According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, up to 1,500 birds were killed by a large skyscraper in one day. Audubon volunteers are concerned about the high rate of fatalities during migration. Stephen Maciejewski, a 71-year-old retired social worker and volunteer for Audubon Pennsylvania, told the Inquirer, “So many birds were falling out of the sky, we […]
Tag: songbirds
Glue bird traps: Macron suspends use amid EU row
French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered hunters in southern France to stop the controversial practice of trapping birds on glue-covered twigs. The suspension follows a warning to France from the European Commission that it could face legal action at EU level if the practice continued. France is unusual in Europe for still tolerating the glue […]
More caged birds than wild: Javan songbird crisis revealed
Thirty men squat on concrete outside a colourful urban café on the Indonesian island of Java. Their gaze is focused on a rainbow palate of cages dangling from a corrugated metal roof. They listen even more intently – for inside the structures, birds are competing to get their songs heard. The onlookers are just as […]
Confessions of a Wildlife Photographer
It was the fall of 2001 when I walked into a Thursday night meeting of a local nature photography club. It was competition night and the members of the Camera Naturalist Photo Club handed in their slides to be sorted and loaded into the slide projector. I took a seat in the back of the room, […]
Trafficking of thousands of songbirds highlights rampant trade in Indonesia
MEDAN, Indonesia — Smugglers managed to ship more than 7,000 birds, including wild-caught songbirds, by air from Sumatra to Java in Indonesia, highlighting the country’s weak enforcement against the deeply entrenched bird trade. Indonesian authorities said the birds were transported in several batches on flights on June 11 and 12 from Medan in North Sumatra […]
Migratory Birds Like Native Berries Best
Twice a year, millions of birds embark on long, perilous journeys between their breeding and wintering grounds. These flights, spanning hundreds or thousands of miles, require a lot of energy. In the spring, neotropical migrants travel from Latin America to nest in the Northern Hemisphere, where they take advantage of budding plants and abundant insects. […]
As Coronavirus Sows Turmoil and Fear, Seeking Solace in Nature’s Calendar
After a rough night, I woke up at dawn to the sound of a robin singing.Last night was bad. The coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world dominated every corner of the news, with every headline more horrifying than the last: Rates of infection doubling. Schools, restaurants, offices closing. Major events cancelled. Unemployment rising. Mandatory lockdowns enforced. […]
Slaughter of the songbirds: the fight against France’s ‘barbaric’ glue traps
It is early morning in the heart of Provence, and somewhere behind the tall black pine trees a rousing dawn chorus begins. We are crouching out of sight among the rosemary bushes and wild asparagus listening to the melodic musical phrases of song thrushes and blackbirds. This is Marcel Pagnol country, rich in flora and […]