News stories tagged with "birds"

(03/01/12) The sound environment has a big effect on animal behavior. The prevalence of low-pitched machine sounds in an urban environment may cause male birds to raise the pitch of mating calls. And birds in an environment where the sounds of predators are common will be less successful in breeding and nesting. Martha Foley and Curt Stager discuss soundscapes.

(02/14/12) Thousands of citizen scientists across the U.S. and Canada will get out their tally sheets for the 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. The survey begins Friday morning and continues through Presidents' Day.

Biologists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon are anxiously awaiting the data this year because of the warm winter weather across the country.

Todd Moe talks with Cornell's Pat Leonard about this year's count, and Adirondack bird guide Joan Collins for an update on bird sightings and migration trends in our region.

(12/14/11) For the 112th year, volunteer birders are fanning out across the country for the annual birding census this winter. The Christmas Bird Count continues through January 5th.

The all-volunteer effort takes a snapshot of bird populations to monitor their status and distribution across the Western Hemisphere. Data collected during the Christmas Bird Count helps researchers monitor bird behavior and bird conservation. You could call it bird watching with a benefit.

Todd Moe spoke with Long Lake birder Joan Collins, who says the Audubon Society started the Christmas Bird Count in 1900 as an alternative to a Victorian-era holiday hunting tradition of shooting the greatest number of birds.

(08/18/11) Two Adirondack men have been accused of stoning a great blue heron to death. The attack happened last week on the bank of the Ausable River in the town of Jay.

The case has sparked anger and indignation. But wildlife experts say they often see animals wounded or killed by humans. As Brian Mann reports, some are calling for tougher penalties for this type of crime.

Brian Mann has our story. more

(07/14/11) This week, Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager continue their discussion about eggs, exploring the color and shape of birds' eggshells, from green, white and brown to pointy and ovoid.

(06/30/11) Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about why birds' eggs look the way they do.

(06/16/11) Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager study the evolution of birds and discover that some unlikely species are very closely related. more

(06/03/11) Ornithology, the study of birds, is entering a new "golden age" with tens of millions of participants, according to award-winning nature writer and bird expert Scott Weidensaul.

He's the featured speaker at the 9th Annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration at the Paul Smiths College VIC on Saturday night. Weidensaul lives in Pennsylvania and has written more than two dozen books on natural history.

Todd Moe spoke with him about about how bird watching grew out of a "gentlemen's hobby" in the 18th century to become a professional and popular pastime. more

(05/12/11) Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss the manners and morals of avian mating.

(04/25/11) A co-founder of the New York State Bluebird Society will lead a free program on attracting bluebirds to backyards Tuesday night in Watertown. John Rogers has maintained an extensive trail of bluebird nest boxes in the Tug Hill region for more than 35 years and is a recognized authority on bluebird conservation. His lecture is sponsored by the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust. Rogers told Todd Moe that he'll talk about the life history of the Eastern Bluebird and nest box management tomorrow night.

John Rogers' program is at 6:30 Tuesday night at the Flower Memorial Library in Watertown. To RSVP call: 315-779-2239.