wild Turkey chicks songbirds have already nested and many of the young have fledged, some songbirds like Bluebirds, Robins and Cardinals who may have three broods during the season,  and Mourning Doves who may have as many as six, […]