This weekend marks the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a four-day event that makes “citizen scientists” out of bird watchers and nature lovers across North America. The campaign is part of a broad effort to keep tabs on the continent’s bird populations, using volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to supplement more formal research.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/2012-great-backyard-bird-count-takes-flight
Bird-watching pays off in a number of ways, from getting you outside to learning something new and keeping your eyes keen. It also can lead to the discovery of a unique species.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/unique-warbler-three-species-one
https://mailchi.mp/cornell/release-rare-triple-hybrid-warbler-discovered
There is a long-simmering, often overheated debate among animal lovers. It pits cat lovers, who want to help feral cats survive outdoors, against bird lovers, who say cats are causing bird populations to plummet.
Dates: Sept. 28th (Ribbon Cutting) & Sept. 29th (Discovery Days)
Location: 3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia PA
Times: Sept. 28 1-3 pm & Sept. 29 11-3 pm
https://www.discoveryphila.org/
Audubon Pennsylvania is excited to invite you to the opening weekend of The Discovery Center. This center, which is a joint venture between Audubon Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Outward Bound School, will serve as a facility for research and science-based conservation projects and educational programs throughout the Philadelphia region. Audubon will engage individuals, local communities like neighboring Strawberry Mansion community, and visitors by offering opportunities, resources and tools to analyze, preserve and restore our natural environment.The Discovery Center will also allow visitors to connect to Audubon’s national and international conservation initiatives, serving as a major migratory stopover on the Atlantic Flyway for over 150 species of birds and as a premier destination for bird watching throughout the region. This center is the newest addition to Audubon’s network of 41 nature centers and sanctuaries in communities across the country.
Top officials and city dignitaries will join The Discovery Center for the Opening Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting. Executives from Audubon Pennsylvania, National Audubon Society, Philadelphia Outward Bound School and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation will be in attendance. Members of the public are invited to attend this event on Friday, Sept. 28, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Ceremony to start at 2:00 p.m.
The opening weekend festivities will continue on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., with the inaugural Discovery Day, a monthly program day for the community that welcomes families and friends of all ages and walks of life to experience The Discovery Center and the natural world in their own backyard.
The rainforests of South America are a little lonelier now, with the highly likely or confirmed extinction of eight bird species.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/8-bird-species-declared-first-be-extinct-decade
If you’re a bird-watcher, there’s an interactive way to enjoy your hobby thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Cornell scientists created a tool on their BirdCast website (with research funded by NSF, Leon Levy Foundation, Rose Postdoctoral Fellowship and Marshall Aid Commission) that shows in near real-time the volume and direction of migratory birds traveling throughout the country. The migration forecast maps will keep you apprised of what to expect in the days (and nights) ahead.
After Hurricane Matthew slammed into the Bahamas in 2016, researchers were sure the Bahama nuthatch (Sitta pusilla insularis), already an endangered bird, had been wiped out.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/bird-thought-extinct-discovered-bahamas
Do you enjoy watching fall warblers in the Americas, but could use some tips and tricks for identification? We can help! We’re excited to partner with the Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy to offer a suite of exciting educational resources in thanks for your eBirding: in August, every eligible checklist that you submit gives you a chance to get free access to Be a Better Birder: Warbler Identification Series.
https://ebird.org/news/win-a-free-spot-in-the-cornell-labs-warbler-identification-course-august
August is always an exciting time of year for eBird—when we update all eBird records with the latest scientific advances in bird taxonomy. New information on species limits can result in increases (splits) or decreases (lumps) in your list totals. Whenever possible, we change your records for you to match the expected species when a split occurs—this is one of the main services we provide at eBird. Expect 2018’s update in the second or third week of August.
Global Big Day has set new heights for a single day of birding each of the past four Mays. This massively international collaborative birding event has been so great that we’re having another worldwide eBird Big Day! From hundreds of Ross’s Gulls in northern Alaska to springtime in Australia, South Africa, and southern South America, October brings fun birding to the whole world. Mark your calendar for the first October Big Day: 6 October. Let’s see what we can find together on the first October Big Day!
Stay tuned for more information in coming weeks, and start planning your October 6 birding!