WASHINGTON (April 12, 2024) – A bipartisan bill that reauthorizes and enhances a conservation program for migratory birds throughout the Americas has been introduced in the Senate. The bill, known as the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act (S. 4022), is a companion to legislation that was recently passed by the U.S. House […]
Tag: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
When North America locked down, birds filled the gap left by people
An analysis of bird sightings in Canada and the U.S. showed that many North American species, from mighty eagles to diminutive hummingbirds, gained ground during COVID-19 lockdowns as humans sheltered in place. “Bald eagles changed their use of the entire North American continent,” said Nicola Koper, professor of conservation biology at the University of Manitoba […]
The radical otherness of birds: Jonathan Franzen on why they matter
For most of my life, I didn’t pay attention to birds. Only in my 40s did I become a person whose heart lifts whenever he hears a grosbeak singing or a towhee calling, and who hurries out to see a golden plover that’s been reported in the neighbourhood, just because it’s a beautiful bird, with […]
A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. IV
Young birds became a rewarding event at Casa Almeida in Killingworth, Connecticut, in the 2017 summer season. On the eve of the parade to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the naming of the town of Killingworth, CT, flags drape the utility poles around the center of town. Many are at half-mast at municipal buildings […]
A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. III
The transition from one season to the next at the Bird Sanctuary in Killingworth, Connecticut, might be as evident due to changes in the weather as to changes in wildlife seen and its behavior. The calls of peepers are a distant memory as a very infrequent croaking of a frog is heard in the early […]
Fall is here! A walk on the Western Waterfront Trail
A lot of people seem to think it’s still summer—yesterday’s sweltering 88 degrees contributes to that misapprehension. Birds know better. Days are noticeably getting shorter, most baby birds of the year are on their own now, and adults are recovering from the rigors of raising those young birds—many have finished molting into new feathers and […]
In Search Of South Florida Vagrants
There have been some extraordinary sightings of unexpected bird species these past few months with one in particular that was being reported at the end of February resulting in this report. The Northern Parula above (image 1) was photographed at Long Key State Park in March 2016. Tom Obrock and […]
Purple Siberian Iris, Butterflies and Birds
Looking back over the month of June, iris sepals unfurl and fall creating waves of hues from lavender to deep purple . . . filling the Middle Meadow garden with hundreds of blooms lasting nearly three full weeks as new buds continue to open. Eastern Tiger Swallowtails Papilio glaucus or Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Papilio canadensis […]