3/13/10 – After reading a mention in the Andes Gazette of a nesting pair of Bald Eagles on Dingle Hill along the Pepacton Reservoir, my wife and I went to see for ourselves. It was a blustery day, with temps in the mid-30’s, a light rain, snow melt coursing down the hillsides. We found the [...]
RUSTY BLACKBIRD 8862, originally uploaded by Mudhen2. If I asked you what North American bird has suffered a population decline of 85-99%, I would get plenty of answers, but I’m betting Rusty Blackbird wouldn’t be one of them. Undoubtedly, it’s one of our least known birds. Most of North America’s blackbird species are doing fine, [...]
Sandpiper: Pectoral Sandpiper, originally uploaded by ReinhardG. It may come as a surprise, but American birds are in serious decline. In March of last year, US Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced that one-in-three American birds are endangered. Even once common birds are showing precipitous declines. Birds face a barrage of threats, which are [...]
The past several years have seen an explosion of social media tools and applications. How can they be applied and help birders (and other outdoor enthusiasts or frankly anyone)?
When do you throw in the towel and concede that a rare species has gone extinct? A new study presents a methodology for helping conservationists answer this difficult question…
Red Knot and Horseshoecrab, originally uploaded by b52starr. In the early 1960s, Rachel Carson wrote “Silent Spring,” an important book that helped increase public concern for the environment. The work was most directly about the dangers and effects of irresponsible, uninformed pesticide use. Carson’s broader message — the one that resonated with the public around [...]
New Jersey has added a dash of color to its guest book — the technicolor plumage of the little-seen purple gallinule. Rare as an open road at rush hour, the little bird has settled for the past week in the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale, drawing birders from as far as Maryland and Pennsylvania. [...]