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All Those Colorful Orioles Jun 14, 2024

Show notes

The Baltimore Oriole is a standout bird. With adult males’ electric orange and jet black feathers, and females and immature birds in various shades of yellow and orange, it’s no surprise that these birds show up in art, illustrations, and on the uniforms of Baltimore's baseball team. But they’re not the only orioles worth knowing. Orioles in the Americas belong to the blackbird family — and there are many of them. In this episode, meet a few of them!

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Flickers and Buffleheads Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

After a Northern Flicker carves out a nest cavity, chances are the birds will use the cavity for just one nesting season. But the cavity may have a prolonged career as a home for small owls, bluebirds, swallows, and other birds – including the Bufflehead. Buffleheads are the only ducks small enough to use the cavities of flickers. Clear-cutting in some northern forests has reduced nesting habitat for flickers and Buffleheads alike. Both benefit when consumers choose paper products made from recycled paper.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Studying Climate Change by Watching Bird Nests Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

Organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and by Birds Canada, volunteers for Project NestWatch observe local nesting birds and track whether they’re successful in raising their young. Because the nest-watching volunteers monitor birds over a huge area, they cover way more ground than a small team of scientists ever could. Data from Project NestWatch helped scientists reveal that cold snaps and heat waves make many bird parents less successful in raising their young.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Have You Ever Seen a Pink Gull? Jun 11, 2024

Show notes

Some gulls and terns may show a glowing pink color, similar to that of flamingos and spoonbills. This pink color comes from pigments in the birds' food called carotenoids. These gulls and terns are able to convert these naturally occurring pigments to hues that may enhance their success at attracting a mate.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Common Nighthawks at the Ballgame Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

An evening baseball game isn’t the only thing illuminated by the bright stadium lights. High in the air, countless flying insects are drawn to them. And those insects are a perfect snack for the game’s avian attendees! Common Nighthawks swoop with their wide mouths open to hoover up the flying insects under the lights, performing aerial stunts over the athletes on the ground.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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City Hawks Versus Country Hawks Jun 09, 2024

Show notes

Resident Cooper’s Hawks that nest in the urban areas of Albuquerque, New Mexico, are thriving as the populations of doves, their prey, have exploded. The easy prey gives the urban birds a competitive advantage over hawks in more natural habitats, where prey is less concentrated. The soaring numbers of urban Cooper's Hawks could help preserve the genetic diversity of the species far into the future.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Surviving Hail Storms Jun 08, 2024

Show notes

As it began to hail, Marlon Inniss saw several Canada Geese doing something odd. Rather than trying to shield their heads, the geese pointed their bills skyward, directly into the path of the hail. The geese were pointing the smallest surface area of their sensitive bills, the narrow tip, into the hail — minimizing the impact. Inniss’s video of the behavior helped reaffirm an observation made by naturalist Aldo Leopold one hundred years before of Northern Pintails adopting the same stance.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Setting the Thermostat with Birds in Mind Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

If you’ve already done things around the home with birds in mind, consider one more action that might be less obvious. Turning the thermostat down a degree or two in the colder months and up a degree in the warmer months might seem more about personal preference or energy bills than birds. But climate change is a grave threat to birds, putting two-thirds of North American bird species at risk of extinction. So anything that decreases carbon emissions is a step towards a better future for birds — not to mention people.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Three Brown Thrushes Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

The Swainson's Thrush, the Hermit Thrush, and this 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. Many rate it among the finest singers. A Veery's phrases tend downward in pitch. The Hermit Thrush sings ethereal, paired phrases, long flute-like notes backed by complex, reedy phrases.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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David Shepard’s Aloha Shirts Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

After David Shephard moved to Hawai‘i to study botany, he realized that the “main character” of the islands is birds — many plants have co-evolved with birds due to their central role in Hawaiian ecosystems. He now designs Aloha Shirts that feature the native plants and wildlife of Hawai‘i, including the ‘i‘iwi, a bird that has cultural significance for Hawaiians.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

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